Preparation for Graduate School
General Information:
Requirements for admission to graduate school vary from program to program and from school to school. Be sure to access the web to gather information about graduate programs, their rankings, requirements for admission, and the marketability of their graduates. Because admission is very competitive, students should apply to a number and range of graduate programs. Applications are often due the Fall preceding the year of admission.
Key requirements for admission are:
- Overall GPA
- Performance on Key Standardized Tests (GRE, GMAT, LSAT...)
- Performance on courses that are prerequisites for the graduate program to which you are applying
- Letters of Recommendation -
This is the area most often overlooked by students. A letter stating that you earned an A in a professor’s class and have a good overall GPA is NOT a very strong letter of recommendation. A good letter will state that the professor has known you for some time, has found you to be a hard worker and a mature, intelligent person capable of independent research.
To obtain such a letter you need to develop a relationship with the professor. Ways to do this include working (as Reader or TA), attending office hours quite often, interaction in class, taking more than one class from the same professor, writing a term paper or honors thesis. Seniors may wish to take ARE 194HA/HB, a special study class for honors students. This course provides an opportunity for honor level students (3.50 gpa or above) in the major to develop a research paper with a faculty mentor.
Make it easy for the professor to write the letter for you. When requesting a letter of reference, give the professor plenty of notice and make it clear what range of schools you are aiming for. It is helpful to provide the professor with certain information, such as: a transcript; statement of purpose; other personal information relevant to explaining your goals and parts of your past that you would like to be highlighted (or downplayed); written work from the class such as essays or exams which can give more information than just the recorded score.
Try to give the recommendation forms to be completed by the professor in a packet rather than one school at a time.