Helping students get into graduate school.

The process of selecting and gaining admission to a graduate program can seem daunting to undergraduates. They may not understand what steps are involved or even what factors they should consider. In this article, we outline the major issues involved in applying, visiting, and choosing among institutions. Moreover, if a student's potential is higher than their current grade point average might suggest to an admissions committee, we provide some suggestions they can use to improve their application.

IS GRADUATE SCHOOL THE RIGHT CHOICE?

When students approach us for advice on getting into graduate school, we often ask them what their reasons are for wanting to get an advanced degree. Some students are fascinated by a subject and want to learn all that they can about it. Others enjoy solving puzzles and like the excitement of discovering new things. And sometimes their motivation is that they want to work in an area in which career opportunities are limited (or non-existent) if they do not have an advanced degree. There are many good reasons for wanting to go to graduate school. However, students need to understand that graduating from college is in and of itself not a good reason to go to graduate school, and certainly not enough of a reason to go there directly.

If they have not already done so, we recommend that students think about where they want to be in 5–10 years, then ask people who are in those sorts of positions whether graduate training is needed. We also encourage students to try to sample some of what graduate school will entail. Talking to professors and graduate students, taking a graduate course or even just sitting in on a couple of lectures, and/or spending some time doing research can be very instructive. In these ways they should quickly discover that graduate school can be very different from the typical college experience.

Whereas the standard college experience in the United States tends to be fairly broad and not particularly practical, graduate school can be likened to an apprenticeship during which students focus primarily on acquiring the skills necessary to become an independent professional. Some of those skills may be purely technical (like a laboratory method), some are intellectual (like critically analyzing a journal article), and some are new ways of thinking. As Indira Nair, a Professor of Engineering and Public Policy of Carnegie Mellon University, once commented to us, in graduate school you move from being a consumer of knowledge to becoming a creator of knowledge. Grades are not very important (as long as one’s work is satisfactory). And schedules are no longer defined by classes or even the school calendar; like their research advisors, graduate students work year-round.

If a student determines that graduate school is the right choice for them, the next question for them is whether this the right time. Many individuals wait until they have had some post-college experience working in the area in which they wish to specialize before they move on to graduate school. In fact, some graduate programs prefer students who have worked a bit between college and graduate school. This is especially so if the work the student does between college and graduate school is relevant to their proposed graduate and/or long-term career goals. It provides the admissions committee with some assurance that the applicant “knows what they are getting into,” and it reduces the chances that the individual will drop out of graduate school because of false impressions.

There are a number of ways that individuals can get research experience while they are undergraduates. There may be research opportunities on the student’s campus. Moreover, on the national level there are a number a summer programs that are designed to promote undergraduate involvement in research (e.g., see the National Institutes of Health’s Summer Internship Program and the list of internship and research opportunities that has been compiled by the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience).

CHOOSING A GRADUATE PROGRAM

Once a student (or former student) has determined that graduate school is now the right choice for them, then it is time for that student to start exploring their options. Faculty working within the student’s field of interest are a good source of information. Individuals need not feel shy about calling a professor they do not know to ask about information on about graduate school and careers in the field. Most faculty are more than willing to provide enthusiastic individuals with information and career advice.

There are a number of variables for students to consider when choosing a graduate program (Appendix 1). Most programs have a website that provides a considerable amount of information on their program, as well as the application form. Alternately, students can contact prospective graduate programs directly to ask for these materials. Students should learn what they can about the opportunities and requirements of each of the programs that interest them. It is worth reminding students that it is in a program’s best interest to appear as attractive as possible, and thus they should try to collect and evaluate information from a number of sources.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Although applicants to graduate school may not recognize it, the process of applying to graduate school is very different from applying to college. Indeed, high school students can be pretty sure that the individual who reviewed their application was a full-time admissions officer. Moreover, because of the large number of applicants, they probably had few opportunities to influence their chances of being accepted into college, other than submitting the best application they could. In general, neither of these characteristics are true when applying to graduate school.

Admissions committees for graduate programs are comprised primarily of researchers in the program. (One or more graduate students may also be involved.) The committee will review all materials that are likely to indicate whether or not the applicant will ultimately succeed as a professional, rather than just looking at previous grades or the results of standardized tests. Moreover, because the number of individuals applying to graduate school is relatively low compared to college, the process can be much more individualized and even interactive.

We recommend that students identify a few faculty members in each potential graduate program with whom they would like to work, learn about their research interests, and then read some of their papers. Then it is advisable for the students to contact those faculty directly. In their letter of inquiry, they should indicate that they are applying to the graduate program, express their interest in the faculty member’s research, mentioning the basis for that interest. Taking the initiative to contact faculty demonstrates a high level of motivation. It also provides students with the opportunity to develop an ally who may be willing to champion their application.

It is often helpful if the student makes these contacts prior submitting their application for admission, as they can list in their cover letter the names of faculty with whom they have spoken. Thus, the spring of the student’s junior year is not too early to initiate communication. However, up until the time the student’s application to graduate school is reviewed, it is not too late for such contacts to influence the admissions committee’s decision.

Students should be cautioned not to view a lack of interest (or a lack of response) on the part of the faculty member as a sign that the student is not a good candidate for the graduate program. Although this may sometimes be the case, there also are a number of other explanations, e.g., the email was sent to the wrong address or the faculty member they contacted may not have space in their lab for a new student.

Some students will send a generic “one size fits all” letter of inquiry to all of the faculty they identify. This is a bad idea – faculty members spot those sorts of letters within a few seconds, and it does not lead them to develop a very favorable impression of the student. Likewise, students should avoid telling more than one faculty member within a program that they are their first choice for an advisor, as letters of inquiry may be circulated among the faculty.

We encourage students to apply to five or six graduate programs. They should apply to a “long-shot” i.e., a program that they think is so competitive that they might not be accepted. And they should apply to a program that they feel they are quite likely to get into (that still meets the standards necessary for a worthwhile education). Most programs charge an application fee (e.g., $50), and this can add up. However, some programs waive the fee for individuals who apply via their web site, and many programs will waive the fee if a student indicates financial hardship.

Students should assemble the various parts of their application (Appendix 2) and submit them by the deadline, which is usually in December or January for admittance in the fall. In a few cases, programs may be willing to consider an application after the deadline. However, if it is well past the deadline, the program may not have any financial aid remaining to support the student’s first year of training.

PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW

Applicants who make it through the initial screening process may be asked to come in for an interview. Although not all schools require this, we highly recommend that students visit any program they wish to attend. It allows the student to get a sense of the program, faculty, institution, and local area before they make a five to six year commitment. Of course, it also indicates that student’s high level of interest. If the institution will not cover the cost of this visit, we encourage students to see if they can find a way to finance the trip. If a visit is simply not possible, then at least a phone interview should be sought.

Visits are often scheduled for February and March, usually for one or two days. Students should be involved in planning this event. We advise them to contact the program and indicate who and what they would like to see, including specific faculty members, graduate students (preferably without faculty present), and the local community. Students should make sure they get their itinerary in advance so that they can prepare for all of the people they will meet. It is important that they be well informed and able to ask intelligent questions.

We encourage students to practice answering questions that are typically asked during the interview. After they have practiced on their own, they should then do a “mock interview” with a partner. Indeed, if the student spends a few minutes thinking about what they would want to know if the roles were reversed (i.e. they are a faculty member interviewing a potential graduate student), they can anticipate many of the questions they will be asked. Common questions include the following: Why do you want to go into neuroscience? Why are you applying to this graduate program? What other schools have you applied to? On what basis did you decide which programs you would apply to? To what do you attribute the poor grades you got in your freshman year? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What did your independent research entail?

Questions about the student’s research are among the most crucial, and it is essential that the student is able to talk about their work. The student will need to explain what they did and why they did it. For example, students might be asked to describe the importance of the protein they studied or asked why they used a particular model of a disease or method of analysis. Answers such as “that’s what they were working on in the lab when I started” or “that’s what I was told to use” reflect very poorly on the applicant. Even if those were the initial reasons, students should develop their own rationale. The student should also be prepared to summarize their results (bringing along some graphs can help), discuss the implications for future studies, and place their work in a broader context. And they should be up-to-date on related experiments currently underway in their research advisor’s lab, as well as the field more generally.

On a related note, in the United States it is illegal for faculty to ask a candidate about their age, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, martial status, or number of children. However, students may be asked such questions anyway. Most of the time such blunders are innocent: an attempt by a less experienced faculty member to make conversation. We recommend that students try not to take offence. Instead, they can politely indicate that nothing in their personal life will interfere in anyway with their ability to succeed as a graduate student or, later, as a professional.

VISITING A PROGRAM

It is essential that students understand that while they are visiting the program, they are always being interviewed. That is, even at what may appear to be a purely social function – a dinner with graduate students or a departmental reception – they are still being evaluated. Indeed, it is common for graduate students, postdocs, and staff to provide the admissions committee with feedback on the students interviewing for graduate school. Thus, they need to be on their best behavior, prompt for appointments, and dressed appropriately.

Even though graduate students often wear t-shirts and jeans, it would be a mistake for the applicant to dress like that when they are on an interview. This includes their flight there if someone might pick them up at the airport. Students need not wear a suit, but they do need to appear neat and professional. For example, slacks and a coordinating sports coat or blazer would be fine (Fiske 1997, 1998).

When individuals enter a graduate program, they are committing themselves to several years in that location, so we emphasize to students the importance of “interviewing” the faculty and current graduate students as well as being interviewed. They should come with specific questions, which can be written down in a notebook if they wish. We encourage students to take notes right after (or brief notes during) their discussions with others. Otherwise, after they have visited several graduate programs, the information that they gathered on the programs may blur together.

Students should be warned that few individuals are willing to criticize their colleagues or their program when they are talking to someone who is interviewing. Thus, students should watch for caution signs such as vague or awkwardly worded answers, or weak enthusiasm. Often times graduate students are willing to offer more candid impressions on the program and faculty (provided that faculty are not around). In order to tactfully broach the issue, the undergraduate could ask graduate students about the management styles of different faculty within the program. Another way to get information on potential advisors is to contact students who have previously studied with a given faculty member and to ask them about their experiences.

Finally, students should be sure that the locale can provide anything that they feel is necessary for their personal life. For example, they should ask to see areas of the city where housing is affordable for students. If interaction with members of a particular religious or racial/ethnic community is important to them, we encourage them to explore that possibility, as well. And lastly, if they have or anticipate having a child, they may wish to learn about daycare options.

FOLLOWING UP AFTER A VISIT

When they return from an interview, we recommend that students promptly write notes (email is fine) to the key individuals they visited thanking them for their time and reiterating their interest in the program. Students are usually notified in late spring for admittance to the program in the fall. Unless the first acceptance letter a student gets is from the school that is their top choice, it is usually worth their waiting to see what other responses they get before accepting a specific offer.