Hello! So, I started a super ambitious goal two weeks ago to post three times a week for the next month, but then I didn’t realize that I would be faced with a hell week in graduate school. Yep, that week where you’re calendar goes to hell and all you can think about is making it to Friday at 5pm. You thought I didn’t have weeks like that? Well, you thought wrong, pal.
BUT, I still have that really poppin’ content on deck to post to the blog and a lot more time to work on it. My semester is wrapping up and I’m working on final projects and finishing up collecting data for my rotation lab work. I’m super excited to head home in a week and a half for a break from the city and a joy ride or 12 in my car.
Today’s post is all about applying to graduate school. I know that a lot of deadlines for graduate schools are coming up in the next few weeks. Some won’t be due until February and March for other programs. That doesn’t mean that you have any more time to slack though. Half of my tips will still be relevant to those of you who are in the home stretch or have even started turning applications in, so definitely keep reading. Let’s get to it.
1. The earlier you can start the better.
I started compiling my list of school in July before my senior year. Mostly because I’m super obnoxious like that. But, I seriously can’t recommend starting in the summer before your application season enough. It helped me so much especially when I wanted to travel for conferences and my last fall break.
It made spending my afternoons in Kenan Stadium less risky and I never felt the pressure to write essays at midnight after I finished all my fall semester homework. Start early, especially when it comes to asking for recommendation letters and getting those official transcripts!
2. Set aside a designated time every couple of days to work on them.
A strict schedule won’t get you to work on them any more than getting around to them when you can. I found that because I started relatively early that I could truly add on to them every couple of days. Of course, I was still a mad hatter when it came to the final countdown, but my personal statement was in much better shape because I had been crafting it for a while.
I would stay on campus for a couple more hours and grab a coffee to work on it. I gave my editor a loose date that I would have it turned in by which also lit a fire under my procrastination-lovin’ booty.
3. Enlist some help from your mentors.
Your mentors are likely people who’ve gone through what you’re going through. Use that to your advantage. It will save you so much time because you’re less likely to go around in circles trying to figure out if you’re describing your research/strengths in the best way.
My two editors were probably my secret weapon. I had an incredibly strong personal statement and knew what things to touch on to make my application super strong. They’ll also catch the unnecessary big words, weird shifts in tone, and excessive use of semi-colons.
4. Make an excel sheet and mark what things can be reused where.
And, what things need to be turned in when. This is the most help for coordinating who has and hasn’t turned in their recommendation letters. Most of my recommenders were pretty on top of it. I’m a lucky gal what can I say. But, you really don’t want to not get an interview or complete look because you messed up in notifying the right parties when to turn things in. Also, the registrar operates on their own time and getting out transcripts can take 3-5 business days even though it’s completely online in most cases.
The best way to approach this process is to figure out how you can be most efficient. There’s no need to write 15 different statements unless you know that an individual school prioritizes research experience and could care less about course grades and extracurriculars.
The next part of the application process is the interview! Before you can be wined and dined across the country, you’ll need to show off yourself to admissions committees. With the right team in your back pocket, it’ll be a cake walk.
keep on keepin’ on,
