Congratulations! You've waded through all the online sections of this guidebook with me, laughing on some things and perhaps disagreeing on others, but hopefully gaining a more holistic conception of the grad school application process along the way. I thank you for reading, and would appreciate any ideas or criticisms you might offer.
My aim largely fulfilled, allow me to end on a personal note.
People frequently told me that I was certain to get into graduate school, pointing to a strong GSR and several years of related experience. Implied was the notion that somehow the methods of the admissions process meant less than they otherwise might have, and that my experience therefore was beyond the norm.
The truth is, I might easily have agreed with these notions before I had gone through the process. But I received my first letter of denial from the University of North Carolina in April. And then another negative response from the University of Virginia that same month. And then a third, from Rutgers. Three tries, all rejections. The people who were with me then saw reality strike hard. I had a difficult time accepting the situation, let alone understanding it. And I endured some serious soul-searching. But I now know that I was not "destined" for graduate school.
Indeed, virtually no one is. In an overlooked but wonderfully democratic way, the process exercises an equal capacity for destroying dreams. The way in which you apply to graduate school is radically important, regardless of what you bring to the table. That is partly why I view this guide as so worthwhile a project. It can help in a small way to ease this "process," and illuminate a path through the confusion. For the second attempt, I had the exact same grades, scores, recommendations, and job history as the first time I applied. But, more knowledgeable about the process, I had changed many things about my applications. Among these changes were:
- the choice of schools (ten, not three -- more ambitious and with two "safeties")
- the neatness of my application forms (as silly as that sounds)
- the style of my personal statement (frequently rewritten)
- the writing sample submitted (completely rewritten)
- my participation in professional organizations (genuinely eye-opening)
- my decision to visit schools (limited, but rewarding)
- the involvement of my recommenders (intimately the second time - very important)
- post-application waiting tactics (totally non-commando at first)
- the contact initiated and sustained with professors (probably the most important)
- my knowledge of Internet resources and uses
- the careful organization of materials, deadlines, and so forth.
What is important to recognize, however, is the dramatically different results that ensued. Whereas the first effort earned me three rejections and intense self-doubts, the second concluded with acceptances to six outstanding programs and three terrific financial aid packages (which alone would save me over $85,000 -- well worth the $1000 investment in application fees).
Same GSR and same job history; different methods.
Now, after years of observing Kaplan students spend inordinate hours on a single facet of the graduate school application process, I have tried to illuminate the process, far more interpersonal than I had ever before realized.
Prominent among the list of individuals who helped me is Professor Lorraine Attreed, a Holy Cross professor with whom I was casually acquainted as an undergraduate. More than simply a recommendation, over the years of my graduate school efforts she became a much-valued source of strength and encouragement, helping to support my dreams through the various ebbs and tides. So after finally receiving my letters of acceptance and financial aid offers, I wrote to express my gratitude to her. She responded in typical prompt and kind fashion, shrugging off my accolades, and also indirectly encouraging the composition of this guide:
Nothing is better than having a student turn into a friend, and someday a colleague. In fostering that change, we pay back all the people who helped us along the way. We can't pay them back directly; all we can do is help along the next (half-)generation. We can't directly reimburse our own teachers and mentors for time, letters, dinners, encouragement, faith. We can only show it to others. So you, in turn, will foster others, and find that no personal repayment is necessary or wanted.
This, then, represents an initial "down payment" to Professor Attreed's genial mission. I hope only that this relatively impersonal medium may illustrate a small fraction of the love, hopes, fear, worry, and friendship that ultimately comprise the successful graduate school application, and thus pass along the legacy of caring and support that came to me when I most needed it. Good luck, be persistent, and take care of your graduate school dreams.