Getting Into Grad School
 

There are, however, some general tips...
 

1.Study, study, study for the GRE. If your program is competitive to get into, pay for a study course.

2.Try to secure your recommendations at least 3 months in advance, to get a leg up on the other people who ask for recs 2 weeks before they're due, which ends up being close to finals.

3. Postpone visits until after you get in, unless your program pays for your visit. It really sucks to visit a school, get your heart set on it, and then not get in.

4. Apply to the best schools in your field, and aim to get in the best one. Alternatively, if there's a region you want to be in, aim for the top school in that region. People like to say that school names don't matter, but they really do.

This is important. I started securing recs 6 months before the application deadline and had them WAY before I needed them. If something is just SPRUNG on them in the midst of grading and finals, you most likely aren't going to get one.

Along those lines, think hard about who you'd like to ask for recs. Ask the people who are most familiar with your work, not just some random prof whose class you got an A in.

I think it's important to MEET with a potential recommender, not just calling or emailing them asking for a rec. I had profs who would not recommend anyone who couldn't take the time to have a meeting with them.

This is just a personal thing of mine, but follow-up with recs is important. Thank them for taking time to do them for you by sending a card or stopping by the office. Let them know the outcome also. That's just being polite.

A meeting wasn't possible for me with my advisor, because he was on sabbatical in Portugal. We were close enough though, with my having taken at least one of his classes each semester, that a meeting wasn't necessary, and we had a few quick e-mails throughout the whole ordeal.

What are you going to be studying?

Must your recs come from professors? If not, I would include one from a job or volunteer work. Sometimes, particularly if you are working while in school, this speaks volumes.

Neither of my grad school recs were from professors.

If you have some time between undergrad and grad, you should definitely have an employer right you a rec, especially if you are working in the industry that you want to go to grad school for.

If you're trying to get into a top-flight school, you need experience in the field, quality recs, and ideally connections within the industry.