[article] What Do Graduate Schools Want?

What Do Graduate Schools Want?

From Tara Kuther, Ph.D.,Your Guide to Graduate School.

What do graduate admissions committees look for in graduate applicants? Understanding what graduate schools want in applicants is the first step in tailoring your experiences and application to make yourself irresistable to the graduate programs of your dreams.

So just what do admissions committees look for? Their goal is to identify applicants who will become important researchers and leaders in their field. In other words, admissions committees try to select the most promising students. What's a promising student? One who promises to be an excellent graduate student. The ideal graduate student is gifted, eager to learn, and highly motivated. He or she can work independently and take direction, supervision, and constructive criticism without becoming upset or overly sensitive.

Faculty look for students who are hard workers, want to work closely with faculty, are responsible and easy to work with, and who are a good fit to the program. The best graduate students complete the program on time, with distinction - and excel in the professional world to make graduate faculty proud. Of course, these are ideals. Most graduate students have some of
these characteristics, but nearly no one will have all, so don't fear. Now that you know the ideal to which graduate faculty strive in selecting new graduate students, let's look at how faculty weigh the various criteria for admission. Unfortunately there is no simple answer; each graduate
admissions committee is a bit different, but generally speaking, the following criteria are important to most admissions committees:

• Undergraduate GPA (especially the last two years of college)
• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores
• Recommendation letters
• Personal statement

Sure, you knew these things were important, but let's talk more about why and the part they play in admissions decisions.

Faculty look for students who are hard workers, want to work closely with faculty, are responsible and easy to work with, and who are a good fit to the program. The best graduate students complete the program on time, with distinction - and excel in the professional world to make graduate faculty proud. Of course, these are ideals. Most graduate students have some of
these characteristics, but nearly no one will have all, so don't fear.

Now that you know the ideal to which graduate faculty strive in selecting new graduate students, let's look at how faculty weigh the various criteria for admission. Unfortunately there is no simple answer; each graduate admissions committee is a bit different, but generally speaking, the following criteria are important to most admissions committees:

Undergraduate GPA (especially the last two years of college)

Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores

Recommendation letters

Personal statement

Sure, you knew these things were important, but let's talk more about why and the part they play in admissions decisions.

Or you might begin by talking about an experience that was important to you. How did you become interested in your discipline? How did you know that you wanted to go to graduate school? Write about some of your activities: why did you start them and what motivates you about them? Don't feel wedded to what you write, but consider writing as a process in which you can discover what you'd like to include in your essay. Write multiple drafts and you'll find improvement with each draft. Get feedback on your writing from as many people as you can.

Also consider getting feedback before your essay is finished so that you can correct and
revise it before you've spent too much time on it. Your reader might see potential in an idea that you were about to trash -- and might help you to stay on track. When you think you're done, give yourself time away from your essay and you'll come back to it with a fresh eye, able to evaluate it more objectively.

When your essay is complete, you should be inspired and proud. Reread your personal statement to be sure that it discusses your strengths. It's sometimes hard for us to talk about ourselves as we're often taught that modesty is a virtue -- but it isn't when you're applying to graduate school.

It's ok to feel like you're being boastful or even cheesy, as long as what you've written is true. Your goal in writing your personal statement should be to excite and inspire your reader -- and get a ticket to graduate school. Or you might begin by talking about an experience that was important to you. How did you become interested in your discipline? How did you know that you wanted to go to graduate school? Write about some of your activities: why did you start them and what motivates you about them?

Don't feel wedded to what you write, but consider writing as a process in which you can discover what you'd like to include in your essay. Write multiple drafts and you'll find improvement with each draft. Get feedback on your writing from as many people as you can. Also consider
getting feedback before your essay is finished so that you can correct and revise it before you've spent too much time on it. Your reader might see potential in an idea that you were about to trash -- and might help you to stay on track. When you think you're done, give yourself time away from your essay and you'll come back to it with a fresh eye, able to evaluate it more
objectively.

When your essay is complete, you should be inspired and proud. Reread your personal statement to be sure that it discusses your strengths. It's sometimes hard for us to talk about ourselves as we're often taught that modesty is a virtue -- but it isn't when you're applying to graduate school. It's ok to feel like you're being boastful or even cheesy, as long as what you've written is true. Your goal in writing your personal statement should be to excite and inspire your reader -- and get a ticket to graduate school.

What goes into a CV? Here are the types of information tht a vita may contain. The contents of a CV differ across disciplines, and your vita probably will not have all of these sections yet, but at least consider each.

Contact information
Here, include your name, address, phone, fax, and e-mail for home and office, if applicable.

Education
Indicate your major, type of degree, and the date each degree was awarded for each postsecondary school attended. Eventually you'll include titles of theses or dissertations and chairs of committees. If you haven't yet completed your degree, indicate the expected graduation date.

Honors and Awards
List each award, granting institution and the date awarded. If you have only one award (e.g., graduation honors), consider incorporating this information within the education section.

Teaching Experience
List any courses that you assisted with as a TA, co-taught, or taught. Note the institution, role held in each, and supervisor. This section will become more relevant during your graduate
school years, but sometimes undergraduates are assigned teaching roles.