Applying to Graduate School

Below are five common components to graduate school applications.

CV or Résumé

Minimally, these documents should include contact information, education, relevant work history, relevant experiences, relevant awards and publications.

CVs can contain some less-relevant information and may not be rewritten for each job. Résumés should be tailored for every job application.

It is critical that the documents have a logical format and are very organized.

Personal Statement

These documents should be personal; this is your chance to show a little bit of your personality. Make sure that your document is focused and shows that you have done your research about the school to which you are applying.

Transcript

A bad grade in one class will not likely prevent you from being interviewed. However, if you do have a blemish on your transcript, be prepared to discuss it honestly if it comes up.

Consider calculating your “in major” GPA. If that is higher than your overall GPA, you may want to highlight that.

Increasingly, research experience and output are much more important than grades and GPA.

Be aware of any disciplinary actions or anything else that may show up on university documentation. Be prepared to discuss it honestly if it comes up.

Letters of Reference

Relationship is key! Recommenders should know you well, so they can accurately speak about who you are and why you’d excel. A good relationship trumps earning an A in their class, your grade on the final, etc. Remember that the goal of this document is for an expert to offer their opinion of why you’d excel in the program.

These can take a long time for recommenders to write, so make it easy on them. Give ample time (>8 weeks) and provide all necessary information: date due, address, program information, classes/experiences you’ve had with the recommender and why you think they, more than others, can best evaluate you. Best practices include sending the program description (not just the website), a list of courses/experiences you've had, etc. to maximize the ease of writing the letter.

Test scores

For decades, the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test, has been a requirement for many science graduate programs.

In response to recent studies showing little correlation between GRE scores and success in graduate school and concern that the test puts underrepresented groups at a disadvantage, a growing number of programs are dropping the GRE as a requirement for admission.

However, some institutions still use it. It is similar to the SAT or ACT tests, and studying for it should be the same. There are a variety of books, courses and online tools you can use to improve your chances of scoring well.

Application