Photos and written by Amy Bridges
There is one aspect of university that I don’t think gets talked about enough and that’s applying to grad school. I am currently in the process of getting my application ready and I am glad that I started early. Even though I started early I am still feeling the crunch of time …. As I write this, I only have 3 days before applications are open …. But I’m not procrastinating nope, nope. I spent months researching schools and programs looking for something that was going to fit what I wanted. Since I have done all the leg work, I’m going to give you some tips that I figured out and wished I had known beforehand.
START EARLY!
If I hadn’t started early, I would be in a tougher predicament then I am in now. I had time to change my program plans and I had time if I needed it to contact professors about questions. For most grad school programs you need to have a project supervisor. My advice for finding the right one to apply for is to again start early. Don’t start emailing professors the day before you apply to ask about projects they are working on or if your idea for a project would fit with their research. Email them at least a month ahead of time in case they don’t fit with your research plans, aren’t taking grad students or many other reasons. Luckily for the specific program I am applying for I don’t need a specific supervisor but other programs I was looking at did. One thing I did need was references. I needed two academic references to apply and they will get an email from the university with instructions once I pay for my application. I spent a long time trying to figure out who I wanted as my reference and then I emailed and asked them. My suggestion is to ask first so they know to look for the email and to be prepared to write the reference letter for you.
RESEARCH
This goes with the first tip – do your research!! You don’t want to message a professor or apply to a program with a professor in mind who only works in Belize when you want to go to Turkey … that is an automatic rejection so make sure you do your research!! Make sure you are researching both the professor you want to work with if it is applicable and the school you are applying to. Different universities have different application dates, requirements, and programs. In my researching there were also different programs for the same topic, some had internships built in some didn’t and some even had longer programs.
PLAN
Once your research is finished and you choose a program and professor now it is time to plan your application process. I went through my program and its specific application requirements as well as the university’s application requirements sometimes there are added things for your program so make sure you check both. I made multiple detailed checklists of all of the things I needed to make sure I had for my application. I made sure to write down any specific dates that I should keep track of including bursary and scholarship deadlines (I still need to get some of them… hence why I emphasized start early lol). I then made lists for what I needed for the application which included the price to apply, resume, references, statement of interest and transcripts.
STAND OUT AND PARTICIPATE
While you are writing your resume and statement of interest and anything else you need for applying make sure you are putting your best foot forward. This is always the hardest part for me. I’m not great at talking about myself and so I have to force it. Make sure you are adding the points that make you unique, for instance I will be adding that I write for the Trent Student Life Blog and that I have done a presentation for Research Day here at Trent. This is where again the start early is relevant, a lot of students start getting ready for grad school in their first year by participating. Participating in school events and volunteer options get added to your transcripts and can help you stand out. Even if you don’t think your grades are perfect those participation records could boost you on the list!
BREATHE
This is going to be the hardest part for me. After I apply on October 1st, after all of my research and work all I can do afterwards is just to wait. I don’t do well with just waiting but that is all that’s left. I am fully aware I will constantly be checking my account to make sure I have everything uploaded and ready but that is all I will be able to do. Every email will be a “Did they let me in?” so hopefully I won’t be an impatient basket case for too long.
I should probably get back to those statement of interests I still need to write … well good luck and happy applying!
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