15 Tips on Getting into Graduate School

This post was originally published in the Canadian Association of Physical Anthropology (CAPA) Newsletter (Fall 2010).  It was written by me, but included contributions by graduate students Adam Hossack and Emily Wells, as well as anthropology professionals Dr. Dan Jorgensen, Dr. Andrew Nelson, and Dr. Andrew Walsh.  All were or currently are associated with the Department of Anthropology at the University of Western Ontario.  

It is that time of year again: grad school application time.  Applying to graduate school can be a daunting process, particularly if you are not sure where to start, but do not fret because help is available.  The following is a list of tips compiled from students who have already gone through the process and experienced faculty members who have reviewed a countless number of applications.  It includes information on how to go about the process, how to be successful, and some things we wish we knew before we started:

1. Get to know your professors:  It may not be the hip thing to go hang out in your professors’ offices and talk about the course, the field, or the weather, but these interactions will benefit you in the future, particularly if you are considering graduate school.  Your professors can provide advice and insights about graduate schools, programs, potential supervisors, etc., and they can even inspire you to apply if you are unsure if graduate school is the right fit for you.  It is also in your best interests to impress your professors with your classroom behavior-contribute to class discussions, turn in quality work, and attend classes.  Showing your interest in the classroom impresses professors and also shows your commitment your education and the discipline.
2. Start the process early:  When is a good time to start looking into graduate school?  There are differences of opinion on what is the best exact time, but everyone agrees that earlier is better.  The sooner you know you want to go to graduate school the sooner you can tailor your education and extracurricular pursuits to your graduate program and career goals. 
3. Get involved:  Potential supervisors want to see you not only excelling in your course work but also taking an interest in the field outside of the classroom.  Participate in your discipline’s undergraduate society, join professional organizations at both the local, national (e.g. CAPA), and international level, take up part-time employment in your field, volunteer on your professors’ research projects (which helps in completing Tip #1), if available, aid in community projects or organizations that are related to your field of study (e.g. Intercultural Centers, Museums, etc.), author or coauthor published articles, participate in field schools, and attend and present at conferences, particularly if they are nearby.  If you are not sure where to start, particularly in the community, turn to your professors and they can guide you to activities that suit both your personal and professional interests.
4. Make a calendar:  This is important when you begin working on your applications.  Each graduate school and program has a different deadline, and to complicate matters, there are sometimes different deadlines within an institution if you have to apply to both the department and graduate faculty.  Sometimes there is even a separate deadline to apply for internal funding.  Deadlines for some institutions can be as early as November or December, which can be a shock if you were neither expecting nor preparing for it.
5. Know what you want to do:  It is best to have a general idea if not a definitive plan of study for your graduate career.  This will help you chose which institution and supervisor is right for you.  This will also help you frame and tailor your letter of interest/intent expressing why you feel the graduate program and potential supervisor to which you are applying is right for you.
6. Know where you want to (or can) go:  This may sound redundant, but it is an important point to stress.  Applicants sometimes do not consider the geographical distance that they will be required to travel in order to attend their chosen graduate school, nor have they considered the financial or cultural constraints of that choice.  Some institutions do not offer fully funded graduate fellowships to their students, and if you are not prepared for this, the reality of your situation could become very stressful and affect your ability to complete your degree.  Sometimes students attend institutions in areas drastically different from what they are used to and are challenged by culture shock and/or language barriers.  Other factors to consider are if you have a family or partner already established in the area where you currently reside or other commitments that you cannot easily leave.  Take care in considering where you apply and where you are ultimately willing to go if you are accepted.  Know your priorities and which of them you are willing to compromise and not compromise on.  Factors to consider are the quality of graduate program, potential supervisor(s), and professors; courses offered at the graduate level; projects available to work on as potential thesis projects; amount and length of funding offered to students; additional funding resources available outside of the department but still within the university; and facilities and resources available for completing your thesis project.  Sometimes the benefits of the graduate education you will receive will outweigh the disadvantages, but that is a decision only you can make.
7. Chose wisely when picking a supervisor: Your graduate supervisor is one of the most important people in your graduate school experience, and it is important that you chose your supervisor wisely because of their role in your graduate education.  Your supervisor will aid you in your research, course selection, professional development, and could even have an indirect effect on your personal growth.  Before choosing your supervisor, you need to have an idea of what you are looking for in a supervisor and what kind of supervisor is the best fit for you before speaking to any professors.  Some students like to work independently with the ability to consult their supervisor as necessary, while others like someone who will work along side them and is only a cubicle or office away at all times.  Having this knowledge will aid in supervisor selection.  As regarding supervisor selection, if you are unsure where to start a good place to begin is by perusing the current literature to see who is pursuing research projects that are of interest to you.  If you are already involved in a project, consult your professors regarding who would make a good supervisor for that project.  They may know someone who is already involved in the project that you may not already be aware of, someone who is becoming involved in the project shortly, or someone doing similar work in a different area.  It is also a good idea to consult your current professors and ask them if they think a potential supervisor and you will be a good match or not. 
8. Meet your potential supervisor(s) and professors:  Some professors will not accept students they have not met and talked to in person.  Some professors are more lax and do not require an in person meeting.  It will help them, as well as you, make an informed decision on graduate program placement (and particularly if you two are the right fit together) if you talk prior to sending in your application.  Email and phone calls are great ways to get in contact with a potential supervisor in order to get a feeling for what they are like and whether or not they are compatible with your research and work style.  If possible, take advantage of meeting a potential supervisor at a conference you are planning to attend, but be sure to email him or her prior to the conference to make sure they will be there and will be available to speak with you.  Prior to contacting anyone, however, it is best to do a little background research on the professor.  Again, peruse their publications and the current literature, read their bios on the department website, and, if available, check out their professional website.  Make sure the information you collect is current and up to date as sometimes professors change their research interests and are no longer interested in previous projects and/or methodologies.  IMPORTANT NOTE: Take care as to not harass professors or appear to be doing so.  Send out messages and seek contact judiciously, and always remember that your potential supervisor is busy with his or her research, work, students, and everyday life.
9. Meet current and veteran students in the program:  If you want to know what really goes on in graduate school or a graduate program, it is best to speak to former and current students.  Students are often a little more honest about how things really work (e.g. financial aid, supervisor/student relations, how laboratories and facilities are maintained and managed), and speaking with the students can also give you an idea of the environment in the department (e.g. collegial or competitive).  You can arrange this when meeting a potential supervisor or by attending a Departmental Open House.  You can inquire about Open Houses through the Department’s Graduate Secretary, but be sure to inquire before the beginning of the new school year.  This gives you plenty of time to plan and arrange your visit, particularly if the school only allows a specific number of attendees at their Open House.
10. Carefully Compose Your Letter of Interest/Intent:  It is important to remember that professors are very busy people.   In order to facilitate an easier application review process, it is in your best interests to compose a well written letter of interest/intent.  This means being concise and clear and tailoring each letter to the potential supervisor, department, and school to which you are applying.  Avoid repetition, grammatical errors, colloquialisms, and other bad writing forms.  It is highly recommended that you get your letters proofread before printing out a final copy on high quality resume paper.  Regarding your plan of study, be sure to spend some time explaining why you think the program is the right fit for you, your educational goals, and your professional interests in the field, even if you do not have a clear project in mind.  Project proposals can and often times do change before and during graduate school and proposal writing, and professors expect that.  What is key is illustrating that you have thoroughly thought about your graduate school choice, educational goals, theoretical views, etc. and have a handle on them.  If you do have a concrete project in mind, it is in your best interests to explain how your project could fit in and contribute to the interests of the whole department, particularly if the department has a specific region or subfield focus.
11. Chose a suitable writing sample:  A writing sample may be required for your graduate school application.  If so, it is important that you chose a piece of work that reflects your writing and scholarly skills, and if possible, it should be within the area of study you wish to pursue (e.g. Physical Anthropology, Bioarchaeology, Biology, etc.).  A good point of reference is any paper in which you received a 90 or above.  The sample should be a clean copy, free of the grades, marks, comments, etc.  Also, take a moment to correct the paper based on those comments, particularly if there were simple spelling and grammatical errors.  You will want to provide the best possible sample to enhance your overall application.
12. Acquire positive reference letters:  It can be aggravating or intimidating to approach a professor and ask them to write one of your reference letters, but it is a necessity for all graduate school applications.  If you have a good relationship with your professors and have already made them aware of your intentions of attending graduate school, they should be more than happy and willing to write your letter.  The key to acquiring a good letter is to ask for positive letters, speak to professors who know you and your work well, and approach professors as early as possible.  A good rule of thumb is to give your professors a month to write the letter, particularly if there are several letters to be written on your behalf.  Provide your referees copies of your letters of interest/intent, transcripts, and CV/resume, applicable forms that are required to accompany the reference letters, information on whom the letters should be addressed and which department they are affiliated with, along with a deadline.  These items will ensure the letter is tailored to your needs and arrives on time.  The biggest mistakes students make are asking someone who does not know them well, particularly if it is someone with a title (e.g. Department Chair), as well as not providing referees enough time to compose the letter.  You risk not receiving a letter or receiving one that is of inferior quality.  The quality of the letter is more important than the quality of the referee in some cases, but professors do caution against using contract faculty as a referee.  As a final step, be sure to thank your referees for taking the time to write your letter(s).  This does not require a gift but a simple thank you card is recommended.
13. Apply, apply, apply, and apply some more:  There is an old adage that goes: “Do not put all your eggs in one basket.”  This definitely applies to graduate school applications.  Many factors go into graduate student selection and you cannot predict or account for every one of them prior to applying.  If you want to increase your chance of getting into graduate school, apply to several institutions, but it is best to apply only to schools where you are willing to go if you do not get accepted to your top choice(s).  Graduate school is a big commitment involving lots of time and money and you should not do it unless you are willing to commit 100% to the endeavor.  If you are not willing to go anywhere but your top choice(s), then it may not be worth it to apply to additional schools, wasting not only your time and money but the school’s time as well.
14. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!  One of the easiest ways to receive a rejection letter from your graduate school of choice is to not follow the instructions of the application or to turn in an incomplete application.  Take care in following the instructions as they are written and if you have any questions, feel free to contact the department for clarification.
15. And because it is not enough to just apply to graduate school, don’t forget to apply for external funding!  Graduate school applications are a lot of work and it is easy to shrug off external funding applications since they appear to be additional “unnecessary” work.  It is quite important, however, to apply for external funding, in particular (for Canadian students) SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, and other sources, as this is a crucial aspect of being a graduate student and a professional in the field.  Also, external funding is necessary to fund your thesis research, the core of your graduate education.  Additional reasons for applying for external funding include financing your education, particularly in the event that your school does not offer internal funding; using your external funding as a bargaining chip if you are accepted to multiple programs; and demonstrating to potential supervisors and graduate selection committees that you understand and are serious about the responsibilities of being a graduate student and professional in the field.

Applying to graduate school can be frustrating and stressful, but if you are certain and committed to the venture, the educational benefits of graduate school often outweigh that short term frustration and stress wrought by the application process.  I wish every applicant the best of luck.  You can do it, and when it is completed, take a moment to relax and treat yourself to some fun.  You deserve it.