Will be applying to MLIS/MIS programs starting Fall - advice needed!

[rachellee321]

I have started to research programs and what they offer, but I would love some advice from those who are in school already! Some specific questions I had:

1. How often are there research assistantships available?
   
2. If you are at Chapel Hill (or maybe Illinois), what was it like to get in? It is my first choice school, but I don't have a 3.5 GPA (their average). I will likely graduate with a 3.25
   
3. I have read over and over that job experience is vital, how often do schools have jobs available?
   
4. Any general advice while I am still an undergraduate that I could be doing to be more competitive?
   

Thanks for any advice in advance... any general advice is great too.

[lydibird]

1. Research assistantships (or assistantships of any sort) are pretty rare for masters programs, but there are some available. It depends on the school. I know that University of Michigan has about 4 "University Library Associate" positions every year and one or two "Public Library Associates." I think Indiana University and UNC-Chapel Hill have similar programs. They are extremely competitive, though, and can't be counted on. Generally this information can be found on their website and may require an additional application. At large schools you may be able to find TA type positions in other department/programs if their own grad students can't cover them all. Once again, that's fairly rare but has and can be done! I guess my point is that no one can count on an assistantship. Be sure to apply for any and all scholarships you might be eligible for, starting with American Library Association scholarships and be prepared to take out loans.

2. I didn't apply to UNC or Illinois so I don't have stats or anything. If you have relevant experience, great LORs and essays, and competitive GRE scores lower GPAs can be overcome. There are actually a couple threads related to low (under 3.0) GPAs getting into grad school: You could probably get some tips by reading it.

3. Again this depends on the school. Most of the schools I looked into seem to really care about getting students experience. A lot schools even have requirements for real life experience in order to graduate. Especially at large schools there are tons of student jobs in the campus libraries and they often have programs in conjunction with archives and public libraries.

4. These might be obvious, but they helped me tremendously. If you haven't worked in a library before, do it now. If you have, keep working there! If you can't find a paid position volunteer. Make friends with librarians and use them for a LOR or two. Professors are great, but a librarian will know more about your skills/ability/knowledge in the information field.

Good luck!