Why apply to graduate programs? Better job choices Ability to have more control over your career Enriching research that can have long lasting affects within your field of interest Want to work in academia

Should you apply for graduate programs? Ask yourself these questions Are you interested in research? Do you enjoy solving challenging problems and proposing new relevant questions? Are you willing to dedicate 1 to 6 more years to educational pursuits? If you answered yes to all of these questions then graduate school is for you

Get an early start Begin this process in the fall of spring of your junior year Save money Applications cost between 50 and 80 dollars Sending GRE scores costs 20 dollars Transcripts cost 8 dollars

1.Determine Graduate Degree There are two main research based graduate degrees Masters 1-2 years Many fellowships will not pay for Many companies will pay for this degree to be completed during employment PhD 4-6 years A large amount of fellowships will aid in funding School will commonly pay for the degree Not feasible to work concurrently

2.Determine Graduate School Focus 1.Look back at your undergraduate coursework 2.Within these classes determine assignments or projects that were particularly interesting 3.Rank the top 5 projects or assignments 4.Search online journals for research related to those topics 5.Verify if these interests areas have active researchers

3.Work on Personal Statement Every application will need a personal statement Focus on a limiting to a page single spaced Items to emphasize How you became interested in research What research have you done What coursework have you done related to your research interests Why you want to continue on to graduate school Later you will need to add school specific details for each application

4. Fine Tune Resume Add an objective statement that emphasizes your research goals Add research experiences to the resume using active language to emphasize the work that you did If possible explain what happened to the research after you left your job or placement

5.Create a list of schools Search online for your area of interests to find out which schools actively research the topic Focus on schools that you are actually interested in going to Look at more than research Location Cost of Living Retention Rate

6.Determine Graduate Department At the graduate level your area of interest may exist in a department different than your undergraduate focus The department may be different depending on the school Example Hardware Computer security Computer Engineering Electrical Engineering Computer Science

7.Contact Professors Contact professors doing research in your area of interest By By phone Do research about their interests first. This will show that you have actively been pursuing knowledge about them If possible, read a paper that they published and pose questions about it This is one of the most important steps!!!!!!!

8.Prepare Recommenders Recommendations are something common to all of the applications A recommender should be someone who can attest to your academic or researching abilities Professors Project Investigators Manager They should be knowledgeable about your general career goals At least one of them should be from your undergraduate institution Do not ask someone who you did not interact with Ask at least 4 different people!!!!!

9.Find the application After determining schools and departments that you want, you now have to find the application Can usually be found under the prospective students link on the site May be easier to search for the school name, department and the text “graduate school application” on Google

10. Determine Academic Requirements Figure out if the specific program needs tests GRE GRE subject test TOEFL for international students Classes needed Specific GPA cutoff

11. Evaluate application What are the deadlines? Online application Supplemental materials Can you edit and save the application? Is everything done online? Can recommenders submit applications from their s? Which recommenders do you want to submit for this particular application?

12. Organize Your Deadlines Create an excel chart that includes every applications Deadlines Materials that need to be submitted Calculate in the time it takes to Send GRE score - up to two weeks Send Transcript - up to a week This is integral to making sure you do not forget when something is due

13. Prep Your Personal Statement Your personal statement should be tuned for each graduate program Emphasize how your goals are inline with the research that is occurring Mention the names of the professors that you contacted Explain why this school is the best fit for you. Some applications have character or word limits This is one of the most important parts of the graduate application.

14. Prep Your Recommenders Remind them that you will be submitting your applications soon Send them a list of schools Your focus Prepare an digital info packet Resume Personal Statement Transcript Tell them who you want to work with at the specific schools

15.Apply Fill in all the contact information Upload Personal Statements Upload Resumes Notify your recommenders that they will be receiving a request Pay the application fee Submit the application before the deadline

Conclusion If you follow these steps it will make the application process a lot easier Do not get overwhelmed everything will be ok!! Once you have been accepted pat yourself on the back