Graduate School: How do I get in?

Many people have asked me about my graduate school experience, to the point that I will be on a couple of panels about it. Due to this I am writing a blog with some common thoughts, questions answered, and feelings (so many feelings!) about my graduate school experience so far. 1. H​ow do you decide what school(s) to apply to and how many?​

T​hese are both key questions to consider when applying for graduate schools. First of all you have to decide what schools you want to apply to. How does one decide this? Well consider schools that have the program you are interested in. Once you have figured out programs you are interested in what is your focus? For example, I am studying Psychology but my FOCUS is in children and adolescents. Thus, I decided I wouldn't want to go to IUPUI for my graduate school (I went there for my undergrad) because their program is very neuroscience focused and doesn't have any child concentration. Other things to consider when picking a program: Do you want to live where you are now? Do you want to study in the same state? If you get LICENSED from a certain program will it be useful where you want to live permanently? (This is a major consideration because licensures don't always work from state-to-state). Cost!!! In state tuition versus out of state tuition.

Once you answer these questions you will be able to pick programs that would work for you. Now how many do you apply to? That is a personal choice. Cost can be a factor (there usually is anywhere from $50-$100 application fee, although it is typically applied to your bill if accepted). However, if you look at five programs and think they would all work well and you aren't sure which one to pick...you can apply to them all and see who bites. I would like to point out that many teachers told me, "not to put all my eggs in one basket" so take the following advice how you will.

When I applied for my program it was literally the only one I applied to. I did an extensive background check over the school and the program. I checked the student to teacher ratio, cost, scholarships, location, time, etc. and knew it was the one I wanted. Best of all it had a program and concentration that lined up perfectly with my interests! So, I put all my eggs in one basket. However, when I went for my interviews and filled out my application it definitely showed through. I showed a clear sign of determination to be in that program and wanting to do everything I could to be there. So decide for yourself if your commitment is high to one school don't apply to others UNLESS you would really go to the others. I had a back up school but realized part of me was just thinking about how I would take off a semester and apply to the school I wanted if I didn't get in. If this is the case for you...save your money...because it is likely you wouldn't go to the back-ups anyway. 2. S​howing commitment and interest in a program: So I created this section not because I have had lots of questions about it but because it is something people should consider. When I locked into my program I took some extra steps that most people in my program did not...but it shows a commitment to the program as well as an overall interest. One thing you can do is a campus tour. This will help you get acquainted with the school but it is highly unlikely the program will know you did this (usually a different group of administrators are in charge of this). However, it will be helpful for the next part. Do research! Create a list of potential questions (even if you think you can find the questions online write it down...because sometimes the program has changed...unless the question seems obvious). Once you have done your research contact the program leader and ask for a meeting with two people. One person should be the person who knows about admissions...someone who can fill in any blanks about data and the overarching program. The second person should be someone who is a professor or important person in the program the catch is that you should research the faculty (yes I mean read all of those CVs that are listed under the professors) when you find one that studies what you are interested that is your person. Request a brief meeting with them, whether it be lunch or just 10 minutes of their time, to discuss the program, their classes (as this is your interest), as well as questions about the program from a teacher-student perspective (rather than data). This method worked great for me. I did this and then when I went for my interview my interviewer happened to be the lady I had already met with...so we had a face recognition moment and were able to pass over all the resume oriented questions and simple broad questions because we tackled that at the meeting prior. We literally just discussed key topics and theories in our field during the majority of my interview! 3. The process getting in:​ So many have asked about how hard it was to get into my graduate program, what I did, pointers, etc. So here is what I remember...yes it has been that long. GRADES: First of all C's get degrees...but not acceptance letters for further education. I note this because so many people in my high school career and my undergrad told me don't fret C's get degrees. I am here to tell you that this is not true! AND when you get to graduate school and you are no longer considering furthering your education (I mean what else is there?) C's still do NOT get degrees. In fact in many programs C's are grounds for dismissal from the program. So now that I am done with this rant please just remember your grades do in fact matter...no matter what! EXTRAS: So beyond the grades what else do you need to get into a graduate program? Well to this question I respond with another...Did you go the extra mile? If you did include that! Grad school committees look at this information so whether you volunteered in the health service field because you are interested or you did jobs as a research assistant, teaching assistant, or even resident advisor list it on your resume you submit to the committee! Quite often grad schools want to see that you cared about the surrounding community, the school, your program, as well as your grades! GRE: So you completed a lot of extra curricula, community service, and have the grades do you need anything else? Yes! The GRE!! Also note that your select program may also "highly recommend" the subject GRE and others may even require it in ADDITION to the standard GRE. If it is only highly recommended you have two options...take it or don't. How do you decide? Well look at what the core subjects are on the subject test. Have you taken classes concerning those topics? If so what kind of grades did you get in the class? If you believe you would do well on the test because you have taken all the courses associated with the topics and did well then take the test! It will look good...BUT if you haven't taken most of the classes don't just take it because you feel like you should (this is what I did and I wish I could take that back!). RESUME: Okay once you have taken care of all of the above you need to make sure you have a great resume. Now don't worry so much about what individuals say. I mean I had to create a resume in high school as well as three different undergrad courses! Everyone does their resume differently and each professor will have different "standards." What I always suggest is to follow key rules like once you are in college no longer put high school information on your resume UNLESS it is key to your application. Try not to show any gaps in your application (if you did something put it on the resume even if it doesn't pertain to the application...otherwise you are showing a loss of time). There are always key notes but what I tell people, and follow myself, is to attempt to show your personality through still. For example, my resume (not online but that I have hard copies of) has two colors (the max you should have on a resume) both blue and black font. I use the blue to show my name and credentials. This is partially because blue is my favorite color but also because it makes my name stand off the paper AND out from other applicants (which should always be a goal of yours)! THE INTERVIEW: Okay so you submitted all of your information and have stressed out beyond belief...now you get a call saying you are receiving an email for a program you applied to. Time to stress a little more...but it will be worth it. Some universities will interview potential graduate students alone (individually) however most will do group interviews (what my program did as well). So the first thought for the interview is how to dress...wrong (although it should be a concern!). First you need to think about what you want to discuss in the interviews. The interviewer will lead you BUT if you want to discuss strengths feel free to lead the conversation! I created information packets that were in a formal envelope for each interviewer that contained the following items (even if they had already seen them): 1) cover letter 2) resume 3) letters of recommendation 4) Questions I had regarding their program (THIS IS A MUST) 5) copy of my application 6) Scholarship essay answers (this is not required but it provided a writing sample for the admission people to consider)

Now once you have created your packet consider questions they may ask you (Google them...it always exists!) and answer them prior. Do NOT rehearse them...they will know you did but think about what you would say and then move on. This allows you to have some sense of what you would say without sounding like a robot (again trust me...they can tell!) Okay fine...you can now consider what to wear. Most applicants wear black dress pants/skirt and a dress shirt and sometimes even a blazer/suit jacket. This will create a professional appearance BUT try to be unique too! I attended my interview wearing a cobalt blue floral sleeveless (although still wide coverage) dress that was very professional but showed a bit of my personality and flare. I received many compliments and was even asked a couple times where I bought it from. YET know that you should show your personality without going overboard...do NOT wear lots of jewelry (especially bangles...they are just loud and bother people), don't wear short skirts (knee length is always the preference, just above is okay but be weary about the length...especially considering what you will be doing or how you will need to sit. Consider the weather as well as what you will be doing as well. For example, my interviews were scheduled for certain times and in between we were able to go on a campus tour. If you believe this will be the case decide first whether you would want to do this or not and if you do wear or bring additional proper shoes and outerwear depending on the weather. This is it...this is the process I basically followed when applying for graduate schools (other than filling out the application and submitting everything by the deadline).