If you’re a senior collegiette thinking about graduate school, now is the time to put a little pep in your application steps. Luckily for you, you’ve decided to avoid the terror of the real world for a while longer, but getting into grad school doesn’t come without its own special form of stress. Most deadlines for graduate programs are in late November or December, but before you start hyperventilating into a paper bag, remember that you have no reason to freak out. You’ve already survived almost four years of hectic college life, and applying for grad school is just one last phase! So relax, brush off that seniortitis bug going around and go through this simple HC checklist to get you grad-school-ready.
1. Choose and contact references early
As deadlines approach, you’ll want to select the right people to be your references and give them plenty of notice for writing letters of recommendation. Laura Jackson, a recent graduate of Chatham University’s Master of Professional Writing program, says to narrow this list down as soon as possible.
“I would say as soon as you know which grad school you wish to apply to and how many you need, ask your references,” she says.
In addition to keeping an eye on the clock, it’s important to choose the right references for you. Jim Oris, dean of the graduate school at Miami University, advises choosing people who have interacted with you in class or in one-on-one situations.
“You want to make sure they are people who have experienced your abilities relevant to the program you’re applying to,” he says. “They can describe your characteristics in a way that sets you apart from the pack.” This list includes professors in your major’s department or previous internship supervisors.
When you email or speak to the person who you’d like to write your recommendation in person, ask nicely if he or she has the time to write a graduate school recommendation. Then, Laura advises, “provide them with whatever they need—whether it’s either a link to an online recommendation or mailing them a copy of the recommendation form.”
2. Take the GRE or another required standardized test
Depending on what field you’re going into, you might need to take one of the many kinds of graduate school admissions tests. Many programs require or look for scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which is a computerized test covering verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing—kind of like the grad school version of the SAT. For prospective business school students, the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is for you, while the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) measures reading, writing and logical reasoning for potential law students. Finally, students who hope to attend medical school take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
Deciding whether to sign up for the test depends on where you’re applying and for what type of program. “Unlike the undergraduate process, each program sets their own criteria,” says Oris. “Some programs require the GRE and some don’t, and some programs stress these scores more than others.”
Deciding when to take the GRE or other test is crucial. Although deadlines for test scores will vary depending on the program, Oris says it’s good to take the GRE about a year before you expect to start grad school, preferably any time during the summer or early fall.
To register for the GRE and see your scores, you’ll need to create an account on the GRE website. You can also find ways to prepare for the test on the site.
3. Write a killer personal statement
You’ve learned a lot in your undergraduate education, and it goes beyond a few bullet points and grades. To get all of your experiences across to the application committee, focus on making your personal statement stand out.
“Think of your personal statement not only as that but also a writing sample,” says Oris, adding that even though the essay has “personal” in the title, you should maintain a formal voice. “A lot of people will read that statement, and it needs to be professionally done,” he says. “You don’t necessarily want to tell a personalized story; you want to explain why you want to go to grad school.”
Communicate your passion for the subject you hope to study in grad school and your desire for a higher academic challenge, as well as how you hope to benefit from a graduate degree in the longer term. This is one instance where being too vague could really hurt you.
“I also recommend that you attempt to stay within the required length for the personal statement,” Oris says. “Trust me, those schools read a lot of essays.”
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4. Connect with the right people in the programs
Rather than relying on your application to miraculously stand out among a sea of similar test scores, it can be a huge help to contact someone directly from the grad school you’re applying for. Whether it’s a short phone call, a brief email or a face-to-face visit, speaking with someone from a particular program is impressive to graduate professors, Oris says.
“You need to make connections with individual faculty members who you can be advised by,” he says.
Because grad school admissions are often more competitive than undergrad admissions, Oris says this gives you a chance to be ahead of the curve. According to him, contacting individuals within the program is most important for students pursuing a doctoral degree, but it’s a good strategy for any level. “It is really essential for many programs that someone there knows you by name—it helps you stand out,” he says.
Oris also encourages students to read the program’s literature, meaning brochures and other materials with details. “Find authors of critical papers you find interesting or have used in your undergraduate career, hunt those people down on their websites and send them an email,” Oris says. This is important so that you know whom to contact when a question comes up along the way. “Asking questions is always a good idea and extremely helpful, as long as you don’t overdo it,” he says.
5. Check deadlines for scholarship and funding applications
Before you imagine yourself on a new campus chatting up new grad school friends, you need to consider how you are going to pay for the next chapter of schooling. Remember to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before March to help cover some of the costs of school.
Many schools offer scholarships and fellowships from certain departments, so dig through program websites to see what is available. There is also a slew of public and private organizations that offer funding for potential grad school students, such as The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.
Knowing these five steps for grad school applications is the easy part; from here, it’s crunch time! After finalizing your personal statement or fostering those relationships with references, soon it will be time to hit send on that application. Even though grad school is not for everyone, it’s going to be a great next step for the girls who just adore being collegiettes.