Office stymies potential graduates

Prospective graduate students are frustrated by the graduate feeder program’s slow response.

The graduate feeder program is meant to help students get into graduate programs at other schools that have master’s programs unavailable at Florida A&M University.

Some students have complained about FAMU’s graduate feeder program’s slow response to applicants, others have not received any contact at all.

Matefia Poitier, 22, a graphic design student from Orlando, is looking for money to attend graduate school.

“It was helpful to a certain extent but [the office] could have given more insight into the direct area of interest I’m looking for,” Poitier said. “They make you sign in then ask you what it is that you need help with, or if you have any questions. But if they can’t help you they make no effort to point you in the appropriate direction.”

Some students also cite professionalism in the office as a problem.

“The person at the front desk was the one giving me the information,” Poitier said. “He just gave me a piece of paper, asked me about my interest, and just told me that they did not have any of it.”

However, there are students who said they felt the program is running well as it is. Amiyn Edwards, 23, a health care management student from Jacksonville, expressed satisfaction with the program.

“They give you all the information that you need,” Edwards said. “You just got to wait for a response.”

The graduate feeder program is an agreement between FAMU and over 40 graduate schools across the nation.

The program was created to boost the number of minority students enrolled in the graduate programs of the affiliate universities.

The agreement was comprised with FAMU as the lead historically black college or university in the program.

However, there are other black colleges and universities in the program including Howard and Clark Atlanta Universities.

Other notable schools within the program include Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Institute of Technology and Pennsylvania State according to the FAMU graduate feeder program Web site.

Acceptance into the program is based on a list of requirements including 30 credit hours with a 3.0 or higher, a fully completed, and typed , feeder application.

The program also requires  an unofficial transcript, and attendance in at least four of the program’s educational and developmental seminars.

The program also offers some financial assistance to accepted students.

“They allow you to reach out to other graduate schools first, then they try to match whatever that school is willing to offer you, financially,” said Edwards.

No comment was available from the graduate feeder program office at the time of the interview.