A Beginner’s Guide to Graduate School Applications

So you want to go to graduate school and you have no idea where to start. I’ve been there! Don’t worry—the sea of options becomes much smaller once you start asking the right questions (or Googling the right prompts). The good news is that thousands of students successfully make their way through this process every year, and you can too. But since you’re here, I’ll propose some ideas to think about that might help you get started. (They certainly helped me!)

Why do you want to go?

This is an obvious question, but it’s an important one—why do you want to go to graduate school, really? Do you know what career options it would afford you afterward? Do you know if an advanced degree will net you better pay down the line? Could you get where you want to go without graduate school? I’d highly recommend finding people who are working in positions you are interested in and asking to talk with them. There is no better way to plan your future than to learn from the people who went and did it before you. I know that the idea of reaching out to strangers seems really daunting, but I mean it.

Believe in the power of cold emails!

When I was applying to graduate school, I sent a lot of emails asking people to meet with me. I was truly shocked with how many people said yes. Email everyone—college alumni you follow on Linkedin, professors you’re interested in working with, anyone who you think has something helpful to tell you. Most people are willing to help other people and everyone likes to talk about themselves.

Start early 

This one is important. Most doctoral program deadlines are from December to January, and many master’s program deadlines are later by just a few months. Everyone has their own timelines, but I would highly recommend having the deadlines for the programs you’re thinking about at least written down by the end of the summer (at the very latest). If you can start working on your application during the later summer months, that’s even better—it saves you from the double burden of having to work on applications during the school year. 

Assess the funding situation

Graduate school is always either a big time or financial investment. If you are sure that it is an investment that will be worth it for you, here are some terms you might see floating around.

“Fully funded”: This means that your graduate program will offer you a) a tuition waiver (free school!) and b) a living stipend. The stipend amount will vary depending on the program; while it is theoretically (and usually) enough for you to live on, that is not a guarantee. Many doctoral programs are fully funded, and some master’s programs are fully funded (although this is rarer). If you are applying for a doctorate, I would highly recommend that you only look at fully funded programs—5 years is a lot of time to be paying tuition. 

There are three main ways that the “living stipend” is provided to you: 

1. Fellowship: This is basically a no-strings-attached scholarship. You apply for it, the powers that be review your application and if you get it then you have a year’s (or maybe a couple years’) worth of free money. These are great, but usually very competitive. 
2. Teaching Assistantship (TA): You will work for the department as a teaching assistant for undergraduate classes. This can mean grading, running labs and sometimes teaching classes. Most of the time you will work part-time (20 hours or less) a week. 
3. Research Assistantship (RA): You are, functionally, a research employee for a professor. You will assist on their projects and do whatever they tell you to do. Again, you should expect to work part-time. 

“Partially funded”: The graduate program will only cover part of your educational expenses (usually tuition). From what I have seen, you will likely also have to be a TA or RA for it. The amount that the program will offer you varies quite wildly, so you might have to check on a program-by-program basis to get a full idea of what the cost will be.

Check for standardized tests 

Some graduate schools may require the GRE (essentially the SAT, but for graduate school). Check to see if your programs require it. Increasingly, the GRE is becoming less important for admissions boards. However, if you do end up having to take it, plan to take it at least 5 weeks before the deadline—the tests take a bit of time to be graded. One important thing to note here: The GRE is not free(when I took it, it was about $220). There are fee waivers available for people who qualify, but they require a bit of paperwork—another reason to start early.

Applying costs money

I know. I also think it’s stupid. But it is what it is—expect each school to have an application fee anywhere from $50 to $90. Many schools also offer waivers, so look into those options if you need (be warned, though; all waivers need paperwork). 

Personal statement 

This part of your application is REALLY important. Do some research into your field to learn the specific expectations, but generally speaking, graduate schools are looking to see that your research and academic interests are a good fit with what they are offering. You need to sell that you are passionate, qualified and specifically interested in what the department has to offer. I would suggest calling out a few professors in the personal statement and writing a couple lines about how your interests overlap with theirs. For example:

“I am particularly interested in Dr. [Professor]’s work on how medical natural language processing models reflect racial stereotypes. I believe that [their] work aligns well with my interests in …”

Pick your letter writers and ask them early

Most graduate schools will ask for 2-3 recommendation letters. Pick your people, and give them lots of time to procrastinate! Find professors or other mentors who will be able to attest specifically to your skills. The best recommendation letters will come from people who know you well—this is a particular strength of Andrews, since it is a pretty small school. 

Utilize your resources! 

This last point is the most important one: Talk to your professors. They will know what previous students have done, what career paths in your field look like with and without graduate school and the specifics of what graduate school is like in your field. They will certainly know way more than me. 

I’ve provided a link to a copy of the Google sheet that I used to organize myself when I was applying—my friend left it as a gift for me, and I now leave it as a gift to you. Good luck!