How to Apply to Graduate and Professional School

A well-crafted application can help secure you admission and funding

Education

HOW TO APPLY TO GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL

A well-crafted application can help secure you admission and funding

Michael Creswell

Editors’ note: The fall semester is almost over! This essay, which we hope will be helpful to students applying to grad school and those who love and worry about them, is Part III of a three-part series. Part I, “How to Prepare Your Child for College,” is available here. Part II, “How to Flourish in College,” is available here.

After receiving your bachelor’s degree, you will have a new choice to make: immediately enter the world of work, or seek a graduate or professional degree. If you choose the latter path, there are a few things you need to know. While some of the steps you took when applying for college are the same ones you will take when applying to a graduate or professional school, there are also other necessary steps to keep in mind. What follows are a few recommendations that, if followed closely, will improve your chances of being accepted into a graduate program or professional school and increase the odds that you will receive funding.

Attend Career Fairs

Attending career fairs is an efficient way to learn about multiple schools, programs, and their admissions requirements, all at the same time and in one place. Career fairs enable you to talk to admissions officers, alumni, and current students about the specific opportunities at their schools. Be sure to check out the websites of schools that the announcement says will be at the career fair, so you can come up with plenty of questions for the schools’ representatives.

The Application Process

The application process for a graduate program is different from the process at a professional school. For graduate school, you are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); for law school you take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT); for business school the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT); for medical school the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

After you have completed the application process, you await the response. Yet when that letter arrives, it might not contain the response you want or expect. Even if you are admitted, the school might decline to offer financial aid or an assistantship to help you pay for your studies. How can this be? you wonder. I received excellent grades as an undergraduate. I also told them how much I love the subject and that I want to become a college professor. What went wrong?

Any number of things could have gone wrong. And although there is no silver bullet that will guarantee success, there are things to avoid—things that might prevent you from getting everything you want from a school.

Don’t wait to begin your application only a week or two in advance of the submission deadline; that’s just too late. You ought to begin thinking about graduate or professional school well before your senior year, which means researching various programs and finding the ones that will enable you to reach your academic goals. Once you have identified the schools to which you want to apply, assemble an application package tailored to each program, should you wish to apply to more than one department. The procedure will vary among the different departments. Despite these differences, however, some elements are common to all departments. These include a statement of purpose, a writing sample, a CV, and letters of recommendation.

Preparing for medical school is slightly different from preparing for graduate school. The American Medical College Application Service is the common application you’ll use to apply to most US medical schools. This means you only have to submit your transcripts, test scores, and personal statement once.

Needless to say, the entire application package should be accompanied by a brief cover letter (of not more than two pages) that summarizes your motivation and qualifications for undertaking a graduate program and also lists the various documents that you are submitting. The letter should also include your desire to be considered for all available fellowships and other financial aid.

The Statement of Purpose

All programs require a statement of purpose in which you explain your preparation and motivation for advanced study. Graduate and professional school entails considerable time, energy, and expense. Admissions committees therefore want to know if you are sufficiently prepared and motivated for graduate study and what you plan to do upon completing the degree. You should, therefore, first ask yourself and then answer in the statement the following questions: Why do I want to pursue a graduate or professional degree? What do I want to study? Academically, how well prepared am I for graduate or professional study? How do I plan or at least hope to put my degree to use?

Why Graduate or Professional School?

You should explain in the statement why you want to pursue a graduate or professional degree. Do you intend to focus exclusively on either teaching or research, or are you committed to both? If teaching, do you want to teach in a private college, a public school, a community college, or a state university? Do you seek a graduate degree for self-fulfillment, or to augment your current teaching credentials? Or do you intend to work outside of academia once you receive the degree? Answering these and related questions will go far in helping you to make your case to the admissions committee.

Bear in mind that this process is a two-way street. In addition to knowing how you would benefit from being admitted to the program, admissions committees also want to know what you have to offer in return. What makes you unique? What might set you apart from other applicants? Do you have experiences (with work, travel, poverty, unusual good fortune, and so on) that might inform your approach to the subject and, if so, how do they relate to your academic goals? Remember, you are just one of many applying, so emphasize what you uniquely bring to the table.

What Exactly Do I Want to Study in Graduate School?

Explain what you intend to study. While many students write passionately about their love of a subject, it is often unclear what they specifically want to study, and why. Specify what subfield of the discipline you wish to study. Also indicate which methodological approach interests you. Moreover, is this a topic that you could envisage studying for your entire professional career?

Briefly recount what sparked your interest in this field. Perhaps it was a book, or a film, or a teacher, or a vacation somewhere that inspired you. Admissions committees are interested in knowing the source of your motivation. This helps your application stand out. If you wish to study a foreign country, mention if you possess the appropriate language skills or have visited or lived in that country. If you do not possess the requisite language skills, make known your plan for acquiring them.

Your Academic Record

Indicate your current level of training in the subject. This information is especially important for applicants with undergraduate majors in fields other than the one they are applying to. If you have no prior training in the field, explain what led you to the new subject and why you believe you are qualified to study it at the graduate level. Anticipate these and other concerns about your academic preparation and respond to them fully and candidly. For example, if there has been a long gap in your education, explain why. If your GPA is relatively low, explain why they should nonetheless admit you into the department. Anticipate problems in advance and address them honestly.

If you received your undergraduate degree in the same field you want to study in graduate school, highlight the research skills you have already acquired. If you have participated in several seminar courses, taken a graduate-level course, or written a senior thesis, note the types of research questions you crafted, the skills that enabled you to complete the projects, or the archives you worked in as a budding scholar. Students writing senior theses would do well to describe their research and possible findings, as admissions committees often see a senior thesis as an indicator of aptitude for independent research.

As with college, having held an internship can be important when applying to graduate school. Internships or professional experience can weigh especially heavily in your favor. This is especially the case for professional programs, as well as programs whose research is geared toward solving specific, practical problems. For example, almost nobody gets into a public history master’s program at an elite university without having had an internship in the field first.

Writing Sample

Submit your best writing sample, preferably from a course in the field you wish to study. The admissions committee will evaluate the paper based on its analytic power, creativity, and clarity of expression. Ideally, it should be a research paper that demonstrates your familiarity with the literature on the subject as well as your ability to incorporate primary sources into your writing. If you are completing a senior honors thesis in your proposed subject, a draft chapter from the thesis might be appropriate if it is well researched and the prose is fairly polished. Do remember to carefully proofread it one more time before sending it off, even if you have done so many times already!

Your Professional Profile

Draft a CV or resume that provides a clear portrait of you and your professional experience. Include honors (scholarships, fellowships, academic honors), publications (if appropriate), professional experience (museum volunteer, secondary school teacher, etc.), foreign language(s) taken (note the language, level, year, grade, and institution), foreign travel, and any other information that an admissions committee might like to know about you. There are several guides available that contain samples of CVs and resumes. Many professors also post their CVs online. You may even find that someone you wish to study with has done so.

Letters of Recommendation

Ask three professors familiar with you and your work if they would write letters of recommendation for you. Preferably, you should make your request in person. Professors are busy, so if they agree to write you a letter, give them at least three weeks’ advance notice before the deadline. A polite email reminder a week before the deadline is usually well received—especially by absent-minded professors. Be sure to provide them with copies of your CV or resume, the statement of purpose you plan to submit, as well as any other information that will aid them in writing the letter of recommendation. Letters from academics are preferable to recommendations from employers. In addition, letters from senior faculty normally carry greater weight than those from junior faculty. And don’t forget to send a thank you note and keep them apprised as to the outcome of your quest for admission.

Potential Advisers

Without exception, graduate students are guided in their studies by a faculty member. Choosing a faculty mentor is thus an important decision. You should therefore visit the department website of the graduate program(s) of your choice and find a professor or professors whose scholarly interests mirror your own. Your application will likely be denied if you apply to a department to study a field, but there is no faculty member who is an expert in that field. And even if the department were to accept you, having your MA thesis or PhD dissertation directed by someone who studies a completely different area will not impress funding committees or increase your attractiveness to potential academic employers.

Once you have identified a potential adviser, ask your current professors if they know this person and if they will provide you with a professional assessment. If the assessment is positive, the next step is to read an article or book written by that professor to determine if he or she approaches the subject in a way that inspires you and that you wish to emulate. If the professor’s writings resonate with you, write to that person well in advance of applying. Introduce yourself, describe your academic interests, and indicate your intention to apply to the department. Ask the professor if he or she would be willing to serve as your major professor should you be admitted to the program. Many schools have admissions committees, but some have systems whereby one professor can admit a graduate student. In either case, strive for a match between your intellectual interests and the strengths of the faculty. If you have the chance to visit the university, arrange for a meeting with the professor to see if there is personal compatibility. There is little point studying with a professor if the two of you will not get along.

Visit the Career and Placement Center

Visit your current school’s career and placement center. Counselors there can give you advice about specific graduate programs and critique your application package. You should also contact the career and placement center at the university to which you are applying, because it may provide more detailed information than can be found in the usual admissions brochures. In addition, many career and placement centers make available samples of personal statements that secured not only admission, but funding as well.

Making Initial Contact

Even before you submit your formal application, contact the graduate adviser, director of graduate studies, or academic coordinator at the university to which you are applying. Prepare in advance a list of specific questions. For example, ask the academic adviser if the department grants transfer credit. If so, see which of any previous graduate courses you may have taken are transferable and which ones would benefit you the most. It would be best to seek transfer credit for required courses, which could lessen the time needed to earn your degree. Knowing this information beforehand will make it easier to obtain the necessary documents, such as syllabi, before you arrive on campus. You should also inquire about how to apply for departmental assistantships/fellowships. However, be sure to first read carefully the information the department supplies on its own website. Asking questions about information that is readily available wastes others’ valuable time and creates a poor first impression.

Visit the Campus

As with college, visiting your intended academic home in person is an excellent idea. Plan your visit well in advance. Most departments are happy to schedule a tour of the campus and set up lunch with current graduate students. Some departments will also help offset the costs of the visit by providing free lodging. While on campus, use the opportunity to investigate the library and take a look at the graduate housing. You should also try to meet other faculty besides your intended adviser, as your graduate career will entail dealing with many other people. Always put your best foot forward. A successful campus visit could help you vault over other highly qualified candidates who were unable or unwilling to make the trip.

While following these suggestions will not guarantee that you will be accepted to the graduate or professional program of your choice, ignoring them will greatly reduce your chances of being accepted to any program.

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Michael H. Creswell is Associate Professor of History at Florida State University, the author of A Question of Balance: How France and the United States Created Cold War Europe, and an executive editor at History: Reviews of New Books. A specialist on the Cold War, Creswell is currently writing a book that examines the increasing difficulties Americans have in communicating in socially and politically productive ways. He has published several essays in the Journal of Free Black Thought, including “Closing the Racial Academic Achievement Gap,” “Why Black Americans Should Care More About Foreign Affairs,” “How Would Black America Fare if Progressives Got Their Way?,” “The Price of the Game,” “The End of Affirmative Action is an Opportunity,” “To Forgive or Not to Forgive?,” “How to Prepare Your Child for College,” and “How to Flourish in College.”