How do you prepare for graduate school? (Part 1)

Ask ten different people and you might get ten different answers. Of course, it’s field dependent as well. What a pre-med student needs to do might be very different from what an English major needs to do. Still, there are some common factors. Since I was just accepted with a fellowship for an English PhD (after applying TWICE before), I’ll share what worked for me.

Take classes related to your major interests, especially seminar courses, or other courses in which you will need to write a well developed paper. Build relationships with your professors. I have been successful largely because of strong recommendation letters and wonderful advice from outstanding professors in English here at the University of Michigan-Flint.

Apply to and present at conferences.

Start preparing for the GRE right now!

Finally, I didn’t do this .. I had no idea that as undergrad I would be applying to grad school .. but get involved in research. Check out UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program) and SROP (Summer Research Opportunities Program).

Stay tuned! Part 2 includes suggestions for what to do when you are ready to apply, and links to scholarships.