GRADUATE RESOURCE PAGE

jump to: Graduate School Timeline / Selecting a Graduate School / Personal Statements / Letters of Recommendation / Admissions Tests

We suggest the following web sites for searching for graduate schools:

Grad Schools at a Glance This spreadsheet is an overview of the required and recommended courses, experience, letters and tests needed for the graduate school application process.

GradSchools.Com Use this link to search for a graduate school by program

Peterson's Graduate School Information Try this link or access the Peterson's Guides in the Jean & Charles Schulz Information Center

Graduate School Guide This link has graduate school profiles, financial aid information, etc.

Graduate School Time Line

Junior Year: September through December

• Attend Graduate School Fairs
• Talk to Faculty & Advisors
• Review Graduate School Catalogs and Programs
• Determine Admissions Requirements
• Make a tentative list of schools

January through March

• Research Schools
• Begin collecting ideas for Statement of Purpose
• Preparation course and study for GRE or other required tests

April through August

• Narrow your list of schools
• Begin writing your statement of purpose
• If practical, visit schools
• Take the GRE or other required tests EARLY (December tests may still be possible but results may not be available for early deadlines.)
• Request Letters of Recommendation

Senior Year: September through October

• If you haven't taken required tests, do so NOW!
• If you haven't asked for Letters of Recommendation, do so NOW!

November

• Fill out applications
• Send transcripts

December through January

• Standard deadlines for receipt of Graduate School Admission Application (some schools consider applications as they arrive so early applications may be advantageous)

April 1

• Standard date for Financial Aid Awards

April 1 - 15

• Standard date for notification of admission

April 15

• Date by which Financial Aid must be accepted or rejected

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Selecting A Graduate School

Personal Statements
for Graduate School Admission

• Personal Statements are a required component of most graduate school applications.
• They are an extremely important factor in determining your admission to graduate school and great care should be exercised in their preparation.
• Expect to write and rewrite your personal statement many times.
• Personal statements range in length from short paragraphs in answer to specific questions to lengthy autobiographies of 5 pages or more.
• Personal statements are most often 1-2 pages and may contain the following:

1. Your reasons for pursuing graduate school
2. The area in which you wish to specialize
3. Your career goals and future plans
4. Your intellectual interests, talents and special abilities
5. Your background, experience, preparation and accomplishments
6. Your fitness for graduate study
7. Explanations of problems or inconsistencies in your record
8. Special conditions or circumstances
9. What has influenced your decision
10. What led you to apply to this particular program

There is no generic formula for writing successful personal statements, but there are a few guidelines:

What Your Statement Should Do

1. The first sentence or paragraph should capture the reader's attention
2. It should read smoothly
3. It should be positive; any weakness should be followed by an emphasis on strengths
4. It should be written with clarity and honesty
5. It should reveal who you are
6. It should be specific; document your conclusions
7. It should be concise; get to the point and do not wander
8. It should clearly answer any questions that have been asked
9. It should stay within the guidelines for length, if none stated limit to 2 pages

What Your Statement Should NOT Do

1. It should not read like a research paper
2. It should not be an essay on the "Life and Times of Jane Doe"
3. It should not be impersonal nor too intimate
4. It should not be the story of "what you've always wanted to be"
5. It should not be a laundry list of achievements
6. It should not lecture

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Letters of Recommendation
For Graduate School 

• Many admissions committees rely heavily on letters of recommendation
• Most schools request 2-4 letters of recommendation
• The letters should specifically address your application for graduate school (Do Not send general character references)
• You should ask faculty, mentors or employers who know you and your academic achievements and capabilities to write your letters of recommendation
• You should provide those you ask to write letters with the following:  Your Statement of Purpose, relevant background information such as your resume or autobiographical information, samples of academic work such as papers, research, etc., you should suggest areas of academic performance or special skills you would like them to address, and you should let them know your career and educational goals.

Letters of Recommendation Should Include:

1. How long and in what capacity they have known you
2. Your suitability for graduate school
3. Relevant academic research and/or work experience
4. Special skills relevant to your area of study
5. Your potential to succeed in graduate school and make a contribution to your selected discipline

When Requesting a Letter of Recommendation:

1. Requests should be made in person
2. Allow at least one month, preferably two
3. Give them a deadline prior to the official one
4. Provide a stamped, addressed envelope and appropriate forms
5. If someone you ask appears reluctant, ask someone else
6. ALWAYS send a thank you letter

Ways to Develop/Pursue Faculty Contact:

• Courses
• Take advantage of office hours
• Use independent study as an opportunity to do research
• Directed group studies
• Internship or volunteer work with faculty
• Teaching Assistant for a class

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Admissions Tests For Graduate School

Various admission tests may be required depending on your discipline and the particular graduate school to which you apply.  The most common tests are listed below:

• GRE Graduate Record Exam - required for most graduate programs
• MAT  Miller Analogies Test - required by some psychology and education programs
• LSAT Law School Admission Test
• GMAT Graduate Management Admission Test
• MCAT Medical College Admission Test
• GSFLT Graduate School Foreign Language Test
• DAT Dental Aptitute Test
• OAT Optometry Admission Test
• PCAT Pharmacy College Admission Test (not require for CA schools)
• TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language
• VCAT Veterinary College Admission Test

Many companies publish preparation test books and are available at most bookstores. Some of them include:

• ARCO: Graduate Record Examination Test
• Barron's: How to Prepare for the GRE
• REA: Graduate Record Examination General Test
• ETS: Practicing to Take the GRE
• Cliff Notes: GRE Preparation Guide
• Princeton Review: Cracking the GRE

Many companies also advertise or offer help through websites:

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Resources

Asher, Donald.  Graduate Admissions Essays.  Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.
Gourman, Jack.  The Gourman Report.  Los Angeles, CA: National Education Standards, published yearly.
Peters, Robert.  Getting What You Cam For:  The Smart Student's Guide To Earning A MAster's or Ph.D. Noonday Press, 1992.
Petersons.  Peterson's Guide to Graduae and Professional Programs.  Princeton, NJ: Peterson's Inc. published yearly.
Petersons.  Peterson's Guide to Graduate Programs Books 2-6.  Princeton, NJ: Peterson's Inc, published yearly.
Stelzer, Richard.  How To Write A Winning Statement For Graduate and Professional School.  Princeton, NJ: Peterson's, Inc., 1993.