This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UPR chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
The end of the semester is upon us. Meaning grad school applications are due! Whether you are a junior or a senior, you can relate to what I’m talking about. Don’t wait for last minute to take your admission exams and be prepared from the beginning so that you can apply on time.
If science is your thing, you know that the MCAT is a hardcore test that you need to ace in order to get into med school. On the other hand, if you’re more interested in justice and you’re aiming for law school…brace yourself for the LSAT because it will not be easy.
It’s not enough to sit around doing research for your dream grad school. You have to work your butt off to get in. So how to do it? Start by getting good grades, great test scores, good recommendations and relevant work/internship experience in your field of study. If you have all or some of the above, you should be good!
The Basics: General Requirements for Grad School
If you’re planning to stay in Puerto Rico for Grad School, you should know that for Law School you need to take two tests: EXADEP and LSAT, for Business School and other graduate disciplines: EXADEP and for Med School: MCAT!
The Tests:
1. Law School: LSAT
2. Med School: MCAT
3. Vet School: GRE
4. Business School: GMAT
5. Other: GRE
All of the tests are pretty challenging, so my advice is to prepare months before taking it!
The Recommendation:
The recommendation letter is one of the most important steps before applying to grad school. Make sure that you identify the professors or coworkers that you would like to ask for their recommendations. The letter requires time from the person who is writing it. So, don’t go asking for a recommendation two weeks before the deadline!
The Experience:
Sometimes students are too focused on getting good grades that they totally forget about having an internship experience. Unfortunately, the UPR doesn’t require an internship experience before you graduate from your degree, but trust me there is no class that can substitute the experience!
Before applying to any grad school, make sure that you have taken the time to participate in any type of extracurricular activity or internship experience that can guarantee you the spot in grad school. There are a lot of talented students who have the grades and the experience, make sure that you always look for opportunities of standing out! This is a great way to show the admissions committee in grad school that you are well capable of achieving anything inside and outside the classroom.
So, you think you’re ready for grad school? Sounds like a lot of work, but remember that in the end, it’ll be worth it!