Higher education admissions expert Donald Martin spoke in an online seminar Thursday to lay student’s fears to rest about graduate school and provide tips on how to survive the application process.

Martin, a regular contributor to U.S. News and World Report, decided to hold the seminar to help students with the process of applying to graduate school and taking the GRE exam because graduate and business schools have rapidly increased their GRE score acceptance, according to an Educational Testing Service statement.

Martin advised students to start thinking about their future plans and what type of graduate school they would like to attend. He said there are lots of myths about graduate school, one being that it is not worth pursuing higher education unless it is a very highly ranked school.

“You want to focus on finding the best fit for you,” Martin said. “There’s no statistical evidence that a higher ranked program causes you to be more successful.”

According to Martin, thoroughly researching graduate school programs of interest is one of the most important parts of the application process. He said that includes talking with admissions staff to get more information about the programs they offer and figuring out what they look at when reviewing applications.

Another myth Martin said he wants to prove wrong is that graduate school is too expensive. He said there are a variety of scholarships and financial aid opportunities offered to students and that students can sometimes gain full tuition or an additional salary by working at the institution they attend.

Students interested in higher education are often worried their grade point average is not strong enough and do not think they will get into their desired programs, Martin said. He said graduate schools are looking for students to demonstrate abilities across many areas and it is key to make a good impression on the application.

Dawn Piacentino from the Higher Education Division of ETS said it is important to take the GRE test as soon as possible because it is a universal exam accepted by both graduate schools and business schools, including 85 percent of the top institutions.

She said the GRE test underwent changes last July that have eased the nerves of many students.

“We want individuals to approach test day with more confidence so they can do their personal best,” Piacentino said. “On test day, when you take the computer-based GRE, at the end of the test you will view your scores and after you view them, you can decide where you’d like to send them.”

According to Piacentino, students can send in their scores from the most recent test or send all scores from the past five years and do not need to send any scores they are not proud of. Another new policy since July is that students can retake the test once every 30 days and can take it five times in a continuous 12-month period.

Martin said the best way to tackle graduate school interviews is to be professional and “be yourself.”

“You’re good enough just as you are; just be yourself,” Martin said. “Make sure you smile; it lightens the moment. It makes a huge difference.”