How the Heck Do I Apply for Graduate School? (Part Two)
Article by Andrew Thoesen on Medium – Published July 12, 2017
The Application
Are you wondering how the heck to apply to graduate school? Well in my previous article Part One, I covered all of the preparation which goes into researching schools and contacting people before applications are even started. This article covers the content which is typically required on a STEM PhD or Master’s application. A lot of potential graduate students are aware of what they need to do but how no clue how to approach it. And, the advice you get may be outdated. In this article I’ve broken it down easily into the different components.
Phase Two — The Application — Early-to-Late Autumn
The GRE: Simultaneously, while doing the research in part one, you need to study for and take the GRE. I’ve mentioned the GRE as the first item to complete. Why? Because for some reason it’s a big worry point for a lot of people. Having GRE anxiety will distract you from other parts of your application. There’s also a time delay between when you take it and when it’s graded and sent out.
Ideally you should secure a good GRE score during the summer before your application but if you’re confident you can take it in the fall. I estimate for most “good” performers that GRE studying saturates somewhere around 20–40 hours of focused study depending on the student. If you break it up into 10 hours a week, you can study for it and take the test within a month’s time. Remember that the GRE is merely one component of your application. Do not spend a disproportionate amount of time on it. I have some very specific advice for taking the GRE (that’s another article) but in summary I’ll boil it down to an image and a single piece of advice:
Seriously. Buy the purple ETS testing book and practice. This book and a dedicated amount of practice is all you really need. As someone who used to work for a GRE test prep company I feel qualified to make this point. There are tons of classes out there which cost a lot of money for what amounts to a relatively open set of criteria. Buy the book from the testmakers. Take a paper practice test. Identify areas of weakness, study, and take another paper test. Rinse and repeat. Make a decently organized long essay. Read my article for the specifics but suffice to say, it’s not as difficult as people make it out to be. You can deconstruct it.
And Now a Word on GPA Cutoffs: Each school has its own “official” acceptance criterion. I use quotes because rules can always be bent. I had a 2.82 when applying to graduate school. If I listened to every 3.25 cutoff listed, I wouldn’t have been able to apply anywhere. If you have a low GPA but went out into the world and got some experience in industry or research then it will show. And, here’s the big secret to academia: the absolute ONLY thing that matters is your potential as a research asset. The school wants research papers out of you. That’s the currency of graduate school. If you keep this in mind, if you have a way to show this, rules will be broken for you. There’s a caveat to this: the further from the cutoff you are, the more you will have to do to “atone” for it.
My Alma Mater, Purdue University, was notorious for having a near lack of grade inflation compared to national trends. The average GPA university-wide only went above 3.0 in 2008. I pointed this out early on. It was also a top 10 engineering school, I had done free research in the year after graduation (always an excellent way to bolster your application) and I was willing to leave a lucrative industry job to return to school. I wasn’t the ideal candidate but all of these little intangibles added up.
With that said, here’s the caveat: there’s a limit. Everyone is earning good grades now and there doesn’t seem to be any change. If you’re more than a few tenths away from the cutoff it’s going to be a hard sell. When the school asks for 3.2 and you have a 3.0 though, push that application.
Curriculum Vitae: A longer, fancier, research-oriented resume. If you have any publications, presentations, outreach activities, awards, or other achievements then list them. A resume is meant to be a tight, concise, one-page summary of your career achievements. A CV is meant to highlight anything you’ve ever done which can paint you in a positive light. If you spent one weekend at a soup kitchen feeding the homeless while rescuing puppies simultaneously, put that sucker on there. Any activity focused on educating lay people is preferred. There are many resources for formatting these. If you’re transforming a resume into a CV, focus specifically on research-oriented items and outreach events. As much as academia is about publications, the funding for those publications often comes from sources which care about public engagement and outreach. Show a history of doing this and it will help.
Statement of Purpose: This should be personalized to each school but the differences in each one need not be extensive. I’ve found that writing a “base document” covers 90% of the content. You will mostly be talking about your background in your research area of choice, why you’re interested in that area, and why you will be a good research asset. Talk about your motivation. You’ll also mention examples of projects which the school has done that excite you. If you have been communicating with specific professors, be sure to include your interest in their labs as well. This is not a place to air your grievances with life or give excuses for poor past performance. This is a fatal mistake many applicants make.
I cannot stress this enough: personal statements are not about your “passion” or vague generalities. When you bring in personal narratives, they should directly tie into your line of research or choice of school:
During my senior year of high school, my father was involved in an accident at U.S. Steel. When the toggle button on a pinch roller didn’t function properly it pulled his hand into the machine. The incident was termed a “de-gloving” accident, which is exactly as painful as it sounds. His injury did not eliminate his hand entirely but it did sever all of his digits halfway. In the following summer I shattered my pinky and required surgery and lower arm immobilization for recovery. These two events gave me an immense amount of empathy those with hand disabilities. The desire to help others overcome these obstacles was the impetus for applying to the Biomechatronics Lab.
In my opening paragraph I’ve told a personal story but it is clearly linked to the line of work. It is unique and somewhat memorable. It shows a reasonable motivation and human interest. Your body of work and documents should speak to why you would be a good researcher but the SoP specifically should explain why you would be a good researcher for that particular line of research.
Letters of Recommendation: LOR should also be one of the first items you begin to seek out because professors are busy and they will not be able to get back to you if you email them a week before the deadline. Giving at least a month as a heads up is a good courtesy. The first priority for letters is anyone you’ve done research with. The next is any good professional relationships such as a boss or an organization you frequently volunteer for. Your last resort could be a “filler” letter from a class where you earned an A and the professor can simply speak to your good work ethic. Having one of these is generally OK if the rest of your application is strong and you have no other options.
Transcripts: This is another relatively simple item that can become difficult if you wait too long. Each undergraduate institution has different policies when it comes to releasing official transcripts. You need to check with yours early in the application process to see what both the cost and lead time are.
Triple Check Everything: I made a spreadsheet with every school I planned on applying to with their due date, cost, and required items clearly marked. Many schools have deadlines in mid-December or early January but there are a few that extend into spring. However, beating out other applicants is always good so try to submit as soon as possible (with your materials reviewed and polished of course). Do not wait until the deadline.
Conclusion: When you have double and triple checked that all materials are ready for submission, you will hopefully submit ahead of the deadline some time in November. If you have letters of recommendation out, try to check up on the professor once a week. Once they have submitted, you’re done… for now. Congratulations!