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SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION Each part of an application is important. Usually there are five parts: 1. The application form that asks for personal data; 2. A statement of purpose or personal statement-why you want to be admitted to the program to which you are applying; 3. Letters of recommendation or recommendation forms. The forms are usually supplied by the institution and help to standardize the recommendation process. Nonetheless, a recommender may attach a letter may attach a letter of recommendation to the form that he or she has completed for you; 4. Official transcripts of college level academic work sent by each institution where the credit was earned; 5. A report of any standardized test scores (GRE, GMAT, LSAT, Miller Analogies, etc.) required by the program to which you are applying.
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There is always a form that asks for the essential information that the institution will use to file and keep track of your application. It should be filled out clearly and accurately and typed or word-processed, if possible. Be consistent in spelling out your full, legal name on all forms. As soon as you have identified the schools to which you will apply, request application forms from each one. Sometimes these can be requested from the institution’s web site. You may even be able to download the application. Each school’s application is different, so you really must pay attention to the form and its instructions. Think of it in terms of “human nature.” The reviewers of applications at a particular school are accustomed to following the pattern of their school’s form. They compare and contrast applications using the information supplied on the forms. If you fail to follow instructions or if you fail to include a piece of information altogether, you might eliminate the chance for your application to be compared against other applications. Your application may get shelved as the reviewers go on to the next application.
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The Statement of Purpose or Personal Statement The statement of purpose or personal statement is an extremely important part of the application because it gives the faculty assessing your application their most significant impression of you as an individual. Faculty members are interested in your motivation, intellectual skills, and suitability for study in their program. What are your intentions for graduate study? Do you write clearly? Do your interests really fit those of the department or school? Can you communicate your ideas effectively? Are there special things about you that set apart from other applications and make you particularly desirable as a student? You should probably write a general statement of purpose as the first step in considering graduate school. Setting your ideas and goals down on paper should help you clarify your thinking. If you can get things down in no more than three double-spaced typed pages, you probably have a good idea of what you really want to do. The statement should reflect your own intellectual development. One strategy is to discuss the points in your life when you made decisions and what influenced them-the decision on a college major, the decision on a career goal, the family members and role models who inspired you. Once you have a general statement, you can tailor it to fit programs to which you are applying by talking about the reasons you chose the program-how it fits you background and interests. The application materials may give you a specific format for the statement of purpose or ask you to respond to specific questions. Be sure to follow directions and design your statement to fit the constraints of the application’s instructions. The general statement of purpose is also a good vehicle to use to approach faculty members for recommendations. Make an appointment with a faculty member to discuss your statement and ask for comments before you put it into final form. Also, ask for a letter of recommendation after you have had the discussion. You will have valuable feedback on your statement, and you will be demonstrating how seriously you are interested in graduate school.
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Letters from faculty members are very important because your teachers are in the best position to assess your ability to do advanced academic work. Obviously you will want to approach faculty members in whose classes you have done well. You want people who know you personally, hence the importance of talking with your teachers, both as you take their classes and afterward, when you seek advice on possible graduate programs. Since initiative and independent thinking are the hallmarks of a good graduate student, you need to display these characteristics at the undergraduate level, and you can do that by asking intelligent questions in class, discussing your exams with faculty members during office hours, and seeking advice about your future career. Some campuses may have a Reference File Service that permits you to “bank” your reference until you need them. Check with your placement or career center. A good way to get to know faculty members is by doing research with them. Many institutions have programs that recruit undergraduate students to serve as research assistants. There are two distinct advantages to these types of opportunities. They promote good working relationships between students and faculty members, and students have the chance to gain valuable experience doing the kind of research that characterizes graduate work. If you haven’t compiled a reference file as an undergraduate and if you have been out of school for a while, you should contact faculty members by phone, e-mail, letter, or if possible, in person to remind them of who you are and to discuss your plans. This will be useful “warm up” before you ask for a letter of recommendation. Be prepared for these discussions. Have a copy of your resume ready to leave with you recommender. Make the application process as easy as you can for the recommender. For instance, on virtually all recommendation forms, there is a portion that asks for the applicant’s name and other vital information. Before you leave this kind of form with the recommender, first be sure that you complete your portion of the form. Sign the waiver statement (see the next section). Provide a copy of your resume. If you can, supply the recommender with an appropriately addressed, stamped envelope to use to mail the form when it’s completed.
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The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act provides graduate school applicants with certain safeguards concerning access to their admissions information. In applying this legislation, therefore, an institution may give you the option to indicate whether or not you wish to have access to letters of recommendation should you matriculate. This option is usually provided for on the form that the recommender fills out on your behalf. For a particular institution, you may waive your right to view your recommendations or you may choose not to waive your right to read your recommendations. Whichever option you choose, it should have no effect on your admission chances. Most students, however, waive their rights to review recommendations since they know their recommenders well and have discussed with them what their letters of recommendation will contain. Some recommenders routinely provide a student with a photocopy of their letters or recommendation and recommendation form directly.
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When you look at the requirements for admission to a graduate program, you should determine whether you need to take a test such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or a test appropriate to your professional area, such as the LSAT, MCAT, or GMAT. Not all programs require standardized test scores, but many do. For the GRE it is important to note whether a specific subject test is required in addition to the general examination. For some students the idea or a nationally administered standardized test is daunting. But step back and consider the whole picture. First, test scores are only one of several factors that admission committees consider in reviewing your application. The test is not a “make or break” situation. Second, it is possible to prepare for the test-not to learn the content of the test-but to practice test-taking skills and to develop familiarity with the kinds of questions that might be asked. Working through a number of test examples shows you how the instructions and problems are set up and allows you to develop strategies for approaching each section of the test. Perhaps the most intimidating aspect of standardized tests is that they are timed. You have only a certain amount of time to complete each section. Therefore, as you work your way through examples, set an alarm clock and work against it. Get used to working under pressure. If you are familiar with the format of the test and the instructions for each section, you will be able to move along quickly to the actual question sets. There are two version of the test, pencil-and-paper and computer-based. The GRE Information Bulletin and the web site GRE OnLine http://www.gre.org give you guidelines for taking the examination and include a practice test and a list of additional test books that you can order. There are also computer software versions of the practice tests and for-profit businesses that offer test-taking workshops. Your college or university may also offer test-taking workshops, so check with your career center or testing center. Early in the fall is usually a good time to test, receive scores, and meet application deadlines. It could take up to 6 weeks to report test scores, so planning ahead is a critical element to make sure that your application process goes smoothly and that test score reporting is timely. With the transition to computer-based testing, you may have more options of times to take a test than with pencil-and-paper testing, but there are limitations. Don’t wait until the last minute.
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Graduate programs require official transcripts of all college work that you have undertaken. Even one or two courses taken at another institution should be reported via a transcript. Order transcripts from all of your postsecondary institutions early in the fall. Institutions usually set a minimum undergraduate grade point average for admission to graduate school, generally a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (a B average, although some departments might admit students whose grades fall below that average). Your undergraduate grade point average is a strong indicator of your ability to do graduate work, and admission committees consider it carefully. They will look not only at your grade average but also at the quality of the undergraduate institution where you obtained it. They will look closely at the grades you earned in your major, particularly at upper division courses in that subject. Patterns of improvement could be significant if you did not start out strongly. If your grade point average is not outstanding, do not despair. If it is somewhat below a B average, there is still hope. If it is below a B-, be concerned. You may be able to explain unusual circumstances that affected your grades when you write you statement of purpose. You can stress that your grades improve dramatically (if they did). Again, be realistic in assessing what your grades actually show about your academic ability and your own self-discipline and motivation.
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