Graduate Application Process
Application content
A typical application asks for the following:
- Personal information (contact info, sex, ethnic background)
- Academic background (schooling, GPA, major, academic awards)
- Employment history (both academic and non-academic)
- GRE scores (general and in some cases subject)
- Your recommenders and their contact information
- Transcript(s)
- Personal Statement
- Statement of your laboratory experience (sometimes programs ask you to write this additional essay and not include that information in your personal statement)
- Resume/CV (not all applications ask for this)
- A list of faculty members whose research you are interested in (from the program you are applying to)
- Other institutions that you are applying to
- These days, most graduate applications are completed online. Schools use an easy system that allows access to your application any time before the due date. However because it is online, you must be extremely careful to proofread all your documents before submission.
- Complete as much as you can separately in a word processor in order to catch typos, then transfer everything to your application. Usually you will have the option to upload a Word document containing your personal statement. Make sure to that your document has your name and social security number somewhere.
- For your convenience, most schools have switched over to online recommendations. By listing your recommenders and their contact information, notifications requesting letters will be automatically sent to them via email. This procedure is much easier for your recommenders as they won’t have to send actual letters, but can submit them easily online.