Graduate School Application Process Overview

The length of the application process varies for each person, spanning anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. The application is a presentation that articulates a clear vision of you, your strengths and weaknesses, your experiences and objectives and the various difficulties you have surmounted throughout your life.

We recommend the basic step-by-step itinerary to a successful application:

1. Study for the GRE/TOEFL (for non-native English speakers)
2. Take the GRE/TOEFL (for non-native English speakers)
3. Gather application forms
4. Figure out which schools are ideal to apply to. Research potential fits, visit campuses, talk to students and alumni. Schedule an informational interview with an admissions officer if possible
5. Update and refine your resume
6. Solicit recommendations
7. Write application essays for schools you chose to apply for
8. Complete and gather other application items - personal information, resume, short-answer questions, transcripts, etc.
9. Proofread and polish application with an intense focus on all details
10. Send in applications according to deadlines
11. Prepare for interviews

Graduate School Essays

Essays are your best chance to distinguish yourself among candidates applying to top graduate schools. Take this part of the application seriously, and think a lot about how you want an admissions board to see you. Brainstorm various strategies and pick the one that will best present this image.
Since professional experience is considered important by admissions committees, you should spend at least a couple years gaining job experience before applying. Throughout your essay, depict your professional experience as a unique and captivating one. Very few students admitted to graduate schools have less than two years of professional experience, but more than one might expect do come from backgrounds that might surprise some. By playing up these aspects of your professional experience that are unique, you emphasize experiences that surpass the work someone working in finance or consulting does in their first couple years on the job.

Undergraduate GPA

Your undergraduate GPA plays a smaller-than-expected role in an admission to graduate school. Of course, graduating with honors helps, but even if your undergraduate career was less than spectacular, a top graduate school will still admit you if you present a convincing case. Your essays can elaborate on the reasons why you will have a successful experience at graduate school, and demonstrate your intelligence through a high GRE score.

Graduate School Letters of Recommendation & Interviews

The last parts of a graduate school applications are the letters of recommendation and interviews. Both function similarly to the essay: they provide a space for you to convince an admissions board of your candidacy's worth. Being personable or having convincing recommendations from noteworthy individuals can each make a marked difference, and distinguish you from the candidates you are competing with for admittance to graduate school.