Dear Dissertation Coach,
I’m thinking of going to graduate school, but I don’t even know where to start. Do you have any suggestions?
Prospective graduate student
Dear Prospective graduate student,
I’m going to assume that you know what subject area you are planning to study. Otherwise, you need to step back and ask yourself what interests you the most.
The next thing you need to consider is what schools do you want to apply to. I generally give the same advice to prospective graduate students that you’d give to undergraduates applying to universities: Pick two schools you are pretty sure you can get into, two that are slightly above what you think you can do, and two dream schools. Those numbers are totally arbitrary. You can, of course, move them around. The whole point is you want to apply in a manner that you think you’ll get accepted somewhere and also apply to places you are not sure you can get into. That way you might be surprised at where you end up going. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Okay, you’ve got your list of schools. Go to their websites then to the department where you will be applying and find out what their application requirements are. Make a spreadsheet or at a minimum made a document that lets you write down what they want and a place where you can check off what you’ve sent. The odds are pretty good that most places accept online applications. No more messy papers for the modern crowd.
When I was working for the University of Texas each department had its own requirements for graduate application. There were some university requirements, but mostly each department was autonomous. Not all universities run their graduate admissions that way.
Most but not all departments required the GRE. That requirement is getting less prevalent, but many may still require it. If it is required, the first thing you will need to do is sign up for it. I usually told students it wasn’t a bad idea to at least read the GRE prep book and take some of the online practice tests. That way you’ll know what you are getting yourself into. I have no real experience with this, but it seemed to me that it didn’t make much sense to spend a lot of money on prep courses.
You are likely going to have to send transcripts from your undergraduate university. Be sure to clear all fines and traffic tickets that might be pending, so that you can access your transcript. Again all of this can likely be done online.
Many departments are going to want letters of recommendation from faculty members with whom you worked. If you are still in undergraduate school, get to know some faculty members more personally than just in class. Sign up for special internships or research projects. Go talk to your faculty during their office hours. Ask your faculty members about going to graduate school. If you have already graduated, then now is the time to rekindle those relationships. Go visit personally if possible, so they have a better chance to remember who you are. Yes, you can have your work supervisor write you a letter of recommendation, but honestly, most faculty members don’t care if you got your work done on time and in a superior way. If you are applying to a research university, they want to know if, in undergraduate classes, you understood theory and methodology or were a self-starter. Faculty members know how other faculty members want letters of recommendation written.
Often graduate schools will ask for a statement of purpose. This is where you will be introducing yourself to the faculty. Tell them a personal story that led you to want to study in this area. The statement of purpose is a good place to tell them why you want to study in their department. Is there a faculty member’s research that you admire or would like to study under? Mention that. Include your academic goals as well as your background in your statement of purpose.
You may be asked to submit a resume or CV. If you are applying to a research program, it is better to submit a CV, so you look like you are trying to be a researcher. Look at faculty members’ CVs to see what should be on them or look it up on Google.
That’s a general review of what you might be asked to submit to a graduate school in your application. As mentioned above, check with each department and be scrupulous in submitting exactly what each department asks for. I always recommended that students visit the campus and the department to which they are applying. Nothing beats personally inspecting where you might be spending two to four to six years of your life.
Talk to graduate students there. Ask them if the faculty members get along with each other. The last thing you want to do is go to a school where they are having turf wars in the department. Ask them where graduates have gotten employment. Is that the kind of thing you want to do?
Talk to faculty members. Ask how many graduate students they work with. Ask how they mentor students.
Okay, now you have a bare outline of what you need to do to apply to graduate school. Go do it!
Warmly,
Your Dissertation Coach
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