Wednesday, July 14, 2004
What Do Graduate Schools Want?
What do graduate admissions committees look for in graduate applicants?
Understanding what graduate schools want in applicants is the first step in
tailoring your experiences and application to make yourself irresistable to
the graduate programs of your dreams.
So just what do admissions committees look for? Their goal is to identify
applicants who will become important researchers and leaders in their field.
In other words, admissions committees try to select the most promising
students. What's a promising student? One who promises to be an excellent
graduate student.
The ideal graduate student is gifted, eager to learn, and highly motivated.
He or she can work independently and take direction, supervision, and
constructive criticism without becoming upset or overly sensitive.
Faculty look for students who are hard workers, want to work closely with
faculty, are responsible and easy to work with, and who are a good fit to
the program. The best graduate students complete the program on time, with
distinction - and excel in the professional world to make graduate faculty
proud. Of course, these are ideals. Most graduate students have some of
these characteristics, but nearly no one will have all, so don't fear.
Now that you know the ideal to which graduate faculty strive in selecting
new graduate students, let's look at how faculty weigh the various criteria
for admission. Unfortunately there is no simple answer; each graduate
admissions committee is a bit different, but generally speaking, the
following criteria are important to most admissions committees:
· Undergraduate GPA (especially the last two years of college)
· Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores
· Recommendation letters
· Personal statement
Sure, you knew these things were important, but let's talk more about why
and the part they play in admissions decisions.
Or you might begin by talking about an experience that was important to you.
How did you become interested in your discipline? How did you know that you
wanted to go to graduate school? Write about some of your activities: why
did you start them and what motivates you about them?
Don't feel wedded to what you write, but consider writing as a process in
which you can discover what you'd like to include in your essay. Write
multiple drafts and you'll find improvement with each draft.
Get feedback on your writing from as many people as you can. Also consider
getting feedback before your essay is finished so that you can correct and
revise it before you've spent too much time on it. Your reader might see
potential in an idea that you were about to trash -- and might help you to
stay on track. When you think you're done, give yourself time away from your
essay and you'll come back to it with a fresh eye, able to evaluate it more
objectively.
When your essay is complete, you should be inspired and proud. Reread your
personal statement to be sure that it discusses your strengths. It's
sometimes hard for us to talk about ourselves as we're often taught that
modesty is a virtue -- but it isn't when you're applying to graduate school.
It's ok to feel like you're being boastful or even cheesy, as long as what
you've written is true. Your goal in writing your personal statement should
be to excite and inspire your reader -- and get a ticket to graduate school.
Or you might begin by talking about an experience that was important to you.
How did you become interested in your discipline? How did you know that you
wanted to go to graduate school? Write about some of your activities: why
did you start them and what motivates you about them?
Don't feel wedded to what you write, but consider writing as a process in
which you can discover what you'd like to include in your essay. Write
multiple drafts and you'll find improvement with each draft.
Get feedback on your writing from as many people as you can. Also consider
getting feedback before your essay is finished so that you can correct and
revise it before you've spent too much time on it. Your reader might see
potential in an idea that you were about to trash -- and might help you to
stay on track. When you think you're done, give yourself time away from your
essay and you'll come back to it with a fresh eye, able to evaluate it more
objectively.
When your essay is complete, you should be inspired and proud. Reread your
personal statement to be sure that it discusses your strengths. It's
sometimes hard for us to talk about ourselves as we're often taught that
modesty is a virtue -- but it isn't when you're applying to graduate school.
It's ok to feel like you're being boastful or even cheesy, as long as what
you've written is true. Your goal in writing your personal statement should
be to excite and inspire your reader -- and get a ticket to graduate school.
What goes into a CV? Here are the types of information that a vita may
contain. The contents of a CV differ across disciplines, and your vita
probably will not have all of these sections yet, but at least consider
each.
Contact information
Here, include your name, address, phone, fax, and e-mail for home and
office, if applicable.
Education
Indicate your major, type of degree, and the date each degree was awarded
for each postsecondary school attended. Eventually you'll include titles of
theses or dissertations and chairs of committees. If you haven't yet
completed your degree, indicate the expected graduation date.
Honors and Awards
List each award, granting institution and the date awarded. If you have only
one award (e.g., graduation honors), consider incorporating this information
within the education section.
Teaching Experience List any courses that you assisted with as a TA,
co-taught, or taught. Note the institution, role held in each, and
supervisor. This section will become more relevant during your graduate
school years, but sometimes undergraduates are assigned teaching roles.
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Understanding what graduate schools want in applicants is the first step in
tailoring your experiences and application to make yourself irresistable to
the graduate programs of your dreams.
So just what do admissions committees look for? Their goal is to identify
applicants who will become important researchers and leaders in their field.
In other words, admissions committees try to select the most promising
students. What's a promising student? One who promises to be an excellent
graduate student.
The ideal graduate student is gifted, eager to learn, and highly motivated.
He or she can work independently and take direction, supervision, and
constructive criticism without becoming upset or overly sensitive.
Faculty look for students who are hard workers, want to work closely with
faculty, are responsible and easy to work with, and who are a good fit to
the program. The best graduate students complete the program on time, with
distinction - and excel in the professional world to make graduate faculty
proud. Of course, these are ideals. Most graduate students have some of
these characteristics, but nearly no one will have all, so don't fear.
Now that you know the ideal to which graduate faculty strive in selecting
new graduate students, let's look at how faculty weigh the various criteria
for admission. Unfortunately there is no simple answer; each graduate
admissions committee is a bit different, but generally speaking, the
following criteria are important to most admissions committees:
· Undergraduate GPA (especially the last two years of college)
· Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores
· Recommendation letters
· Personal statement
Sure, you knew these things were important, but let's talk more about why
and the part they play in admissions decisions.
Or you might begin by talking about an experience that was important to you.
How did you become interested in your discipline? How did you know that you
wanted to go to graduate school? Write about some of your activities: why
did you start them and what motivates you about them?
Don't feel wedded to what you write, but consider writing as a process in
which you can discover what you'd like to include in your essay. Write
multiple drafts and you'll find improvement with each draft.
Get feedback on your writing from as many people as you can. Also consider
getting feedback before your essay is finished so that you can correct and
revise it before you've spent too much time on it. Your reader might see
potential in an idea that you were about to trash -- and might help you to
stay on track. When you think you're done, give yourself time away from your
essay and you'll come back to it with a fresh eye, able to evaluate it more
objectively.
When your essay is complete, you should be inspired and proud. Reread your
personal statement to be sure that it discusses your strengths. It's
sometimes hard for us to talk about ourselves as we're often taught that
modesty is a virtue -- but it isn't when you're applying to graduate school.
It's ok to feel like you're being boastful or even cheesy, as long as what
you've written is true. Your goal in writing your personal statement should
be to excite and inspire your reader -- and get a ticket to graduate school.
Or you might begin by talking about an experience that was important to you.
How did you become interested in your discipline? How did you know that you
wanted to go to graduate school? Write about some of your activities: why
did you start them and what motivates you about them?
Don't feel wedded to what you write, but consider writing as a process in
which you can discover what you'd like to include in your essay. Write
multiple drafts and you'll find improvement with each draft.
Get feedback on your writing from as many people as you can. Also consider
getting feedback before your essay is finished so that you can correct and
revise it before you've spent too much time on it. Your reader might see
potential in an idea that you were about to trash -- and might help you to
stay on track. When you think you're done, give yourself time away from your
essay and you'll come back to it with a fresh eye, able to evaluate it more
objectively.
When your essay is complete, you should be inspired and proud. Reread your
personal statement to be sure that it discusses your strengths. It's
sometimes hard for us to talk about ourselves as we're often taught that
modesty is a virtue -- but it isn't when you're applying to graduate school.
It's ok to feel like you're being boastful or even cheesy, as long as what
you've written is true. Your goal in writing your personal statement should
be to excite and inspire your reader -- and get a ticket to graduate school.
What goes into a CV? Here are the types of information that a vita may
contain. The contents of a CV differ across disciplines, and your vita
probably will not have all of these sections yet, but at least consider
each.
Contact information
Here, include your name, address, phone, fax, and e-mail for home and
office, if applicable.
Education
Indicate your major, type of degree, and the date each degree was awarded
for each postsecondary school attended. Eventually you'll include titles of
theses or dissertations and chairs of committees. If you haven't yet
completed your degree, indicate the expected graduation date.
Honors and Awards
List each award, granting institution and the date awarded. If you have only
one award (e.g., graduation honors), consider incorporating this information
within the education section.
Teaching Experience List any courses that you assisted with as a TA,
co-taught, or taught. Note the institution, role held in each, and
supervisor. This section will become more relevant during your graduate
school years, but sometimes undergraduates are assigned teaching roles.
