Applying to Graduate School

Applying to Graduate

School

May 2011

Applying to graduate school can be a complicated

and lengthy process. Once you decide that a

graduate degree is for you, you face numerous

questions: What kind of degree do I want? Where

should I apply? What tests do I need to take?

This guide provides a reference of the steps that

are necessary and the materials that are required

to apply to graduate school. This guide is

designed as a general reference and certain fields

may have additional requirements. An attempt is

made to address individual STEM field

requirements at the back of this guide; however,

applications to certain graduate programs may go

beyond the scope of this guide.

Introduction

Start Early!!!!

The typical graduate admissions process can take as long as six to nine months,

so even if you are not fully certain that you want to go to graduate school, start

preparing early. Some of the top programs may even require that you apply a

year in advance of your intended start date. In addition, you need to first

identify potential schools that you wish to attend. This search is also a very

time-consuming process. Thus, the bottom line is that you should start as early as

possible.

Is graduate school for me? 2

Entrance Exams 3

Building Your Background 4 Choosing a field of research 5 Master’s degree or PhD? 6 Selecting an advisor/school 7 The application process 8 Paying for graduate school 11 Notes specific to certain fields 14

The first step in deciding whether or not to attend graduate school is learning about yourself and defining your personal goals. Questions to ask yourself include:

 What do you find exciting?

 Where do your passions lie?

 What do you want to get out of your graduate education?

 What are your motivations for going to graduate school?

 Do you need a graduate education to achieve your career goals (some fields do not require graduate education or have specific certificate requirements)? However, if you wish to become a college professor, doctor, psychologist, etc. you will discover that a graduate education is mandatory for state licensing requirements.

 Are you really motivated to commit the time and energy to graduate studies or do you feel like you need a break? Honestly assess whether you have the dedication to pursue graduate studies. Graduate work requires a much larger commitment than undergraduate work in terms of time, labor, and intellectual vigor.

 Do you have dreams of travel, exploration, or starting a

family? A demanding graduate program workload will likely not allow the generous time necessary for many other

obligations.



Assess whether graduate school meets your goals

The U.S. Census Bureau Population Survey, 2008 Annual Social and economic Supplement (Fig.1)

underscores the fact that people with advanced degrees earn a higher salary than people with just an

Consider monetary rewards

Seek advice from others

Interview professors and graduate students to gain an idea of what grad school is like and whether it is right for you. In graduate school, the focus is less on test-taking and more centered around writing, research, and your ability to work independently. Professors often treat

you more as a peer than as a pupil, but they expect a higher level of work and commitment.

Is Graduate School for me?

Many graduate programs require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores as part of their application materials. The GRE has two different tests, the General Test and the Subject Test. The GRE General Test measures critical thinking, analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning skills, and is the most common test required by graduate admissions programs. Some institutions may also require you to take a GRE Subject Test, which gauges your knowledge of a specific field of study. Check with the program’s application requirements to see if either of these tests are required.

There are many resources available to help you prepare for the GRE. ETS, the company that produces the GRE, has a website that offers test prep resources (http://www.ets.org/gre/) for registered takers. There are also many other books and internet sites that offer test-taking tips and techniques, sample tests and practice questions, examples of commonly used vocabulary and math, and more. The STEM3 _{study room has many of these resources}

available. You may also check with the campus library or search the web for additional materials.

Graduate Record Examination

Certain fields have specific test requirements. Some examples are:

 Business School (MBA)

GMAT – Graduate Management Admission Test

 Medical School

MCAT – Medical College Admission Test  Law School

LSAT - Law School Admission Test  Dental School

DAT – Dental Admissions Testing  Optometry School

OAT – Optometry Admission Test

Other required exams by field Keep Your Grades Up and Score High on the GRE

3

Entrance Exams

Grades and GRE’s may not be able to predict whether a student will be successful in graduate school, but many universities use these

Gain experience from internships, honors thesis work, by volunteering to assist on projects led by faculty in your department, or by applying to research experiences that relate to your area of interest. It cannot be stressed enough how gaining relevant experience will be one of the best things you can do to prepare for graduate school. Gaining experience can make you stand out a notch above the rest.

Take advantage of undergraduate research opportunities to learn more about your field and discover areas that may interest you or weed out areas that are not appealing. Also, if you are unsure of whether

graduate school is right for you, then graduate research experiences can provide a preview of the life of a graduate student. Check with your institution for research opportunities or consider a national research experience such as the National Science Foundation Research

Experiences for Undergraduates

(http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517&org=NSF) Also, if you know where you want to go to graduate school, it would be exceptionally beneficial for you to try to participate in a research

experience offered through that institution. You would get the

opportunity to experience the life of a graduate student in that program and you would be able to check out the department and meet their graduate students. Furthermore, a letter of recommendation from a faculty member in that department who has supervised your research will carry a lot of weight. Also, there may be opportunities for you to co-author on publications with faculty, which would give you an edge over other students when it comes time for you to apply to a program.

Get Research Experience!

Build relationships with faculty. These interactions can be beneficial when it comes time to request letters of recommendation. A professor that you have assisted on a project will likely write a much more personal and favorable recommendation than one you have just received an A from in class.

When narrowing down your areas of research, try to get specific. It is not enough to say that you want to study ecology because this category is too broad. You need to narrow down your interests to specific aspects of your chosen field. For example, you may decide that you are mainly interested in community ecology.

Consider writing your personal statement essay now (a standard part of your graduate application documents), as this will help you focus on what you really want to study and will also help you think through your reasons for pursuing graduate school. In addition, this process will help you assess your qualifications and deficiencies for your field of study.

Narrow Down your Interests

Consider seeking advice from professors or graduate students in your department that have similar interests. Questions you may want to ask are: What type of research is typically conducted in your areas of interest? What sorts of changes are occurring in your fields of interest?

Where is the research heading for your fields of interest? Where are the new opportunities for research in your fields? What are the employment options for your fields of interest? Are your fields of interest currently being funded?

Seek Advice

Find out what kinds of courses will best prepare you for graduate programs in your field. Also make sure you have the prerequisites met for most of the programs in this area of research, these will vary from institution to institution, but there will typically be certain courses that are commonly required for all programs in a given field. You can often take some prerequisites after being accepted, but it is best to be prepared early.

Prepare Yourself for your Chosen Field of Interest

Choose an Area of Research

The PhD, or doctor of philosophy degree, prepares you for a career in research and teaching, in business, in government, or the nonprofit sector; whereas Master’s degree programs provide specialized preparation in a field of study. Master’s degrees are often career-oriented, while PhD’s are often more research-oriented and tend to prepare students for research-based careers. If you are interested in a career in research or if you want to pursue career as a professor, a PhD is often necessary.

You also may wish to pursue a Master’s degree first and make sure that graduate school is right for you before making a much larger time commitment in a Ph.D. program; however, if you pursue a Master’s degree first and still wish to get your Ph.D., then you will have a larger time commitment (and perhaps monetary commitment) overall. Also, some schools and programs require that you complete a Master’s degree before you can enter a Ph.D. program, so check the program requirements for the institution(s) of interest.

Consider a Master’s Degree if you are not fully certain about graduate school.

Consider the time requirement for each program and how it aligns with your future plans: many students can complete a Master’s degree in two years; whereas it takes at least five years for most students to complete a Ph.D.

Master’s Degree or Ph.D.?

Funding Differences

Generally speaking, more funding is available to support

Seek advice from professors in your chosen field: Questions you may want to ask are: Which programs are on the cutting edge in your chosen field? Where are the best research facilities in your chosen field? From which programs are the most promising young

scholars in your field graduating?

It is important to align your interests with faculty interests when making graduate school choices. Review the research areas of the faculty. Are there professors who are doing research in areas that interest you? Do the courses and specializations offered fit with your interests and career goals?

Choose your school based on the program, not the name of the school. Find out what kind of research is being done in each program that interests you. If you like something you’ve read, find out where the author is, and what kind of research is being done in that department.

Selecting and Advisor/School

Many websites offer program locators that can help you identify prospective programs in your chosen field, and are often organized by state or geographic location. A few are:

 BrainTrack: College and University Directory (braintrack.com/us-colleges-by-state)  PhDs.org  GradSchools.com  GradPortal.org

Pay attention to the application deadlines for each school of interest. Don’t wait to apply until the last minute, as the institution’s funding is often disseminated early to applicants that are accepted to the program. Thus, waiting until the deadline date to submit all of your material can be detrimental to your chances because you are competing for a smaller pool of resources.

Narrow down your choices

Create a list of top choices. It may be helpful to create two lists: 1) a dream list of schools that you would love to go to even if you are not qualified, and 2) a strong list of schools that you stand a good chance of being accepted to and that you would be happy to attend if you are not accepted to your top choices. Depending on how many schools compose this list, you may wish to apply to them all, or apply to a mixture of both. Applying can be expensive (you often will pay an application fee of $50-$100), so become familiar with the entrance requirements such as minimum test scores, GPA, and curricular requirements of your prospective programs to make sure that your choices are ambitious, but also realistic.

Application Deadlines

Application material requirements will vary by institution, but some standard documents include:

 Online or written application form

 Official transcripts from your undergraduate institution(s)

 GRE General Test scores (Note: GRE Subject test scores, GMAT, and TOEFL scores may also be required. Check the program requirements for this information)

 Application fee

 Letters of Recommendation (discussed in detail on page 9)

 Statement of Purpose/Letter of intent/ Admissions essay/Personal statement (discussed in detail on page 9)

Application Materials

Application Materials (continued)

Statement of Purpose Letters of Recommendation

You will be asked to provide letters of recommendation (typically two-three are requested). Letters of recommendation are very important, so choose your

recommenders wisely. Ask the faculty who know you best and who can comment

positively on the quality of your work. Request letters from faculty who are most able to assess your academic and research abilities in areas related to your field of study. It is helpful to meet with the faculty who are writing letters for you, so that they can get a clear understanding of your interests and your qualifications. You might provide them with a resume or outline of the courses you’ve taken; any research experience; or related

activities, projects, or term papers you completed in their class. These items will give them something concrete to use in their letters.

Some admissions programs will have a specific recommendation form that needs to be used or a format that needs to be followed in the letter, so be sure to provide this to your recommenders, if necessary. Also, be courteous enough to provide the faculty with enough time to write the letter well before the deadline-do not wait to request a letter a week before it is due. Not only is this disrespectful to the professor, but it will also likely result in a rushed letter being written on your behalf, which may not be as favorable as a well-thought out letter.

Personal Statements are also used to make funding decisions; if your interests match

with funded research conducted in the department, you may have a chance at receiving an assistantship offer. Thus, it may be very helpful to research particular faculty that seem to have related interests, and to describe how their work will fit well with your goals.

The personal statement also serves to demonstrate to the admissions committee that you know what area of research you are interested in and that you understand your reasons why. Clearly show that you know what you want to study and why. What sparked your interest in your field? Were you inspired by any courses, seminars, or internship/research experiences? Did you have any conversations with professionals in the field that shaped your interest? It is also beneficial to describe your career goals beyond graduate school. Many reviewers want to know what your greater aspirations are beyond graduate studies so that they can understand how your wishes to pursue graduate school will fit into these overarching goals. They really want to know what you hope to contribute as a graduate in your field.

A strong statement will convince the admissions committee that you will be successful in their program. Describe your previous relevant experiences and courses and how they have prepared you for this program. Provide specific details about your experiences instead of relying on broad generalizations. For instance, instead of stating that you received “valuable experience from your internship,” you should describe how the work you did helped you develop a deeper understanding of your field, using specific details. Also describe how the program can help you to achieve your future goals and what aspects of your academic interests the program will help develop. Clearly demonstrate your motivation, determination, and the earnestness of your academic goals. Also be sure to explain any gaps or shortfalls in your academic record.

Finally, take the time to illustrate what makes you unique. What is distinct or

impressive about your life experiences? How do your unique skills make a valuable addition to the field? Do you have certain skills that increase your likelihood of success?

STEM

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There are many resources available to help you attend graduate school without having to go into debt. Some positions allow you to work for your tuition while others offer

funding to support your research, but do not require specific work outside of your graduate research. Some examples that are described below in detail include:

 Graduate Research Assistantships

 Graduate Teaching Assistantships

 Fellowships/Scholarships/Grants

 Loan Forgiveness Programs

 Military Tuition Assistance

Graduate Research Assistantships provide funding (usually partial to full tuition and a stipend) in exchange for a student to work as a research assistant. The student works in a specific faculty member’s lab or they assist faculty with a particular research project that the professor is participating in or has acquired funding for. The student is often

responsible for conducting the research for all or part of that project, and the project often becomes part of their Master’s Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation. Research Assistantships are positions that you have to apply for and are often very competitive. You can find out about Research Assistant opportunities from many sources: some faculty will post positions on their web page, some universities will have a job posting web page, and certain websites for major organizations in a field may contain job boards (e.g. the Ecological Society of America Job Board).

Graduate Research Assistantships

Paying for Graduate School

Graduate Teaching Assistantships are similar to Research Assistantships in that they provide tuition funding and a stipend in return for work that benefits the institution. However, the student works by teaching or assisting with courses taught at the institution instead of by conducting research. Therefore, the student gets a great opportunity to learn how to teach, which can be especially valuable if the student wishes to pursue a career in a teaching-related profession. The student may also be required to run laboratory sessions, grade undergraduate work, hold office hours and meet with students, and conduct other duties related to teaching.

There are numerous fellowships, scholarships and grants available that can help cover a small amount to almost all of your education-related expenses. You can find many of these funding opportunities by searching the web. Search for both general fellowships and for opportunities that may relate to your field of study or your unique circumstances. For example, there are many fellowships that are offered to minorities. Thus, if you are a minority, consider searching for funding that relates to your ethnic background. You may also start by checking with the graduate programs that you are interested in. Many

graduate programs offer fellowships for incoming students. There are also several national large-scale fellowships, a few of which are listed below.

Fellowships/Scholarships/ Grants

National Fellowships:

•The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is intended for students in their early stages of graduate study. It provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based masters or doctoral degrees.

nsf.gov/funding

• Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships provide three years of support for individuals engaged in graduate study leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Doctor of Science (ScD) degree. sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/fellowships

• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Predoctoral Fellowships for Minority Students

provide up to five years of support for research training leading to the PhD or equivalent; the combined MD/PhD degree; or other combined professional degree and research doctoral degree in the biomedical, behavioral sciences, or health services research.

grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm

• The National Physical Science Consortium (NPSC) Fellowship Program seeks to increase the number of PhDs in the physical sciences and related engineering fields, emphasizing recruitment of a diverse pool of women and historically underrepresented minorities. npsc.org

• The Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program awards fellowships for doctoral and Master of Fine Arts students in selected fields of arts, humanities, and social sciences.

ed.gov/programs/jacobjavits/index.html

Loan Forgiveness

Military Tuition Assistance

Armed Forces Tuition Assistance (TA) is a benefit paid to eligible members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Each branch of service can pay up to 100% of the tuition expenses of its members. The money is typically paid directly to the institution and is not a loan; thus, it does not have to be paid back. Each branch of service has its own criteria for eligibility, obligated service

requirements, application processes and restrictions. Thus, it is very important to consult the specific agency that you are interested in and to be sure that you understand the terms required for this Tuition Assistance.

Paying for Graduate School (continued)

With Loan Forgiveness programs, the federal government will cancel all or part of an educational loan under specific circumstances. To qualify, you must:

 Perform volunteer work  Perform military service

 Teach or practice medicine in certain types of communities  Meet other criteria specified by the forgiveness program.

This program targets students who pursue public service careers. If the student stops working full time in the qualified public service job, they lose their loan forgiveness opportunity.

If you are interested in a public service-related career, search the web for loan forgiveness opportunities in your specific vocation and be sure to investigate the specific requirements that need to be met for the program you are interested in. As an example, the Stafford Loan Forgiveness Program for Teachers offers up to

Notes Specific to Certain Fields

Depending on the graduate program, other criteria may be required. For example, other requisites may include:

 Additional tests besides the General GRE Test;

 Additional prerequisites such as 1 year each of Calculus and Physics; and

 Research or other practical experience.

This section provides a brief review of possible prerequisites to think about when planning your undergraduate education with graduate school in mind.

In addition to fulfilling basic requirements, many medical schools look for additional credentials such as leadership experience, interest in service and good communication skills. Below are the most common medical school requirements. Make sure you fully understand the program requirements before you apply and are prepared for a possible interview if asked.

 Coursework Requirements o GPA of at least 3.5 – 4.0

o College prerequisites usually include at least a year of the following courses:  Organic Chemistry  English  Calculus  General Chemistry  Biology  Physics  Standardized Testing

o Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)

o Scores should be competitive as they constitute a considerable portion of the decision making process for admissions

 Practical Experience (ex. internships)

 Service/Volunteer Time

Pharmacy School

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) has the Pharmacy School Admission Requirements (PSAR) © available through their website:

http://www.aacp.org/resources/student/pharmacyforyou/admissions/pages/PSAR.asp x

AACP also houses the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS), a centralized application service for applicants applying to colleges and schools of pharmacy (http://www.pharmcas.org/). Many AACP member institutions require the following prerequisite courses for admission:

 Microbiology;

 Organic Chemistry I and II;

 Calculus;

 Statistics;

 Physics;

 Economics;

 English Composition; and

 Public Speaking/Speech.

Some institutions require the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT), a specialized test that helps identify qualified applicants to pharmacy schools. More information is available at: www.pcatweb.info. Additionally, most programs require an acceptable admission interview.

Physician Assistant School

Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) is a centralized application service for applicants applying to PA educational programs (https://portal.caspaonline.org/) that helps simplify the application process. Additional information for prospective PA students is found on the American Academy of Physician Assistants’ website: http://www.aapa.org/.

In addition to fulfilling basic requirements, most PA schools look for the same

additional credentials that medical schools look for (ex. leadership experience, interest in service and good communication skills). Many PA schools require anywhere from 1,000 – 3,000 hours of patient care experience. Check your program of interest to see what the specific requirements are and what types of experience can be counted towards the requirements.

Below are other most common PA school requirements.

 Undergraduate Degree Coursework Requirements o Human Anatomy;

o Human Physiology; o Physics;

o Microbiology;

o Organic Chemistry with lab; and o Statistics

 Standardized Testing o GRE and/or

o Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)

o Scores should be competitive as they constitute a considerable portion of the decision making process for admissions

 Practical Experience (ex. internships)