A Guide to Preparing for and Applying to Graduate School
Are you planning on going to Graduate School? This pamphlet is intended to be an aid in preparing you to apply to graduate school. It provides information that will help point you in the right direction, save you time, and tell you the information you need to know. Graduate School Application Letters of recommendation—The letters should be from professors who know you well and can write personal and specific information about you. Just having class with them isn’t enough; get to know and work with them. Ask if you can help out with research or be a T.A. GRE scores—The GRE is the ACT of graduate school, but more intense and competitive. Your scores can make or break you. Some students study every day for months or even a year. There are books, CDs, and classes to help you prepare for the GRE. Letter of Intent/Statement of Purpose—A brief, but well-written statement about yourself that lets the school know about you. The letter of intent needs to be well written and memorable as you are competing with other applicants. Personalize the statement for each school. The Application—Each school has their own individual application, specifications, and requirements.
Resume/Vita—List your accomplishments, experience, research, volunteer work, publications, etc. GPA—Each school has their own minimum GPA. College Transcripts—Most schools require transcripts. At BYU transcripts each cost $2.00. Money—Applying to graduate school can be expensive. Costs include application fees, taking the GRE, buying books, mailing applications, visiting schools, etc. www.macalester.edu/~cdc/gradschool.html Provides links to valuable information about the preparing and applying process. www.gradschools.com www.mindcampus.com books and other Information There are books which are useful, descriptive and time savers. You can find the books and reviews of the books on www.amazon.com. How to Write a Winning Personal Statement for Graduate and Professional School by Stelzer -The personal statement is how the school learns about your personality and intellect. This book shows readers ways to improve their essays and provides examples. Gre Books & Classes The GRE is not a simple test. Some people study every day for months. Start preparing now. www.gre.org –tells you what you need to know about taking the GRE. GRE
GRE Exam GRE: Practicing to take the General Test Cracking the GRE 2005 GRE Math Workbook Kaplan GRE Verbal Workbook GRE: Practicing to take the General Test: Big Book Arco: Everything You Need to Score High on the GRE Barron’s How to Prepare for the GRE/for the GRE in Psychology Kaplan GRE Exam with Practice Tests and CDROM http://ce.byu.edu/cw/cwprep/gre.htmClasses Check this website for GRE classes at BYU. Other useful information Research—Each program wants good researchers. For research experience, work with your professors. Get to know your professors—The professors will be writing your letters of recommendation. Offer to help them with research or be a T.A. so you can get experience and the professors can get to know you. Experience—Work or volunteer at places related to your field of study. Grades—Most places require a high GPA. Professors at applicant schools—When looking at universities and programs, find out what the professors research interests are.