How do you prepare for graduate school? (Part 2)

When you are ready to apply to grad school, what should you do?

Apply to various schools (most current graduate school applicants agree that 10-12 is a good idea). If at all possible, make sure you research schools well and apply to the ones where your work will fit, not just those that are nearby or obvious for other reasons.

Remember to take the GRE (if your schools required it)! You will want to do this AT LEAST a month before applications are due, preferably two months, and remember to send your scores!

Apply to outside scholarships and fellowships, such as the Fulbright. This, like the first, helps in more than one way. It might help you to be a more competitive applicant, but it will also teach you how to manage multiple fronts and write in a more clear and concise manner.

Contact professors. This is iffy, but if there is a good reason to do it .. like you have read the professor’s work and want to know more or have a (reasonable) request, it might help. I was really nervous and uncertain, but contacting professors helped me to gain confidence and communicate my work.

Here, here, here, and here are some great resources for applying to grad school.

Comment if you have questions about how to find out where your work will fit, or what to do when contacting professors. Or, share what worked for you!