How To Prepare Early For Graduate School

By Julia Dunn on August 8, 2016

Some (not all) undergraduate students in their last year or two of college may be starting to think about that seemingly-distant, fuzzy and mystifying concept of graduate school. You might think of it as this forever-in-the-future entity that you won’t have to worry about for a while.

The truth is, that may actually be accurate for those who are planning on taking a year or more off after undergraduate school before applying for graduate school. However for students planning to jump straight to graduate school right after you receive your bachelor’s degree, it’s never too early to start getting preparatory matters in line for graduate school.

Any student looking to make their lives easier when the time comes for applications to be submitted should read on for ways to jumpstart their graduate school application process.

Here are five basic ways to do so.

1. Make lists of places you want to apply and keep track of important dates.

The main way to start thinking about graduate school is by checking out websites of potential universities you think you’d like to attend. Search for graduate programs at schools close by and far away from you to get a good idea of what options exist for you and where those options are going to be. It’s good to make note of any schools that attract you for any reason and jot down what the pluses and minuses are about each school.

Are you looking to move across the country or across the state? Do you want a big change in scenery (and weather conditions)? Know a lot of people in Wisconsin who keep telling you it’s a wonderful place to live and attend school? There are endless reasons why you may be drawn to certain universities in certain locations — just be sure to write down all the school names that interest you even a little bit. You’ll be better off prioritizing them all if you can sort them into different categories like “good location,” “far away,” “dream school,” “second choices,” “has the exact program I’m looking for” and so on.

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Once you’ve come up with a more refined list of top universities you’d potentially like to apply for, track down all of their application dates and deadlines for sending transcripts, test scores, and so on. You can make a separate calendar just for graduate school stuff if that’s easier for you than adding all of this into your personal calendar.

It would be a serious drag if the application deadline for your favorite school passes by without you remembering, so getting important dates organized in advance is an essential.

2. Choose a few programs that interest you at each school.

Do you really really love what you’re majoring in for your undergraduate degree? Is there a specific sub-field of that subject that excites you most of all? Graduate school is all about specializing in an even more focused subject than you studied in college, which is fantastic for all of you looking to become scholars of ancient literature before 1750 or freshwater ecosystem botanists.

The fun part of graduate school is that there are lots of different programs offered at different university departments and you may just find a program that combines your love of developmental psychology with your interest in criminology.

3. Identify lists of potential recommendation letter writers.

Make a list of any professors who have gotten to know you, any supervisors that can positively speak to your work ethic and leadership experience, and anyone else you have worked with at your university who can serve as professional, academic, or personal references for you.

If you’re realizing that not many names come to mind and you’ve still got a year or two left in your undergraduate career, consider getting involved with something you care about on campus or making greater efforts to visit professors during office hours. It isn’t too late to build relationships with people on campus — and you’ll want to do so not because of the potential recommendation letter, but because networking and gathering professional experience is key to your development as a student.

4. Investigate any application fees and whether waivers exist.

Unfortunately some universities charge you a fee to apply for their programs. Make a note of which programs do and do not have fees associated with their applications, and ensure you have a way to pay those fees when they’re due to ensure proper processing of your application. Low-income students may qualify for fee waivers, so check to see if any of your potential programs offer waivers.

5. Start caring about the GRE.

The Graduate Record Exam is like the SAT but graduate school-edition. It’s very hard, but the test-makers know that, so the best thing you can do is take advantage of study resources out there (books written specifically for the GRE, online classes offered through community colleges, online practice tests, etc). The higher your GRE score, the better when it comes to applying for graduate school.

Good luck!

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