[Image by Flickr user gordon2208 and used under the Creative Commons license.]
1) Familiarize Yourself with the Field You Want to Enter
One of the first things to keep in mind is that the reputation of a university as a whole does not equal the reputation of a university’s departments. In other words, just because most people imagine a university to be a “good school” doesn’t mean that it has the best grad program for you. Therefore, if you want to spend the next several years of your life engaged in a particular type of research, make sure you know the best programs for that type of research. Though rankings systems such as US News and World Report can give you some idea as to the best programs for a particular program or specialty, there are very real reasons to be wary of using these reports as an end-all guide to programs (for example, US News and World Report’s rankings of doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities “are based solely on the results of peer assessment surveys sent to academics in each discipline”), so make sure you talk to your undergraduate advisors and do your own research on the nuances of a given program before you decide to spend your time applying.
2) Investigate the success rate of graduates from different programs
A graduate program can have the best faculty in the world, but that won’t matter much if you end up unable to gain the support to finish your research and land a job that will satisfy you. Thus it is wise to consider the success of past graduates in both securing the financial means required to complete their degree and their success on the job market following the completion of their degree. While the latter is fairly easy to find out, the former requires knowing the types of resources that are available to graduate students in your field, university, and department. For example, those in the humanities and social sciences can look at the list of students who have received Fulbright IIE, Fulbright DDRA, SSRC and other such grants as a gage of which school’s students have seen the most success in attracting significant external funding (though one should always factor in the size of a program when doing this). Also, most departments and universities will provide information on the types of internal fellowships and awards they offer to their students for research and writing, as well as those who received them, on their websites. Get to know this information, and don’t hesitate to ask any questions of grad directors or other professors if you can’t locate this information on your own.
3) Attempt to make contact
Once you’ve narrowed your list, take a minute to send out an email to the professors that you’ve identified as potential advisors. Though the information you’ll get from this can be limited, it can also be quite helpful. For example, some professors may not be taking graduate students, and knowing this could save you time and a $60 application fee. Other professors may give you more info about the program that may make you reconsider applying. In my personal experience, however, the general “thanks for writing, I’m taking graduate students” email that I got back from most professors made me feel that taking the time to apply to that school was a good idea, and helped to curb some of the feelings of confusion and doubt that goes along with this process.
In addition to contacting professors, I also would suggest that applicants take a minute to email a senior graduate student who is currently working with the professor they’ve identified as a potential advisor. Graduate students who have been in the program for a while can give you a lot of insight into the daily life of graduate students in that program, and their info is usually posted on their department’s website. Though I know I do not speak for all graduate students, I do not think I am alone in saying that I’ve always been happy to answer any questions that applicants have had about my program and advisor.
4) Cast a wide net
I will admit that all those I’ve spoken with do not share this opinion, but I still believe that it’s better to apply to too many programs than too few. As a former applicant, I know that application fees can add up, but I still think that having more options about where you’ll spend the next 2-7 years of your life will end up being worth the extra $250 you’ll spend on another 3 applications. Though you should be realistic as to which programs will consider you (you’re probably not getting into a top school with a 2.7 GPA and a bottom-end GRE score), don’t not apply to a program because you’ve decided that you’re not smart enough to be there or because you think a top program won’t consider you because you went to a less-known undergraduate institution. If you have a strong application, apply where you want to go. As most grad students will attest, the results of the application process rarely turn out the way you expect, and the only way to ensure you won’t be accepted to a program is not to apply.
Choosing a Program Now that You’ve Received Your Acceptances
Okay, now we’ve fast forwarded 4-6 months and you, my friend, are the bell of the ball. You’ve received a few acceptance letters from programs and advisors who are very excited to have you take on their good name, and now you must pick the lucky winner. Of course, you’ll want to evaluate the programs based on the criteria listed above; you’d be crazy to turn down a top-ranked program with a solid graduate success rate and an excited advisor when your only other option is what you considered a “fallback.” But given that applicants often find themselves facing a choice between one or more equal schools, here are a few suggestions that may help you make the right choice.
1) Consider your funding package carefully
There are a variety of issues to consider when figuring the actual value of your funding package that may not seem obvious at first. As a completely random example, consider that Michigan State University offers you a stipend of $13,000 a year, and UCLA offers you a stipend of $18,000. Though the $5,000 more that UCLA offers you may sound great, the difference in the cost of living between Los Angeles and East Lansing probably makes the real value of the UCLA stipend less than that offered by MSU. Then again, the University of California schools offer graduate students the opportunity to register as “in absentia” during quarters spent researching away from the university, meaning that students living abroad can maintain their status as an enrolled graduate student and keep their university-provided insurance for nearly no cost. These factors affect the overall cost of attending graduate school, and are well worth taking into account when picking a program.
Of course, there is always the chance that you will not be offered a funding package. For professional degree programs such as a MBA or a MLIS program, this is fairly common and nothing to be alarmed about. For those in the humanities, social sciences and other programs not being offered any funding guarantee is (in my opinion) a good cause to jump straight to number 4 below.
2) Consider the university’s location
Though I don’t think that a university’s location should determine where you apply, I think it is a valuable way to break a tie between places you’ve been accepted. I say this for two reasons. First of all, there are a number of perks that come with attending a university that is located in a major metropolitan area, or is close to other research universities. These include access to multiple libraries, and the expanded opportunities that come from university collaborative such as the Committee on Institutional Cooperation. Second, you’re not just picking a school, you’re picking a place to spend several intense years of your life. If cold winters and gray skies get you down, you should probably choose University of Texas-Austin over Northwestern. If you hate crowded urban spaces and traffic, you might want to pick IU-Bloomington over the University of Southern California. Though this may seem superficial, enjoying the place where you live makes it much easier to take the stresses that come with daily life as a graduate student.
3) Visit the universities
One of the best parts about being accepted to graduate programs is that departments often provide accepted students with the financial means to attend recruitment events. Attend all of these that you can. These are great events that provide you with a chance to meet your potential advisor and colleagues, to get to know those who may be in your cohort, and to see the town in which you may soon live. Though this may end up doing little to change your personal rankings, the experience will almost certainly make you feel much more secure about your decision to attend that graduate school. In some cases, however, a visit will make you realize just how bad an idea it would be to attend that program, in which case you should not be afraid to……
4) Take a year off if you need to
There’s no reason to fear taking a year off. I’ve heard people say “if you take a year off, you may never go back,” and I’ve always said that if that happens, you’re probably better off (as Craig Ferguson said about comedy, I’m convinced you should only go into academia “because you can’t not do it”). I have a friend who got into his first choice program in physics, went to visit, and decided the program wasn’t right for him. He took a year off, reapplied the next fall, and is now happily studying at a university that is much better for him. I highly recommend that anyone in a similar situation do the same, especially if the only programs that have accepted you have offered funding packages to the majority of those accepted, but have offered you nothing.
In conclusion, I think what should be clear here is the importance of gaining as much information as possible about the schools you are considering. Though it may be exhausting, this information gathering process will ultimate help ensure that the first step of your graduate school experience is a mighty one.
I am, of course, just one graduate student, and my knowledge is shaped by the fact that I am a historian. If you have something to add to my analysis please share in the comments section below!
We received questions about applying to grad school in Canada, and as the token full-time GradHacker writer currently at a Canadian University, I’ll offer some additional insight. For the most part, I think the general principles remain the same but some ways of going about them might differ. I’m most familiar with the Sciences with limited knowledge relating to the Humanities so any additional insight would be greatly appreciated. My familiarity with the American System is limited as well since I only ever thought about applying to the US. So here are some basic additions:
(1) There are a lot less schools to choose from in Canada so I think narrowing down your options is still daunting but manageable. We have some institution rankings, but I would rather go through a Society’s website related to your topic of interest and see if they have a list of universities that have the program that I want, or look to see who is on the executive committees and start there. Once you get to these sites, you can compare the courses that are offered, the specific types of research offered by the faculty members or themes of the department, and look at the publishing records of the faculty. If you are applying for professional schools or non-thesis based programs, you could cast a wide net with your top choice being the school that offers you any specifics tailored to your likes.
If you are applying to a research based program, you’ll want to see which schools are top in research versus being more of a teaching institution, but this will also depend on what you want the outcome of your degree to be. For a thesis based degree, I would go visit the school and the supervisor before I even apply and most faculty members will agree to this.
(2) The deadline for most Canadian Applications for external funding (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC, and any provincial scholarships such as OGS in Ontario) are during the fall semesters, with their deadlines ranging from the end of September to the end of November depending on the competition. If you are applying to your first year of graduate studies after time off or you are in your undergrad, this can really throw you off. If you can, get a head start on familiarizing yourself with what is necessary, the number of references required, and the admin staff who you’ll have to deal with when submitting the applications. If you want to know what the success rate is for people in the department you are applying to, you can at least get the number of students at your institution of interest who received external funding from the NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR website.
Like Ben mentioned, professional programs usually are not accompanied by any TA or RAships, but many of these programs are still eligible for some external funding from the Tri-Council or provincial funding bodies so make sure to check.
(3) The GRE is required for only very specific programs. Check early to see if your program requires you to write this test.
(4) Unless you are applying for a professional or non-thesis based program, you typically apply to the University and specify the professor you would like to work with. By the time of
application, although not a requirement, you should have already contacted the professor you want to work with to determine if they are taking students or if you need external funding to work with them.
(5) Most graduate applications are due in February or March for September admission. Competition results for external funding are revealed any time between the end of March and May and receiving, or not receiving, external funding may affect you decision on where you attend school. Deadlines are also flexible, so if you decide late that this is what you want to do, you might be able to start in a different term other than the Fall term. Check with the department before you assume this is the case.
(6) Once you get in, there are a few things to consider, many of which were explained by Ben. If you receive external funding, some schools might offer an additional “top up” in the form of scholarship/TA/RAships. If you didn’t get external funding, the school will provide you with your financial offer in your formal offer letter and may also provide you with some internal scholarships. Make sure you know the number of terms your institution will GUARANTEE that you will be funded since it is typically not for your entire degree (they may still fund you, but you aren’t certain until you reach that time point).
This is not exhaustive and if anyone has other tips for those applying to Grad School in Canada share some of your tips!