By IvyWise Graduate Admissions Counselors
For most undergraduate students, graduate school is a possibility, but many aren’t sure until closer to application time. By then, you’ve passed many opportunities to work on areas that will influence your application to graduate school. Even if you’re not entirely sure which field you’ll be pursuing in a few years, it’s important to get involved the moment you step foot on campus to ensure that you’re making the most of your time in college and that you have the best chance of gaining admission into a top-choice graduate school.
Because graduate school is more specialized than undergrad, it’s important to understand how to apply to grad school. The activities, jobs, and experiences you pursue during your undergraduate career should tell a story in line with who you are and the path you are taking. It’s also important that they tell a story on their own because many times you won’t have the chance to explain yourself when admissions committees are reading through your application materials. You can retake exams and edit your personal statement to improve your application, but you can’t go back to your first year of undergrad to join another club or pursue an internship.
Is It Hard to Apply to Grad School?
The grad school application process mirrors the undergraduate process in many ways — it’s challenging but manageable with the right preparation. The applicant pool is much smaller, meaning your application will receive more intense scrutiny at this level than it did at the undergraduate level. Strong graduate applicants have a solid undergraduate GPA, high standardized test scores, and impressive letters of recommendation. Additionally, graduate faculty often play an important role in selecting applicants for admission, so every aspect of your application should show how your background, experience, and goals align with the program you’re applying to.
Grad School or Real Work Experience
You may ask yourself, “should I work before grad school?” Well, that largely depends on your career goals and personal circumstances. Here are some factors to consider:
Going to Grad School Right After Undergrad
Pros:
- You’re already in the academic mindset, which can make the transition smoother.
- You can get a head start on your career if it requires an advanced degree.
- You demonstrate to future employers that you are committed to your chosen field and become a more valuable employee.
Cons:
- You might miss out on practical work experience that can enhance your understanding of your field.
- Continuing education without a break can be financially challenging.
Gaining Work Experience First
Pros:
- Real-world experience can provide valuable insights and make your grad school studies more relevant.
- Working can help you refine your career goals and decide if grad school is necessary for your desired path.
- Earning a salary can help you save money for grad school and reduce financial stress.
Cons:
- You might find it challenging to return to the academic environment after a break.
- Delaying grad school might mean missing out on certain academic or career opportunities.
Check out tip #5 below to learn how you can gain work experience during undergrad that will help you prep for grad school.
When Should You Start Applying to Grad School?
Getting an early start on preparing for grad school gives you ample time to refine your application and ensures you meet all deadlines. Allow yourself 18 months before you plan to start your program. Here’s a rough timeline to help you get organized:
- 18 months before: Start researching programs and schools that fit your interests and career goals.
- 12-15 months before: Begin preparing for any required standardized tests (like the GRE) and start gathering information on application requirements.
- 9-12 months before: Request recommendation letters, gather transcripts, and start drafting your personal statement or statement of purpose.
- 6-9 months before: Finalize your application materials and submit your applications. Most deadlines fall within this period.
The Graduate Admissions Exams
Many graduate programs require you to take graduate admission exams, which are standardized tests that demonstrate your preparedness for graduate-level work. Common exams include the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test), LSAT (Law School Admission Test), and MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). These tests assess a range of skills such as analytical writing, quantitative and verbal reasoning, and data literacy, depending on the field of study.
Additionally, for non-native English speakers, exams like the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) are often required to demonstrate English proficiency. To prepare for the GRE or other graduate exams, you must spend a significant amount of time studying and taking practice exams to achieve competitive scores.
7 Tips for Grad School Prep
Below are some tips for maximizing opportunities during your undergraduate years that will help on your graduate school application.
1. Join Multiple Clubs
Club participation is a great way to explore your interests and meet people outside of your immediate academic cohort. Join both professional and social clubs as they will reflect the depth of your interests and show your desire to be a dynamic part of your school’s community. You can also start a club in college if you can’t find one that aligns with your interests.
Whenever possible, take on leadership roles so you can build your skills in leading others and demonstrate responsibility. Admissions officers want to see that you committed to a club for more than one semester — ideally for all four years — and they’ll see a leadership role as a sign of maturity and drive.
2. Engage in Community Service
Find a cause you care about and explore ways to give back to the community. Many clubs, fraternities, and sororities will have built-in community service activities, but there will be other ways to show your dedication to giving back. Take a shift at a food bank, tutor local students, or organize a food or clothing drive. Community service is an often overlooked element of grad school applications but is important to show your interest in helping others and might help you articulate why you should go to grad school.
3. Pursue an Internship
If you are applying to an MBA program, an internship will add much-needed professional experience to your resume. Internships are great for resume building, networking, and career development. Besides the fact that an internship could also lead to full-time employment, it gives you a chance to show your professional motivation.
Keep in mind that you’ll need recommendation letters for graduate school, so this is a chance to make a good impression on your supervisor and colleagues. You may be asking them to write a letter on your behalf one day. Remember to apply to summer internships early so you avoid missing any deadlines.
4. Develop a Comprehensive Resume
The resume is a very important element for an MBA applicant — it is sometimes the first thing an admissions officer will look at when they review your application. It gives a good overview of academic, professional, and personal experience, so include all those elements when you put together your resume. As you add your experience, accomplishments, and work history, you’ll see your persona develop and provide direction as you move through your undergraduate career.
Use your school’s Career Center to get help with layout and formatting so you have a good base to build upon. This will save you a lot of time later and will help you capture details about your experience that you might forget to add several years later when you are putting together your application.
5. Consider Part-Time Employment
If you need a part-time job, try to find one that lines up with your other academic and personal interests. If you’re interested in design, try working at a university art gallery. Some schools will give work-study funding to any student who asks, so you might even be able to find some great jobs through your school’s work-study program. Check with your financial aid office to inquire about work-study and the Career Center for part-time job listings.
6. Expand Your Learning Opportunities
If there’s a class or a particular topic that interests you, reach out to a professor in that area and see if you can join in on any research or fieldwork they may be doing. Even just helping a professor compile materials for publication is something you could list as experience on a resume and further shows the lengths you’ll go to to follow through on your interests. While pursuing this coursework, don’t forget to make time to study and learn how to research grad schools.
7. Cultivate Relationships with Faculty
Throughout your undergraduate career, you may take upwards of 40 classes. Use each class to consider whether that professor may be someone you can form a lasting academic relationship with. You will need two letters of recommendation for most graduate programs, and they want to hear from someone who really knows you. Form a relationship with a member of the faculty, bond over shared interests, work with them on an academic project. This relationship is important and may be the difference between getting into your top-choice program or not. This is even more important if you end up applying as an undergraduate without any professional experience.
How to Approach the ‘Optional Prompt’
While the optional or additional information prompt on graduate school applications is truly optional, it’s also an opportunity to further enhance your application. We recommend using this space to provide additional context or highlight unique aspects of your background that aren’t covered elsewhere. This could include explaining any gaps in your academic or professional history, discussing extenuating circumstances, or showcasing a significant achievement or experience that aligns with your career goals. One of our favorite optional prompt tips is to keep your response concise and focused, ensuring it adds value to your overall application narrative.
Prepare for Grad School with IvyWise
Since you’re competing in smaller applicant pools for fewer spaces in the class, it’s important to be thoroughly prepared and as informed as possible about what to expect. Check out our Graduate Admissions FAQ for even more insights into getting into grad school.
Preparing for graduate school can feel like a daunting task, but an experienced counselor can help demystify and streamline the process. At IvyWise, all our graduate admissions counselors have direct experience in admissions at some of the top graduate-level programs in the U.S., so they know what it takes to help you stand out from your peers.
Contact us to learn how our graduate counseling services can further maximize your chances of getting into grad school.
