Having attended graduate school twice at two different times in my life, as well as being a college professor for many years, I have accumulated much information about attending and being accepted into graduate school. Acceptance to graduate school has many variables. It is not a cut and dry process. There are many steps you can take to make yourself a more desirable candidate. Educate yourself about the schools you want to attend. Know why you want to attend graduate school. Set realistic goals. Focus on your goals, communicate with everyone and be flexible. Keep good records and document every mailing you send out and every phone call or email conversation you have regarding your applications.
Apply while still in undergraduate school
The best time to apply to graduate school is while you are still in undergraduate. While there are some schools that do not take students right from college, it is at least good practice to do so while still in school. You have access to more academic connections. You have your college resources at your fingertips. It is easy to ask a professor for a letter of recommendation while you are still in his class and you are still fresh in his or her mind. Talk to everyone and anyone at your school about going to graduate school. You might be surprised with the knowledge around you that you didn’t know existed. You may also find a connection or a contact that could be made on your behalf.
Seek out and ask for all monetary assistance
Financial aid and grant money is available. Your current school should have a financial aid office, seek out their knowledge about graduate school. Your school library probably subscribes to a grant or aid database that you could not access on your own. Ask the librarians, find out what is available. Let them know what your purpose is. Then apply for everything you qualify for. Also ask what might be available at the schools you are applying. Ask their registration office as well as any department faculty you might interview with or speak with.
Take any necessary entrance exams while still in undergraduate school.
You are in the mode of learning and test taking while you are currently in school. The longer you wait, the harder it will become to get back into the habit of study and test taking. According to ETS(Educational Testing Service), the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) Board policy states scores are reportable for five years. This is great information, because if you want to wait a few years in order to make money or travel or have a few years of work under your belt before going back to school, you can take the test and have your score available for five years. You can find more information about the GRE at their website www.gre.org or contacting their service team at (609) 771-7670.
Noteworthy info:
Acceptance letters have a time limit – longer than you might think. Most are two years. Once you are accepted to a school, you may find yourself in a situation where you might want to take that great job offer or you might have a family situation. Your acceptance letter will come with contact information enclosed; use this to find out how long the offer stands. Even if you don’t intend to delay your acceptance, this is good information to have on hand should you need it.
Same goes for once you are enrolled. Should a situation arise that might cause you to pause your education, ask your department what their policy is on taking time away from school. What is acceptable, are their fees associated with taking time off. Does the time need to coincide with the school calendar? Again, even if you have no intentions of using this opportunity, it is good information to have available should you need it.
Working for a year or two might not be the best choice financially.
Should you decide you need to work for a few years to build up a financial savings, you might find you will need more than anticipated. While you are a full time student and probably not making much if any money, you will be able to receive more financial aid than if you were to work for a while and return to school. My experience was such that it was almost impossible to attend school for that first year after working because I had little saved but I made too much to apply for financial aid. The years following were easier to gain financial assistance because I wasn’t earning any income after my first year in graduate school.
Financial Aid is available, use what you need.
Be smart about your financial aid. Going directly into graduate school from undergraduate will defer your undergraduate financial aid payments if you have any. This is great news. However, once in graduate school, you will be adding to your debt if you apply for more aid. Pay close attention to the payback schedule and what you think your career’s salary can accommodate. Just because you are offered a certain amount of financial aid doesn’t mean you should take it. Take only what you need. Financial aid payments are a harsh reality once you graduate. You can defer them for a year or so, but the interest will grow. There is a time limit as to how long you have to pay back your loans. Know this information up front. If you find yourself in a predicament, try to pay something each month. Do not miss a payment or think out of site out of mind. These payments will not go away and if you neglect them, you will have more to deal with then you ever anticipated. A final note about financial aid, you can not bankrupt a student loan.
If you are returning to school, see if your graduate program will offer you life credit.
Not everyone knew they wanted to attend graduate school while they were still in undergraduate. Many have found the need for additional education or have found that their place of employment will pay for additional course work. If you find yourself in this situation, once accepted to school, ask if they offer life credit. Many school, especially those on an accelerated structure, offer some form of credit for on the job experience or past college course work. It never hurts to ask.
If you are rejected
Not everyone is accepted into graduate school from their first try. There are many reasons one might find themselves rejected from a graduate school program and often you are not the reason. Speak to the department where you applied, find out what happened. Ask them what you could do to make yourself a better candidate. Find out what is their re-application process. Often times, a program only has so many positions open and too many applicants. My experience, I kept the lines of communication open. I had not been rejected but I had not heard anything. I contacted the department I was seeking acceptance into and asked if there was anything I could do to make my application more favorable. I asked if I physically visited the school and the department would that help. It did, I was accepted after I took the initiative to schedule a meeting. You may be able to bypass some of the process the following year if you just ask some well-directed questions. If you are willing to wait a year, you might find you would be accepted – let them know. You can ask if they have a waiting list and let them know you would like to be contacted if a position becomes available. If your application was lacking, find out in what area. Ask for creative criticism and improve it. Again, ask if you can reapply or if they might know of a program you’d be better suited for. All information is good information, make use of these contacts and continue to pursue your applications.
