Applying to Grad School

[Durfee]

Hi! I was wondering if any of you have some helpful advice on applying to grad school and taking the gre? You’re help us much appreciated!

[goosejuice]

Build strong rapport with the people you hope to work with. Email them, schedule a phone/video call, meet them at a conference. Talk about funding. If a program you are looking at cannot support you financially in any way, do not apply or attend if accepted. Talk about research goals and interests. Ask about their advising philosophy. Talk to their grad students.

Apply to as many places as you can, within financial means. Be mindful of the location in relation to your happiness.

Spend extra time looking at non-top ranked universities, even if it means just googling a state in the country and listing all of their universities. While the luxury of clout comes with rank, your happiness is what is most important. Remember you are applying to a program and/or a single individual to work with, not an entire university. 

Your statement is your opportunity to tell the best academic story you can possibly tell about yourself. This, in conjunction with your letters of recommendation, can be huge. Speaking of, your letters should come from professors who know you well enough inside the classroom or in a research environment. Internship letters are fine, but I'd still aim for people who have spent the most time with you overall.

Take a hard look at your application as a whole (GRE scores, GPA, research experience, letters, statement) and really think about how competitive you will be at your top choice, which will most likely be a competitive one. If one of those five aspects is a deficiency, plan to make up for it with another part of your application. Grad school applications are much more competitive than undergrad. You are potentially vying for a single open position against others who most likely have great applications, too. 

Depending on your major, you should be aware of any subject GRE requirements you need. Magoosh is a good GRE study tool, I'd recommend getting the several month subscription. Aim for at least 50th percentile, bare minimum, if possible. The GRE is honestly the biggest crapshoot of the application. Some places value it as a cut off point, some don't care for it at all. Some programs will not value it themselves, but the university admissions will. I personally don't believe the GRE represents a student's capability to perform well as a researcher, but unfortunately, it is a necessary hurdle to account for in America.

Edited March 29, 2019 by goosejuice