Assess, Apply, Accept

Congratulations! You’ve decided to go to graduate school. Before you get to writing your personal statements and asking for recommendation letters, it is important to assess and apply to the programs that align with your lifestyle and career goals, and accept (or deny) the invitation. Having a shortlist of programs in which you are interested will help you write convincing statements, organize your application season, and help you decide how to spend your finite resources.

Many people are aware of the U.S. News Best Graduate Schools Ranking; however, school ranking is not the only factor that should be considered when deciding where to apply and, possibly, spend the next five to ten years. That amount of time is significant and earning a degree may be a priority, but it is only one facet of your life. What other parts of your life will need to be supported?

What other parts of your life will need to be supported?

Here I have outlined some questions to be considered when choosing where to apply as well as resources that can help you categorize programs.

Questions to ask include:

1. Where am I willing to live? — Do I want to be in a city, town, or rural area? — Can I tolerate the weather or natural disasters that are common to the area?
2. Will I need my own transportation or is there a robust public transportation system?
3. How far can I be from a support system (i.e., family, friends, community)?
4. What is the cost of living?
5. How big is the graduate program?
6. What are the funding sources for graduate students? — Many graduate programs claim “guaranteed funding,” but that guarantee is contingent on grants or faculty. Be sure you know how the program is able to honor their offer of guaranteed funding.
7. What skills do I already have and what skills would I like to strengthen — Does the program or school have resources or opportunities that would allow me to gain the skills I want to gain?
8. Who would I like to work with? — Is there more than one advisor in the program/school that I’d be willing to work with?

This list is not exhaustive and important questions that are relevant to your life may have been left off. Create a list of your own questions and try to get them answered by the program coordinator, current graduate students, or by a thorough Google search. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education lists the sizes, locations, and other classifications of schools and can be used to help you decide if a school is right for you. Familiarize yourself with the program website and write down any relevant questions that come up as you browse. There is usually an email address to a Program Coordinator who may be able to answer many of your questions, including ones about the all-too-important fee waiver.

The cost of applying to graduate school makes assessing the programs that much more important. If the program itself does not offer fee waivers, maybe it is part of an academic alliance that offers fee waivers such as the Big Ten Academic Alliance. Many programs also offer fee waivers to participants of undergraduate research programs like the TRIO program (i.e., McNair Scholars Program).

Stay organized with a spreadsheet or other method so that you do not miss deadlines, forget to send follow-up emails, and are able to keep a quick record of what you are excited about for each program.

Check out the Coachd 2 Success website, Instagram, or Twitter for more tips and resources about the graduate application process.