Applying to Graduate School

Applying to graduate school was one of the most stressful things I have ever done, not necessarily because of what went into applying to schools, but having to do that on top of classes and extracurriculars during my senior year. I tried to make my process of applying to schools as easy as possible, and hope that it helps any of you applying to school in the future.

- I made a binder to store every thing related to graduate school applications: any paper applications, printed off online applications, information from school visits, copies of my resume, and any correspondence from schools I applied to.

- I treated applying to graduate school like homework or a class project. I would schedule time during my week to work on them, and tried to do a little each night.

- I used deadlines to keep myself on track:
   - Summer before applying: write general personal statement, take the Praxis, and finalize list of schools you are applying to.
   - September: finalize letters of recommendation and begin all applications.
   - November: finish all applications
   - December: make sure all applications have been received, and that they are complete
- My goal was to be done in December so I didn't have to worry about finishing applications during Winter break. Plus, many schools begin to have deadlines in December or early January.
- Once applications are completed, take a nice break. If you do not hear from schools by the decision deadline I would suggest contacting the program.

- When I began my applications I created a checklist for each school which I used as dividers in my binder. Not only did they separate one school from another, but they made it very easy to see what the next step was in my application process.
- I would try to knock out something on the checklist every day, even if it was to only send one GRE score, it was progress.
- After each application was completed I would give myself a reward. Since I love chocolate, I used Lindt truffles as my reward.
- When I had finished every application I gave myself a larger reward. For me it was a mani/pedi day with my friends.

- As hard as it is to do so, the best thing is to not freak out about getting these applications completed.
- Even harder is to not freak out while you are waiting to hear from schools.
- As you start to hear from schools you have to remember to keep calm and deal with the decisions in a good way. My roommate and I were both applying to grad schools at the same time, and would post all our rejection/acceptance/wait list letters on our hallway walls. After we both had decided where we were going to attend we had a bonfire with all the decision letters. It was therapeutic to burn all of the bad news we had received over the months.

I hope this gives some helpful advice about applying for graduate school. If you have other tips please leave a comment.

Good Luck Applying!

Lisa

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