Applying to graduate school is a challenging undertaking. If you are an undergraduate at MIT interested in graduate studies, please note that staff in the ODGE are available to provide counseling on how best to present yourself as a candidate. Below are some initial tips to consider in preparing a persuasive application.

Begin now
Researching schools
Visiting schools
Networking
Applying
Recommendations
Personal statement
Grades
Standardized tests
Deadlines
Additional resources

Begin now

All too often students think it's too early to begin preparing for graduate studies. Not true! The decisions you make today will have a significant impact on the opportunities available to you. Your academic performance; research on schools, faculty, and programs; networking; relevant work and research experience—all play a role in preparing successful applications.

Researching schools

Knowing what a school expects from its applicants is invaluable information for prospective students. Requesting applications early in your undergraduate career is a very good idea, since different schools have different requirements. At MIT, for instance, several departments ask applicants to provide lists of textbooks used from their first year of undergraduate study. If you haven't kept your textbooks, or syllabi, from your first undergraduate year, you'll have additional fact finding to do.

For a clearer picture of the match between a school and your personal goals and needs, use the Internet to take virtual tours. Contact faculty and graduate students about research opportunities in your area of interest. Read the professional journals. Learn more about campus life.

Visiting schools

Take advantage of opportunities to visit campuses in which you have an interest. This is easier than you think, and crucial in determining whether a school is an appropriate place to call home for a few years. With proper planning, you can use time spent on vacations, attending conferences, and personal visits, to visit schools in the area. Some colleges and universities have visitation programs, or research programs, that offer an opportunity to take a closer look at the day-to-day operations of the institution. At MIT, for example, departments take advantage of MIT's Spring Weekend in April to encourage prospective students to visit. Consider contacting the admissions office or alumni office for assistance if you wish to contact current grad students or alumni/ae about their experiences.

Networking

To optimize your chances for acceptance into graduate school, cultivate your relationships with individuals whom you may select as your advocates.

• Meet with faculty during office hours, over coffee or tea, after class, or any other opportunity that may arise. Use this time to discuss classwork, your professional goals and objectives, outside readings, or whatever else comes to mind. Give these individuals an opportunity to know you better.
• Take advantage of Internet technology to maintain relationships with individuals you meet off campus.
• Make your presence felt in class by asking questions and contributing to the overall learning experience.
• Volunteer to do research in laboratories when paid opportunities are not available. Be reliable, professional, and enthusiastic when these opportunities arise. Make sure to leave a good impression.
• When appropriate, attend regional and national conferences to meet professors and professionals from your field of interest. Let them know what your academic and career goals are, and give them the opportunity to assist you in achieving them.

Applying

Consider filling out applications during the summer before the first semester of your senior year. (Once you've begun the semester, other responsibilities compete for your time.) You also want to anticipate any important deadlines for competitive fellowships that fall during first semester. If possible, use the Internet to acquire applications early; note which schools accept online applications, or only online applications.

There are many components to a graduate application: the application form, recommendations, the personal statement or other essays, transcripts, and standardized test scores. Take the time to type your application. This may be the first impression you make on the admissions committee, and you want it to be a good one. Be sure to double-check your spelling and punctuation, and be sure that you have answered all the questions. Ask a colleague to proofread your work.

Recommendations

Recommendations are a major part of your application, and strong recommendations greatly enhance your chances for acceptance. Remember that recommendations help the admissions committee understand how others view your academic performance, personal characteristics, and scholarly potential.

To ensure that your recommendations are as strong as possible, give your recommenders ample time to prepare their statements. Keep in mind that other students will be making similar requests, so make your request for recommendations as early as possible in your first semester of senior year.

Provide your recommenders with as much information as possible, for example, recommendation forms, resumes, a draft of your personal statement, and a biography, are all helpful to the sponsor in crafting a well-informed and detailed recommendation. Also, be sure to provide any necessary mailing materials, such as envelopes, addresses, and postage stamps.

Personal statement

Though there is no one formula for preparing a successful personal statement, there are some minimum key ingredients. Explain your personal preparation for graduate studies, including: courses of interest; research experience; reason(s) for choosing this field; and distinguishing personal characteristics. In addition, state your short-term and long-term goals as they pertain to this application.

Once you prepare a draft, be sure to have your personal statement reviewed by an editor. This person can either be a professional, a faculty member, administrator, or trusted friend. Whomever you choose, make sure that you are comfortable with their knowledge of the field, and their ability to carefully edit your statement.

Grades

Your grades are one key indicator on which the admissions committee relies in determining the best possible match for their programs. Though this does not mean that perfect grades are a requirement for graduate school programs, your performance in courses relevant to the discipline does make a difference. To put this in perspective, most graduate programs require a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). If your performance is not at this level when you apply, then other parts of the application must be that much stronger. Grades can sometimes be offset by exceptional research performance, for example, or by other individual factors that account for the pattern of your grades.

Standardized tests

The requirements for standardized tests can vary from school to school, and within a school from program to program. For instance, if you're applying to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in MIT's School of Engineering, you do not need to provide test scores, but if you're applying to the Department of Mechanical Engineering, then you do.

However, many competitive external fellowships available through the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM), among others, typically require GRE scores.

It's generally in your best interest to take these tests in your junior year of undergraduate study. This ensures that you can meet the requirements of the specific program in which you are interested, and, if necessary, gives you time to study and retake the exam to improve your scores.

Deadlines

Meeting deadlines is critical. With proper planning, you should be able to submit your application material before the deadlines set by the university or program. Be sure to confirm that your application has been received and is complete... before the deadline! Don't wait until the last possible opportunity to apply and put your application at risk of not receiving full consideration.

Additional resources

Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning a Master's or Ph.D, Robert Peters, Ph.D., Farrar, Straus and Giroux, NY, 1997 (revised edition). This comprehensive and practical guide describes what graduate school is like and why you need to go, as well as managing yourself through the process. Included in the chapter "Swimming with the Mainstream" is specific advice for women, older students, international students, and minorities.

Tomorrow's Professor, Preparing for Academic Careers in Science and Engineering, Richard M. Reis, IEEE Press, 445 Hoes Lane, P.O. Box 1331, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331, telephone 1 (800) 678-IEEE

The Council of Graduate Schools and the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc. offer additional rich resources for students.