Tag Archives: Applying to Grad. school

Grades and Grad School Applications

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As an emissary for IU, I’ve had the chance to talk to a lot of students who are going through the application process for graduate school. One question which almost always comes up is, “How much do grades and GRE scores matter?” This can be a tricky question – it often depends on the individual student and the program they are applying to. I’ll share my perspective, but if you are worried about your numbers you should also talk to people at the institutions you are applying to.

If you don’t have high test scores, don’t despair. Grad school applications aren’t just about GREs and GPAs.

Graduate programs care about grades and test scores, but they also care about recruiting students who are dedicated, determined, and who have well-defined research interests. In my opinion, not many programs will take on a student who doesn’t know what they want to do in grad school, no matter how good that person’s grades are. On the other hand, they might be willing to take on a student whose grades and test scores are somewhat low, provided that they have the personal drive and direction that are needed to get through grad school.

A friend of mine was accepted to IU (with funding) in spite of her low GPA, because she was able to prove her worth in other ways. After completing her undergraduate degree, she strengthened her resume through work and research experience. She didn’t apply to graduate school right away, but she used her time wisely. Eventually, she developed a rapport with professors within the department she would later apply to. When she did apply, she had contacts within the university to vouch for her, as well as important experiences which made her application strong.

Gaining research experience is an excellent way to strengthen your application and show you are dedicated to furthering your education.

While some departments might prove stubborn about their minimum test score and GPA numbers, I think you will find that many departments are flexible, especially if your application shows your ability in other ways. So if your scores are not quite what you wish they were, don’t lose hope! You may have to work a little harder to prove yourself, but it certainly can be done.

Finalizing the application

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If you are planning on matriculating as a graduate student next fall, you’ve done your research, prepared application materials and close to hitting the submit button.    The following are some final checklist reminders:

  1. Finalize Personal Statement; make sure it has been reviewed by various people (career counselor, faculty member, etc.).
  2. Complete Applications. Make sure all sections have been completed and that you’ve followed directions; if they asked for two letter of recommendation, don’t send more.
  3. Submit request for official transcripts.  Most institutions require 10 business days or about 2 weeks to send official transcripts. So make sure you process your transcript before the admissions deadline.
  4. Check and recheck that you have all required components.
  5. Continue to research financial aid opportunities (assistantships on campus, scholarships, fellowships, etc.)
  6. Stay positive.

-Bonne Chance!

Strong recommendation letters are a must!

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When applying for graduate school, scholarships, fellowships, or internships, it is important to have strong letters of recommendation because this is one of the methods that application reviewers get to know you.  Many times, you will not able to impress them in an interview as there just isn’t time to interview everyone; as such, the letter of recommendation should portray what you have done and what others think about you professionally.

In order to have a strong letter of recommendation, consider these ideas:1. find someone who has known you for a while because you want someone who can speak to the depth of your abilities; plus someone who has known you for a while is a more credible recommender than one who has only known you for a limited amount of time; 2. find someone who has some clout; as much as it is important to find someone who knows you well, reach out in your connections someone who has some clout in the community, either academic, professional, or otherwise; 3. find recommenders that provide variety in your application; if you have one academic recommendation, then find another one who can speak to your professional abilities, etc.

Being able to place your foot forward through your recommendations is key, and your recommendations can serve to be the one big push to get you accepted or awarded.  Good luck!

Application for graduate school admission checklist

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Make your own chart like this to keep yourself on trackThis is an example spreadsheet that can be used to keep yourself on track during the process of applying to different schools. Using something like this will ensure that you didn’t forget to get transcripts for school number three or that you have enough recommendations for school number four. It’s short sweet and to the point. Put on it the dates and requirements for every aspect of every application and then check it off when you get it completely finished and ready to be shipped off. Hang it somewhere you will see it often so you see the dates and don’t fall behind. Its a little piece of paper that can help make your life much more organized and easier.

Tips for a successful application package

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A good application package contains: a strong and empowering personal statement, transcripts from the university sealed and officially stamped, letters of recommendation that show how much of an intelligent and dedicated person you are, standardized test scores and last but not least…the application filled out correctly (you would be surprised how easy it is to mess that up when you are so focused on the “hard” parts). My tips for making sure your application stands out: show how well rounded you are, graduate school is a bit more dependent on innovation than undergrad. They don’t need to see that you can memorize a passage, they do need to see that you can create something worth memorizing and that you would bring prestige to the university as an alum. Make sure that your letters of recommendation are coming from people who are relevant and actually want the best for you and believe in you. Its hard to get a feel for an applicant from their paperwork and when you dilute that down with thousands of applications its very important that you stand out. Sometimes your favorite professor has just the right wording about the type of person you are to make the school want to see that for themselves so make sure you ask the right people and give them time to do it correctly. Standardized test scores, in my personal opinion unless test scores aren’t needed or you are some type of savant, there is no reason why you shouldn’t take a prep class for whatever exam you have to take. Yes it costs money and yes its a legitimate class that you have to do homework for. However sometimes a few points on your test is what separates you from going to either your top dream school or you safety net maybe school. Then when you think about the difference in salary you could be getting because of the difference in education you received well then that class pays for itself many times over. Finally your personal statement, it’s your chance to show the school who you are. Take it seriously and imagine that they would have to make the decision based purely off that essay. Read it, reread it, then have 3 other people read it, edit it and then have 3 different people read it. If you put together a good application then you will surely go where you deserve to be. Best of luck to you future scholars.

Finding the right match: Top, Middle, and Safety Net Schools

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I think the best analogy of finding the correct graduate school or program is; think about picking out a pair of pants that you have to wear for the next 4-6 years. I say this because you want your program to fit you perfectly. You have to consider the academic standpoints that are important to you but you also weigh that against the environment that the campus is in as well as the character of the department. Now that you have to consider so many different factors you will appreciate the tier system of school applications. In my personal opinion a good number of schools to apply to is 6. 2 top schools: these are the dream schools, where if you got into them you would take off work for the rest of the day. 2 middle schools: these are schools that if you get into them you are happy about it, you cleared the hurdle and you are happy with how the next phase of your life will go. 2 safety net schools: now these schools are often misinterpreted as “bad” schools. Let me get this clear never apply to a school that you would not want to go to. Safety net schools are good schools that have probably sacrificed one of the lower list of requirements but still maintains the academic standards that you have set for your graduate education. So if location is somewhat important for you but not a deal breaker then your safety net schools will be academically sound but be in places that you wouldn’t have picked to live first choice but still wouldn’t hate to be. Last but not least it is very important when you are placing your choices into the tiers that you are realistic. There is nothing worse then putting two top schools in your middle category and not getting into any of your top choices. Now you are left with your safety nets and probably not happy about it. So be self aware and break things into categories and best of luck. Where do I fit in?

Adjust yourself to a New Culture

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Getting admission from IU and moving to IU for your selected program is a great journey ever for any international student- I am not an exception ☺ Hurayyyyyyyyyyyyy, the competitive application process finally ends! Bloomington here I come! IU here I come ☺ That’s SO VERY exiting! To make your IU experiences more rewarding, I would bring about some issues of culture shock to your attention – international students.

From my personal experiences, I don’t meet with culture shock socially as everyone respects who I am and where I am from. I am very happy to be a part of a diverse IU community where students come from all 50 states and more than 130 countries. IU is a culturally rich and ethnically diverse campus. However, I was shocked in the first few days attending classes in the first school week and I would love to share some of these experiences with international students.

The first challenge is the language barrier. No matter how good your English is, you might find it very hard to fully catch up what the professor lectures in class in the first few days/weeks. You are also given tons of homework, assignments, readings that are all in English while your native language is not English. Lame! If only all is written in your native language, life would be so much easier ☺ But don’t worry too much about it. Part of the experience in IU is for you to improve your English. What an incredible opportunity! So, just take it easy…think of it this way: when you comeback to your home country, everyone will admire your improved English ;)

Second, the class is so interactive, especially between professors and students. While one-way lecture style is still popular in some Asian countries, I believe many Asian students including me are not well trained to actively engage in class discussions. I have the ideas, they are very clear and well structured…But those ideas are just all in my mind and I don’t feel comfortable speaking up. This is really frustrating!!! And, if you are ever in this situation, just please don’t push yourself too hard… Just be nice to yourself, naturally you will learn how to engage effectively in the lecture.

Third, the lecture contents for some classes are very “American”. For instance; one of the lectures for my nonprofit management class is about American election and its effects on NGOs. I have some ideas about American election, but I am sure I am way behind American students as it comes to this topic. Also, have you ever feel dumb when the whole class laughs at the professors’ joke but you don’t know what’s going on? I had that experiences several times ☺ But, you certainly can ask the Professor about the joke after class if you really want to know what it is about…And aren’t the “American based” lectures also helpful for us to learn more about America? ☺

Only several personal experiences for sharing, but I am sure you will do great. IU offers so many excellent student support services that are there to help you through all the adaptation stages. Just accept the differences, have an open mind and adjust yourself to adapt with the new environment. These will help to make IU an incredible home away from home. Below you would find very helpful advice from IU Office of International Services:

Ways to Minimize the Impact of Culture Shock:
• Look for logical reasons for things in the host culture that seem different. Relax your grip on your own culture.
• Resist “looking down on” or making jokes and comments about the host culture. Avoid others who take part in such derogatory remarks.
• Talk about your feelings with a sympathetic and understanding friend or see a Foreign Student Advisor in the Office of International Services to talk about your feelings.
• When you hear yourself making negative judgments or generalizations, stop and try to view the situation objectively—without value judgments.
• Take care of your physical health. Eat nutritious foods, get enough sleep, and, most importantly, get some exercise every day (take a regular walk if nothing else).

Reference:
Deena R. Levine and Mara B. Adelman, Office of International Service http://ois.indiana.edu/newstudents/livingintheus/misc/culture_shock.php, accessed 12/2012

leónes y tiGREs y osos [dios mio!] or how I survived the GRE

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GREs are serious business!
*Photo taken by me

What’s up blogheads I’m back! With some important information about grad school life. The topic this time is grades, gre, and funds [oh my!]. Christmas* is right around the corner and I have an early Christmas present for you. That right it’s the FTOD. Todays free tip is take advantage of test prep offered at your institution. Visit your campus’s Career Services. Often times they have partnerships with testing vendors.

My first year of grad school one of my colleagues informed me that they received free test prep from Kaplan just by going to a session hosted by Career Services. While I don’t believe in test prep as an industry. They do work. The main reason is they help test takers create a strategy to take the test. If you can’t afford test prep. Visit your local library, most will have previous versions of both the GRE and GMAT. You can also go to Barnes and Noble or another bookstore and by a test prep book. Remember practice makes perfect! So practice, practice.

GRE score and grades can largely determine what funding you qualify for. SO do well on your GRE and college grades that will go along way in increasing the number of opportunities that are available to you. Good luck.

PS – I love the Lion King… en Español! Check out the trailer por El Rey León!

 

Relevant Recommendations from Royalty

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To present an undeniable application package, show the program that you are currently participating in the very activities in which they expect their current students to be involved.  Aiming for a PhD program, highlight any research that you may have conducted in a masters program.  Make mention of the refereed journal articles you have read and how those articles have influenced the way your approach your research or even altered/reinforced your research interests.

Otherwise, you can take the approach I did: get relevant recommendations from royalty.  Three high ranking administrators/professors from my undergraduate/masters institution (I got both my BS and MEd from the same university) wrote the recommendation letters for my PhD program.  To reflect my academic prowess and scholastic accomplishments, I had the director of the Honors Program, with whom I both taught and taken classes,  write my first recommendation.  Because I was applying for a PhD in Higher Education and Student Affairs, I got my second recommendation letter from the president of the university.  As an added bonus, he also happened to be an alum of the institution to which I was applying. Finally, as mentioned earlier the program has Student Affairs in its name, so I had the Vice President of Student Affairs write my final recommendation letter.

It is kind of difficult to deny someone admission to a Higher Education program who has recommendations from the King (president), Prince (vice president), and Dutchess (Honors Program director) of a kingdom (research university).  In which case, I suggest finding the heavy hitters in your field, and ask them to write your recommendation letters.  Of course, this works best when you first have a relationship with these scholastic celebrities.  Understand that they may not necessarily be the leading researchers in your chosen field, but getting a recommendation from the highest ranking professors on your campus still speaks volumes about your potential.  It means someone who actually has a lot to lose feels confident enough in your abilities to put their good reputations and credibility on the line.

Not much time is left before graduate school applications are due, ask a member of your academic field’s royalty for a recommendation today.

Graduate School Prepping: It’s all about the timing

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There are many resources out there about when to begin studying for exams to when to begin narrowing down your options. I’m concentrating on resources that give you a timeline based on your current situation/status.

  •  If you are in undergrad checkout sites that break down the checklist by semesters (i.e. what you should be doing during undergrad), like the one below

http://www.bw.edu/career/graduate-schools/Graduate_School_CHECKLIST_AND_TIMELINE.pdf

  •  Specific for international students—Happy Schools Blog has a 15 item checklist along with other tips and resources

http://www.happyschoolsblog.com/checklist-for-graduate-school-application/

  •  Idealist.org, Princeton Review & Dr. Ron Martin via U.S. News has a timeline that highlights what you should be doing during the next 12 months.

http://www.idealist.org/info/GradEducation/Resources/Preparing/Timeline

http://www.princetonreview.com/grad/application-timeline.aspx

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/graduate-school-road-map/2012/11/12/grad-school-application-checklist-12-months-out

And finally, because not everyone thinking about grad school is an undergrad, single, and/or working part-time …Expand the timeline! While the timelines above include the major details and important months for most programs, you should customize the timeline to fit YOU with your own individual schedule. This may come in the form of an excel sheet or a calendar on the wall that spreads over 12 + months.

Good luck!