Appyling to Grad School

Don’t Wait

Start collecting application forms a full year before you start graduate school.
Apply before the rush. If applications are accepted December through January, apply in December.

READ the application to determine what is required. Complete everything on the application and submit all required supporting materials.
Graduate school application is often a dual process. Some materials go to the Graduate Admissions Office. Some go to the graduate program to which you are applying. READ the application to figure out what is required by each office.
Follow up with the admissions office to verify that they have everything they need for the application. You MUST do this if you do not receive follow-up verification from them.
An incomplete application is often rejected.
Many programs admit students only in the fall. Find out when your desired program accepts new students and apply accordingly.

The Personal Statement is a key document in your application packet.
Start a draft of the Personal Statement early in your college career and keep refining it.
Have others proofread and critique your Personal Statement.
Include what is unique about you.
Include what you will contribute to the field and to the department.
Show specific interest in the faculty in your target program and their specialties.
Visit the school and the specific department on your own or as part of an organized group. Ask questions.

Get Good Letters of Recommendation

Graduate school and funding selection committees can tell a form letter from a carefully crafted recommendation where the writer obviously takes an interest in the student.
Establish rapport with current faculty. Schedule time to talk with them 2 or 3 times per semester. Make sure they know your interests, extracurricular activities, your career goals, etc.
Request letters well in advance of the submission deadline.
Provide a complete resume and a listing of other pertinent information that might be used in a letter.
Provide a stamped and addressed envelope.
Follow up as the deadline approaches. Don’t be pushy. Professors are usually asked to prepare many of these letters in a short time period.

Find Funding for Graduate School

Lots of money goes unclaimed.
Look at the academic department at the university to which you are applying. They sometimes have funding for graduate students.
Research professional associations and societies for funding.
Check out your home state for graduate school fellowships.
Search the Web, but don’t rely totally on this information resource.
Network with current faculty, faculty at the school you wish to attend, student chapters of professional organizations, mentors, etc.
Check out journals and publications in your desired field. Fellowship programs are often advertised in these publications.
Some funding is transportable from one institution to another. Other funding is institution-based.
There is more funding available in the physical and biological sciences than in the social sciences and humanities.
GRE scores may affect your chances of getting funding.

About the GRE

Take the GRE as if you are only going to take it once, and do your best.
If you take the GRE in your junior year, you could re-take it in the fall of your senior year. Take the GRE at least one month before you apply to graduate school. It takes time to process the score and scores have it sent to your desired graduate schools.
On the GRE registration form, request that your scores be sent to the institutions to which you are applying. REMEMBER THE DUAL APPLICATION PROCESS AT MANY SCHOOLS. Make sure your scores are sent to the correct department and/or the Graduate Admissions Office.
Different programs review the GRE in different ways. Most do not use the GRE as the only criterion for admittance.
Ask for the GRE score range of students accepted into your desired program.