Preparing Your Application

A graduate school application generally consists of five parts:

• Questionnaire
• Standardized test scores
• Official transcript
• Statement of Purpose or Personal Statement
• Letters of recommendation

While the statement and the letters are the most important elements, all the pieces of your application should work together to present a clear picture of your academic qualifications and promote you enthusiastically to selection committees. Faculty letters will attest to your intelligence, relevant background, potential for success, and the focus you will bring to graduate work. Your personal statement should show that you have a clear purpose, the motivation to succeed, and a realistic understanding of the commitment necessary for academic achievement.

The Questionnaire

Applications should be neat, accurate, complete, and thoughtful. Include a photocopy of your GRE scores, in addition to the official copy of the scores that schools will require. Make sure to keep a photocopy of everything you send to the institution. Review your materials carefully for omissions and inaccuracies before sending them and make sure that all application materials arrive at the school by the application deadline.

Statement of Purpose

Good statements vary by discipline, but they should provide a clear picture of your interests, your background, and your plans. Your academic interests should organize your statement. Avoid a strictly chronological presentation of your academic development. Offer an explanation of relevant experiences (BA project, work, research, coursework) that have shaped your interests and relate it to your general statement of purpose. This will allow you to reveal the way you think, the perspective you bring to the discipline, and your dedication to working in the proposed field of study. It will also show whether your expectations about your proposed work are realistic and whether you are likely to make a contribution to the field. You may want to consider including some of the following:

• Discuss subfields within your discipline that interest you most and how they interrelate; you might discuss problems with which you are concerned as a scholar and future professional, and theoretical and methodological approaches that interest you most.
• Include relevant experience: courses in your discipline and related to your discipline, papers written (hypotheses, data, theory, and method used), B.A. paper, relevant research assistantships, jobs, and internships.
• Describe how your interests fit with the particular school to which you are applying or match particular strengths of the program, faculty research interests, or unique facilities.
• Address idiosyncrasies in your record, such as change of field, inconsistencies, and weak spots in your transcript.
• Keep your statement brief (three single spaced pages) and adhere to the guidelines provided by the school.
• Spend time crafting your statement. Schools often view your statement as a writing sample and indication of how clearly and well your can express yourself.

It is essential that you ask mentors and advisors (faculty, CAPS staff, graduate students) to critique drafts of your statements well in advance of the deadline.

Writing Sample

Some programs require a writing sample. Submit a clean copy of any writing sample. You may want to include a brief abstract of your writing sample to provide context. Talk to your faculty and mentors about what to submit as a writing sample.

Test Preparation

• Find out from your schools if they want you to take subject matter GREs in addition to the regular test.
• Plan to take your GREs early and spend time studying for the test.
• Make sure that you take your GREs in time so that your scores are ready when you are applying to schools.
• Sample tests are available online as well as in study guides which you can purchase.