HOW TO ACE YOUR GRAD SCHOOL APPLICATIONS BYAUTUMNRENDALL

BY AUTUMN RENDALL

Now that you’ve finally chosen your top graduate schools and safety choices, here comes the stressful part: applying. Graduate admissions are a smidge more complicated than what you might be familiar with from your undergraduate experience, so you’re going to want to familiarize yourself with the process before you get started. Though admissions requirements can vary from school to school and program to program, here’s some common steps to take in order to ace your applications.

1. Make sure you know the requirements and deadlines for your program!

Like I said, graduate admissions are less standardized than undergraduate, so make sure and be aware of what each school you’re applying for requires from you during the application process and when they want you to submit your materials. Believe it or not it’s not that fun when you’re about to hit the submit button and you realize you have to write an extra essay you didn’t know about.

2. Ask for recommendation letters

Graduate schools will often require two or three recommendation letters, so it’s important to figure out which of your professors or former/current employers you’d like to speak on your behalf well in advance. Make sure to be polite and understanding when asking for the recommendation because this is a big favor that your recommendation writer doesn’t necessarily owe you. Give your writers at least two weeks time before you’d like them to turn in the letter, and you might want to show them an updated resume of yours so they can see what you’ve been up to professionally since they last supervised you. When they submit your letter, make sure to thank them profusely.

3. Study up and take your GRE

Check out page 10 for tips on acing this graduate school readiness exam. However, make sure to research if your hopeful graduate school you’re applying for offers a waiver that allows you to skip the test. For example, if you went to UH for your undergraduate degree and meet certain requirements, UH graduate programs will offer you a GRE waiver.

4. Request your transcripts from every college you’ve previously attended ahead of deadline

Sometimes transcripts can take longer than you’d like to be processed, so make sure you request each one from every previous college you’ve attended well in advance.

5. Create a resume that shows off your academic and professional experience that prepares you for this grad

Program

Some graduate school applications require explanations about your employment or volunteer experience, so having a resume ready that shows off all of your professional and academic achievements comes in handy.

6. Write your personal statement

A personal statement for graduate school admissions is an essay you write that explains why you’re a perfect fit for the program you’re applying for. This is your time to talk about your passion for what you’ll be studying, why you’re applying for this specific program at this school, your qualifications and experience in the area you’ll be studying, and your goals during the program and after your graduate from it. Spend a good amount of time working on this essay, and don’t be afraid to give it a hefty amount of rewrites and edits.

7. Some programs might ask for samples of your work or research Select the examples that best show off your capabilities for the program and that you’re most proud of. If you can, have your professor or employer familiar with the project or subject matter review it just in case.

8. Triple check all of the application steps and documents you’ve submitted, and make sure you’ve filled out and written everything correctly.

We’re all humans, and we all certainly make typos. In order to show that you cared enough to pay attention to all of the details of your application, block out some time to carefully reread everything you’re submitting.

9. Submit your work and wait! Congratulations, you’re done!

10. Don’t forget to accept your admission if you receive acceptance into the program.