Students
Students

Graduate/Professional School Process

Evaluate Your Options – 18 to 24 Months Prior to Application Deadlines

  • Contact the schools you are interested in to request catalog, application and financial aid information.
  • Review and research relevant graduate school Web sites such as: www.petersons.com, www.graduateguide.com, and www.usnews.com
  • Talk with faculty, advisors, family and friends for recommendations, suggestions and support.
  • Assess your interests, values, abilities and motivation for attending graduate/professional school.

Narrow Your Choices – 12 to 18 Months Prior to Application Deadline

  • Read the schools’ materials to learn about class sizes, specialties, requirements, and faculty research areas.
  • Review your qualifications and the schools’ admission criteria. Will you meet, exceed or fall below their admission guidelines? If you have any concerns, the graduate school will give you a good indication of how competitive your test scores and GPA will be with the other applicants.
  • Consider personal and professional fit rather than rankings to select your top choices. A number one ranked program may not always be the best fit.
  • Narrow your choices of schools and programs to approximately 3 to 10. Apply early in your senior year.
  • Visit your top two or three selections. Speaking with faculty and students gives you an accurate picture of the program and if you would thrive in that academic environment. If it is not possible to visit, ask if you may schedule a phone appointment to speak with faculty and current students in the program via the telephone.

Applying to Schools – 6 to 12 Months Prior to Application Deadline
Prepare for the Appropriate Test

  • Free materials are available for most graduate/professional admissions tests if you register early.
  • Visit the admission tests’ Web sites for more information on how to register, prepare and take the test.

Strengthen Your Application

  • Graduate/Professional Schools look at more than your entrance exam scores and GPA.
  • Involvement in undergraduate research, internships, co-ops, a study abroad program, student organizations, and leadership positions are all value-added experiences that with strengthen your candidacy.
  • Select references who can speak of your abilities and accomplishments.
  • Your personal essay must be perfect. Ask faculty, friends and career services to proofread it before sending.
  • Send in all materials two to three weeks in advance of the deadline.

Make Your Decision – 2 to 3 Months After Application Deadline
If you have been accepted to more than one program…

  • Re-evaluate the programs and review your career goals. How does each program fit?
  • Discuss career goals with the faculty of the graduate programs to see if their curriculum fits your needs; they will be honest with you.
  • Compare the number of applicants to the number of acceptances. This can tell you the competitiveness and popularity of the program. Also, you may use this information to gauge if your cohort will be large or small.

If you have not been accepted to a program…

  • Do not give up hope. There are many reasons for why a student may not be accepted into a graduate/professional school. Learn from the experience to make your second application process a success.
  • Ask an admission counselor or faculty member at the graduate school(s) why you were not selected and what you can do to strengthen your application.
  • If your GPA and/or test scores kept you from being accepted. You may consider retaking your admission test and/or taking additional undergraduate courses to raise your GPA or fulfill missing entrance requirements.
  • Apply to a larger number of schools to improve your chances of admission.
  • Stop out of school for a year or two. Get a job in the area you wish to pursue or participate in a year-of-service program. The real-life experience will help you the next time you apply for graduate school.