Since I was young, I knew I didn’t have much of a choice when it came to college and graduate school. My parents always pushed me to do the most rigorous programs and told me this would continue until grad school. It wasn’t in a toxic way either; I know it was what was best for me, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without that push that I’m still so grateful for. With that being said, as I’ve gotten older, it’s pretty much become my choice, and I am, in fact, in the process of choosing which school I’ll end up at in the fall.
My experience felt a little different as I’m someone who initially struggled with my undergraduate experience and made it halfway through the transfer process. Although I’m content with where I’m at now, I’ve been researching colleges for years because of this. I feel like I’ve become as familiar with the pros and cons of each school in consideration as I possibly can, which made the process a whole lot easier. I didn’t start on my applications until winter break which was definitely pretty delayed, but I survived.
I would consider the first step to be months of research. And by months, I really do mean, take as much time as you can to research these schools. Look at their organizations, detailed course requirements, location, potential job/internship opportunities, etc. It’s also important to consider where you want to be after you graduate as it makes it much easier to transition into work through local connections. Graduate school is almost like a second chance to make the right decision if you didn’t for undergraduate, at least for me. Once you do your research, pick a few schools. Just a few. Don’t overdo it because you want to make sure you give each application your all. I recommend making a checklist with details of each school, including application due dates, whether they require the GRE, etc. Then, complete all of the basic information for each application before starting your essays.
For my programs, each essay prompt was fairly difficult from the next so it was hard to reuse them, although I did use certain parts from each one. Bear in mind that for this reason, it is highly time-consuming and requires a large amount of revising as the word count is usually limited while the prompts require detailed yet concise information. I started by writing and then stepping away for a few days before I cleaned up each essay and this helped a lot. Make sure in your essays you are highlighting yourself and your accomplishments while simultaneously demonstrating how you would be a good fit for the school and they would be a good fit for you. Discuss some classes you would be interested in taking, mention some of their unique organizations, or name a professor who seems like someone you could learn a lot from.
Once you finish all these steps and it’s time to submit, all you can do is trust yourself and your abilities and remain optimistic. Whatever is meant for you will accept you with open arms, and the process is way less daunting than it may seem. It isn’t undergraduate and you most likely have way more opportunities to prove yourself than you did in high school. I would have never expected to get into the schools I did, and it’s such a rewarding feeling to really take the time to choose what’s right for you.
Good luck, happy writing!