Now that you've figured out where to apply to graduate school, how do you go about doing it? (If you need help figuring out where to apply, click on "where" for some hints on researching graduate programs.)
The chief purpose of this page is to give you an idea of what the application process is like. If you know what to expect, you can go through the process with a little less anxiety. Understanding the process can also help you manage the process better, by helping you to direct your questions to the appropriate offices. And finally, it can help you in planning, by helping you to determine how much leadtime you will need.
It is very difficult to generalize about the graduate admissions process because graduate schools vary so much. The information in this section is offered with the understanding that some of the schools to which you apply will probably do things differently.
I am writing from the graduate admissions office perspective. Things no doubt look a bit different from the applicant's perspective. For an applicant's perspective on what is involved in getting into grad school, click here and learn from David Burrell's experience.
With the disclaimers out the way, let's look at the application process:
At many graduate schools, your application for admission will be reviewed by both your proposed graduate program office and a central graduate school office. This means that you may have to fulfill two different sets of application requirements. It also means that the entire process will take some time, so the earlier you begin it, the better off you will be.
If two offices are involved, they will probably use different criteria in
evaluating your admissability. Your proposed program is going to evaluate
your application, looking for certain characteristics, including (but not
limited to)
The graduate school office will evaluate your application on a slightly
different basis. Their review of your application will be concerned with
whether or not you meet the general academic standards of the university
for graduate admission, in terms of
Usually, both the graduate school and program offices must approve your application before you can be admitted.
There is usually an application fee. The amount varies from place to place, and at some institutions the fee can be waived under certain circumstances. Check with the schools in which you are interested to determine the amount of the fee and inquire about waivers if needed.
Applicants with non-US college work may pay an additional fee to cover the cost of evaluating their educational credentials.
Check the instructions that come with the application form carefully. You may be asked to send different required items to different offices at different times.
You should ask at the schools you are considering what their criteria are, and what weight each criterion carries in their evaluation.
You are also responsible for the supporting materials like letters of recommendation, writing samples, et cetera. In most cases, the lack of required supporting documents will hold up the decision. Staying in regular touch with the relevant offices is a good way to make sure that your application moves through the process in a timely fashion.
Some graduate programs use a self-managed application package, in which the applicant gathers all required materials and submits the entire file as a package. The file arrives complete, which should shorten the time between filing the application and receiving a decision.
In the future, it will become possible to do the entire application process over the Internet, which should cut a lot of time off the process. A number of graduate schools already have web-based application forms, and many more are developing such applications. Eventually, most colleges and universities should have the ability to send transcripts securely by email as well.
How long it takes a school to fulfill their responsibility depends on how many applications are received, how they are processed, and sometimes what time of year it is. Another important factor is whether applicants are being considered for admission alone, or for financial support along with admission.
At some universities, or in some individual programs, applications are considered one by one as each file becomes complete. At others, all applications received by a deadline are considered as a group. Naturally, you'll want to find out, from each school you apply to, when you can expect to get a decision. Understanding how applications are processed at the particular institutions to which you are applying will help reduce anxiety by helping you to understand how long you can expect to wait for a decision.
If you are thinking of going on to graduate school right after finishing a bachelor's degree, there is a further consideration: your application will be evaluated on the basis of an incomplete record. The earlier you apply, the more incomplete your degree. If your GPA is strong, this is less of a concern than if your GPA is at or near the minimum for admission. One solution: have updated transcripts sent at the end of the current term, so that your most recent grades are used in the evaluation of your file.
There are also interdisciplinary degree programs. To use UW-Milwaukee in another example, the MS and PhD programs in Urban Studies are not located in a single department, but are jointly sponsored by the Departments of History and Sociology, with faculty from other disciplines contributing.
Because of this variation, I use the words "program" and "degree program" rather than "department" to describe collectively both the requirements to complete a degree and the faculty who teach in a particular program.
Another major factor will be the level of competition in the admissions process. A highly competititive program will have tighter and higher standards, which may go beyond the general standards of the institution which the graduate school office uses.
Because graduate study is highly specialised, it is the program that usually sets the standards on the background preparation required of applicants. This usually takes the form of requiring that applicants have completed a "major" in the field of study, or the equivalent. Other requirements, such as relevant research or work experience also fall into the category of program requirements.
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