For most prospective graduate students there is both a sense of excitement and a degree of apprehension associated with the graduate school admissions process, as well as with succeeding once enrolled in graduate school.  While your undergraduate educational choice was most likely a joint venture with those who had a certain degree of authority and influence over you, such as family members, high school personnel, etc., the decision about when and where to attend graduate school is, for the most part, yours alone.  You may have a sense of excitement about that.  However, there may also be a sense of nervousness as you contemplate “getting in,” and once admitted, how you will handle everything, especially the financial obligations.

It may be helpful to know that in addition to being an enrollment management professional, I have been in your shoes twice.  In 1983, I completed a two-year master’s degree program.  Twelve years later I earned a Ph.D., which took six years to complete.  In both instances, I started as a full-time student and completed my degree part-time after returning to the world of employment.  While the challenges and sacrifices were many, so were and continue to be the rewards – personally, professionally and financially.

What you are about to read comes largely form my book:  Road Map for Graduate Study:  A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students (second edition released in 2018). 

As you begin your search for the right graduate program, it is crucial that you take the time you need to do an effective job.  The biggest mistake prospective graduate students make is not doing a good job researching their options before applying. 

My blog on February 1, 2021 contained the following:  Four of seven personal questions to ask yourself about your desire to pursue graduate study, along with a special word on allowing enough time for your search.  This blog provides part of a twelve-month checklist that begins with all of your graduate school options and ends with your being ready to make application to those institutions you have selected.

Twelve Month Application Checklist (12 to 10 months out)*

12 months before applying

1. Answer the seven personal questions posed at the beginning of this chapter.
2. Do an initial web-based search on graduate programs, based on the answers to your personal questions.  For example, if you have decided on a part-time program and know where you would like to study, do a search of educational institutions that offer a part-time program in the area and degree classification you desire.  You can also do a search by program, such as Psychology, Law, Humanities, Advertising, Finance, etc.  Make sure you do a couple of searches, so as many institutions matching your search criteria as possible are found.
3. Once you have done a thorough search, make an alphabetical list of all your options, regardless of what you presently know/have heard about them.  Write them all down or put them on a spreadsheet.  REMEMBER:  PERCEPTION IS REALITY – IT’S WHERE YOU END UP, NOT WHERE YOU START.  Be very careful about accepting word of mouth or what you think you know as final at this point in the search process.  We are individuals, and as such, have different needs, expectations and experiences.  This is YOUR educational experience – not someone else’s.  You need to start by gathering a list of options.  Do not eliminate any of them at this point.  You want to get as much information as possible so you can decide what options are most appealing.
4. Go online and do some initial research on all the institutions you have on your list.  Assess not only the content of material on websites, but look at the way in which it is presented.  Is information easy to find?  Is the tone friendly and inviting?  Are there easy and quick ways to request more information?  Speaking of which, this would be a good time to request written information from each of the institutions.  This will enable you to review what you receive any time you want.  It will also provide you an opportunity to find out just how responsive admissions offices are to you.  This can be very telling, and may shed light on the general level of responsiveness of those institutions about which you have made inquiry.  Give each institution a grade on their website, and on the level of responsiveness they provided to you.  Here is a suggested grading system:

 

   Website                                                                 Responsiveness

A = easy to navigate, informative, captivating  A = had a response within 7 business days

B = well-done, good information, friendly         B = had a response within 12 business days

C = fairly easy to navigate, not as helpful/friendlyC = had a response within 17 business days

D = difficult to navigate, not very informative     D = had a response within 22 business days

F = what were they thinking?                                  F = took three weeks or longer for a response

FF=no website, or close to nothing                       FF = no response

5.  Should you consider taking a graduate level course or two now?  Perhaps you were an undergraduate student a while ago, or you may have received your bachelor’s degree very recently.  Either way, if your undergraduate GPA was not what you believe is competitive, or does not speak to the academic work you believe you are capable of performing, you would do well to register at a nearby institution as a non-degree student and take one or two courses.  If you do, earning an A or B will be very impressive to the admissions committee, and will demonstrate that you are able to perform well as a student.  

TIP:  This is a good time to start setting aside financial resources for your search and application process.  There will be standardized tests and application fees for sure.  In addition, you may decide to purchase some test taking preparation materials and/or to visit some of the institutions you end up placing on your list of top options.  

11 months before applying

1. Based on the two items above (website and responsiveness), you are now in a position to narrow your search a bit.  But do not narrow it too much.  Obviously those institutions you have graded as F or FF could most likely be eliminated.  You may be surprised at some of the options you are eliminating should you rely completely on the grades given.  If you still have an interest in a college/university that you did not initially grade well, keep it on the list for now.  However, if you continue to get the same treatment you did when first browsing the web and/or asking for information, ask yourself the following question:  If I’m being treated this way now, how will it be should I apply, be offered admission, and enroll?
2. Create a research spreadsheet to use from this point on for each of the options that remain on your list.  You may have already started a spreadsheet when you did your initial research.  If so, you are just expanding it now.  If not, this is the time to start one.  Down the left hand column will be an alphabetical list of your options.  Across the top will be all of the areas about the options that you want to compare.  Here are some suggestions:
   1. Website grade
   2. Responsiveness grade
   3. Usefulness of printed materials/brochures
   4. Friendliness of admissions staff
   5. Interaction with current students
   6. Interaction with faculty
   7. Interaction with alumni
   8. Campus visit/Admissions event(s) you attended
   9. Number of students enrolled in the entire institution
   10. Number of students enrolled in the program you are considering
   11. Professor/student ratio
   12. Average class size
   13. Grading system
   14. Facilities
   15. Housing options (should you be re-locating)
   16. Extracurricular opportunities
   17. Career services/employment percentages
   18. Total cost of education for one year
   19. Tuition cost for one year
   20. Financial Aid – scholarships, loans, assistantships, fellowships, work study
   21. Application deadlines
   22. Application fees
   23. Application requirements (including what standardized test(s) are needed)
   24. Must you do an interview?
   25. Do they keep a waiting list of applicants?
   26. Can you appeal/get feedback if denied?

 

TIP:  Some of the columns in your research spreadsheet will have letter grades, some will say “yes,” “no” or “maybe,” some will be dates, dollar amounts or various numerical responses, and some will be more evaluative (scale of 1-5, with 1 being terrible and 5 being outstanding). 

10 months before applying

1. Work on completing your research spreadsheet, filling in every column for each option.  As you go along you will eliminate a few or quite a few.  That is okay.  As a consumer you are doing what you should be doing – comparison-shopping.
2. After reviewing your entire spreadsheet, do a very general rank order of the options that remain. You could rank every option, starting with #1 and going to the end of the list.  Or, you could group your options:  top group, second group, third group, etc.  Whenever possible, you should have at least five options left.  Hopefully, you will have many more.  However, depending on the type of graduate program you seek, the number of options will vary.  My point is that you are still not at the place where you need to have a “short list.”  You are still ten months away from applying, and will have several opportunities to narrow down your list before that time.
3. Take a look at the general rank order you have done.  Do you believe the ranking is based on what YOU really feel?  Did you get enough information to complete your ranking? 

 

TIP:  Remember, you can and should feel free to change your research spreadsheet evaluations at any time.  Perhaps further information and/or contact with one or more of your options will cause them to go up or down on your overall list.  That is another great reason for taking plenty of time to do your research.  You tend to learn more about an institution the longer you do research about it.  First impressions, while important, may change later on based on repeated observation and communication.

*For a the full 12-month Checklist, 10 tips for applying, 7 deadly sins for applicants, responding to the notification decision, and much more, be sure to check out Dr. Don’s book, “Road Map for Graduate Study, A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students,” right here on the GSRM website. For a reduced price CLICK HERE, go to The Book page, scroll down, click on the Order Now box, and use discount code GSRM.