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October 28, 2008
Application Stuff
Filling out applications isn't always the most fun thing to do, it can be stressful, time consuming, and frustrating. So as many of you are probably currently in the application process right now I thought I would share some words of wisdom from my not too long ago application experiences.
1. Recommendation Letters
I would start asking for recommendation letters now if you haven't already. Ask people who you feel would be able to speak in depth about your ability to be a graduate student, someone who knows the kind of work that you are capable of. These letters don't have to be from professors or academic advisers, just people that can speak accurately and with detail about your abilities. The letters after the person's signature don't matter, the content of the letters do. These letters can come from a multitude of places. Because I had been out of college for a year when I was applying I asked my manager at work to write me a letter. She was one of the people I worked closely with and was able to attest to my strengths and skills. I also asked a professor I had worked closely with during my undergraduate career. Thirdly, I asked a librarian that I had volunteered with; she was able to speak about my desire to attend grad school and become a librarian. If you can ask in person, it’s more personal and it’s easier to say “No� to an email than a face. If you have to ask by email I would just make sure you include as much detail as possible and be as polite as possible. If you are in regular contact with the people you have asked then it will be easier to coordinate sending letters. If you ask a professor and aren't on your college campus it can be difficult to coordinate. I had asked my letter writer on my college campus about a month in advance and it definitely took multiple emails to get this letter sent. Just remember that the people you ask are very busy and they are doing this as a favor to you so give them the necessary time to complete the task. So just remember to ask the right people and ask early.
2. The GRE
I took the GRE in November, this gave me enough time to receive my scores and make sure my scores got out to all the right schools. I would recommend taking the GRE at least 6 weeks before the application deadline. And remember that this score does not make or break your admittance, all application materials are looked at together so if you have a lower GRE score many other things in your application could make up for it like a great undergraduate GPA, or a lot of experience, or an awesome personal statement. Finding time to study for the GRE proved more difficult than I anticipated. As I was working 40 hours a week the last thing you want to do when coming home from work is to start studying, but you’ve got to do it. I feel especially if you’ve been out of school for a little while, I really felt that even my basic test taking skills needed brushing up on. So taking the time to brush up on some old skills and taking a practice test will go a loooong way.
3. Transcripts
Order your transcripts early, early, early! I ended up paying extra overnight and rush fees because I did not do this. So save some money and make sure you give yourself at least 2-3 weeks to get your transcripts from point A to B.
4. Personal Statement
Be honest. It’s what everyone says but it’s true! It’s best to be honest about yourself when talking about yourself. It’s also easier! It’s hard making up stuff about you. Talk about your experiences, what you want to do with your degree, basically how you got to where you are right now. I’m not sure what the personal statement is this year but last year I think I wrote about why I wanted to be a librarian. I talked about my childhood and how my parents had always encouraged us to seek out information, to always be inquisitive and how powerful information is as a tool to succeed. I also talked about my experience volunteering at a library and how powerful it felt to be the keepers of information and also enablers of those wished to seek it. I remember when writing it realizing and thinking “Oh yeah, this is why I want to do this!� I had just been so overstressed and worked by applying to schools that I had forgotten just why I wanted to be a librarian in the first place. The only thing that seemed important was getting into school, when what’s really important is finding the right place to achieve your goals.
I think that pretty much covers the basics of the application process. If I’ve missed anything you think is important feel free to email me! My email is ansh@umich.edu. I’d love to hear from you!
Posted by ansh at October 28, 2008 11:54 PM