Applying to Graduate School

The admission essay is your chance to influence the admissions committee beyond what is apparent in a transcript or resume. Types of essays will vary by institution and program. The information below details the most common types of essays and tips to succeed.

Personal Statement

No matter the discipline, each graduate school application will require you to write a personal statement. The personal statement should:

• Demonstrate your motivations and enthusiasm for pursuing a graduate degree in a compelling manner
• Showcase your related accomplishments, or unique experiences, that are indicative of your reasons for pursuing graduate study
• Be genuine, honest, and authentically you
• Be about two pages long, double-spaced, and perfect: proofread, revise, rewrite, and proofread again
   

Statement of Purpose/Research Statement

The statement of purpose, sometimes called the research statement, focuses on your development as a professional, and is a common application component for most research degrees. Like the personal statement, the statement of purpose will vary by school and discipline. In all cases, the statement of purpose should:

• Indicate your interest in a subject area
• Connect your previous training to the graduate program and your future goals
• Showcase previous academic achievements
• Identify faculty that you want to study with
• Highlight a research question that you would like to pursue
   

Diversity Statement

Many graduate programs will request an optional, one- or two-page essay focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. These statements generally focus on the following:

• Your personal background and/or diverse identity (normally broadly defined to include race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, ability, religion, socioeconomic status, and more)
• Your prior contributions to diversity and/or how you will contribute to diversity in graduate school
  

When you’re competing against thousands of other applicants with similar GPA’s, work experiences, test scores, and recommendations, how do you stand out? One way to polish and differentiate your application is through stellar admissions essays. Your essays are an opportunity to engage the admissions committee and tell them why a graduate program would be a good fit for your skills, personality, and future career goals.

Start Early

• Give yourself plenty of time by thinking about your essays early. The quality of your essay is a very important factor in the admissions process. Make sure you have the time to put in your best effort on each graduate school statement.
• Start at least two months before the deadline to give plenty of time for revisions and alternative drafts.
• Research your school’s website and, if possible, read sample essays of admitted students to grasp the expectations for your personal statement.
  
  

Analyze the Prompt

• Carefully read through the prompt and make sure you understand what is being asked of you. What are the specific things that the admissions committee wants to know about you? What experiences, thoughts, and goals can you convey that fit into the prompt? Be prepared to answer: why this degree? What can you contribute to their program? Why do you want to go to this particular school/program?
• If there are multiple questions in the prompt, be sure to answer all of them thoroughly.
• Discuss your background and experiences that set you apart. Keep it about you, not a historical event or social issue.
  
  

Organize Your Thoughts and Create a Draft

• Brainstorm about your personality traits and reasons for going to graduate school. From there, you can extract anecdotes and compelling reasons why you are a strong candidate.
• Create an outline of your statement and decide where you want examples to appear. Don’t worry about making it perfect at this stage. Mistakes can be fixed in later drafts.
• Develop a flow to your essay by inserting transitions into the beginning and end of paragraphs.
  
  

Be Specific

• Flesh out your outline and provide specific examples. The admissions committee should be able to clearly understand your interest in the field and graduate program through the example(s) you use.
• It is often easier to trim words than to add paragraphs, so feel free to write beyond the word limit. Revising can come later to pare down your thoughts.
• Draw from experiences such as, but not limited to, internships, school leadership positions, volunteer work, and other personal anecdotes, to demonstrate your interest in the field
• Show, don’t tell! Make sure to back up any assertions about your character with supporting evidence (e.g. I am a strong problem-solver and can confidently lead a team. For example, at work I was assigned to…).
  
  

Find a Creative Angle

• Write in your personal style! However, make sure to stay genuine and professional in your writing. A common mistake students make is to get too creative and stray from answering the prompt.
• Starting with an anecdote or weaving a theme throughout the essay, is a good way to add flow and creativity to your personal statement.
• The opening paragraph can be creative or catchy to draw the reader in, but it doesn’t have to be.
• You don’t have to pick a topic that is completely unique, as long as your essay is still infused with reflection, insight, critical thought, and strong writing. 
  
  

Multiple Revisions

• Always revise your essays and have multiple people read them. Your personal statement must not contain any errors. We suggest having at least three people read your essay, including a professor, friend, and a third-pary, such as one of our career coaches.
• Read your essay out loud. Doing this will help you find awkward wording in your essay and ensure that the document is in your own voice. Check to make sure you vary the beginning of your sentence structure, and don’t start too many sentences with “I.” Utilize transition words or phrases to vary your “I” statements.
• Make sure your personal statement demonstrates strong critical thinking, reflection, and writing skills.
• Keep your writing concise and simple. Using large words for the sake of sounding intelligent often comes across as pretentious rather than experienced.
• After revising, leave the paper alone for a couple days and focus on other work. Come back with a fresh pair of eyes and see if the paper truly conveys why you want to attend the specific graduate program. 
• Use the Connors Family Learning Center to have your essay revised and critiqued.
  
  

Tailor Your Personal Statement to be School-Specific

• Do NOT re-use the same personal statement for every school you are applying to. While you do not have to write an entirely new statement for each school, make sure you read each prompt carefully and tailor your goals and examples to the specific program to which you are applying.
• In most personal statements, you’ll want to mention why you are specifically interested in the program or school. Do your research to be able to talk about particular classes, professor, initiatives, research opportunities, practicum placements, etc. Law schools typically ask this as a separate question on the application, so be sure to read each essay prompt carefully.
  

Most graduate and professional schools require your scores on at least one standardized test for admission. Test and score requirements vary by institution and program. Some programs may place more emphasis on particular sections of the test. Earning a minimum score will put you in consideration, but it will not guarantee admission. You should look at the average test scores of current students to understand what will make you a competitive candidate.

We encourage you to start early to understand the exam and the amount of time it will take you to prepare. Most exams are only offered at certain times of the year in designated locations. You will need to schedule a date to take the exam that will offer you enough time to prepare and still meet application deadlines. You may also want to schedule enough time to take the exam again, if needed.  

Types of Standardized Tests:

• Graduate Record Exam (GRE): The most commonly requested exam for master’s and doctoral programs
• Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
  
• Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
• Medical Admission Test (MCAT)
  
• MCAT Score Interpretation
• Praxis Tests
• Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)
• Dental Admission Test (DAT)
• Optometry Admission Test (OAT)
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – English proficiency test for international students
   

Test Preparation:

Several test-preparation resources are available, including books with practice questions and test-prep courses. Test-preparation courses range in cost and time. Do your research to find an option that works for your budget and schedule. Below are common options to start with:

• Boston College Test Prep
• Kaplan Test Prep
• The Princeton Review
• Peterson's
• Khan Academy
• Magoosh

You will need to include letters of recommendation in your application. Your recommenders should be people who can describe your interests and abilities and support their comments with specific examples.

Give your recommenders several weeks to write your recommendations, and discuss your application deadlines to be sure your admission packet is completed on a timely basis. Be sure to waive your right to see the recommendations; graduate schools prefer to see “blind” recommendations because they allow the recommender to be more honest.

Provide the recommendation writers with some background materials, such as a resume and a copy of your personal statement, to help them focus on your specific strengths, accomplishments, and interests.

You may find that the admissions committee for your prospective program wants to meet with you in person to discuss your goals and your fit with their program. This is a popular option for medical and business programs. 

The Big Interview platform has resources to help you prepare for a graduate school admissions interview. You can also schedule an appointment with one of our career coaches to practice an interview.

Whether the program requires an interview or not, do plan to visit your top choices if you can. While you are there you will want talk with admissions, faculty, and other students to gain a better understanding of how the program fits your criteria. You should sit in on a class, if possible, and visit the community to gain a feel for the surrounding areas. Remember that while you might be there to gather information about their program, they will also have the chance to learn more about you—be professional and prepared at all times.

Graduate programs will require an official transcript. Current students can request official transcripts using the transcript request link in the Agora Portal. Alumni may request transcripts by going directly to the National Student Clearinghouse website. Paper transcripts, delivered via regular or express mail, are available for request.

Starting September 1, 2020, there will is a $5 charge per electronic transcript and a $7 charge per paper transcript. Additional fees are required for express mail service.

For more information, visit the Transcript Requests page.