Emilio Lorenzo is the assistant director of career advisement in NSU’s Office of Career Development. Emilio understands the importance of helping students reach their career goals and works with all students, including undergraduate, graduate and professional level students, to achieve their professional goals.
Emily Tasca is a member of the career advisement team in NSU’s Office of Career Development. She works with current students and alumni at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels.
Just like Shrek said onions have layers, your application to graduate school will incorporate a variety of layers or checkpoints to gain admission into your desired program. There are various steps you can take, even before starting the application, to put yourself in a position for success.
Evaluate yourself and your options
A good first step to managing your graduate school search is to figure out your goals and passions, as well as how they align with your own values and programs of interest. Having a clear idea of where you want your career to go will help you better evaluate the schools and programs you are considering and how best to articulate your fit within those programs.
Evaluating your options is not just limited to the programs you are interested in, but also your overall options in your career journey. Undergraduate studies are a journey of their own, and, at times, individuals need a small break after undergrad before continuing in their studies.
This option may not be for everyone, but some people will find that they greatly benefit from time off, which can be spent gaining greater experiences in that industry through internships or jobs. Another option is to use that time for service trips, as well as study abroad opportunities, to become well-rounded and globally informed.
Stay organized and follow up
Now that you’ve made a decision on next steps in your career path, you can go ahead and start assessing program requirements, including deadlines, required examinations like the GRE, MCAT and LSAT; mandatory documentation like a resume, cover letter, personal statement and letters of recommendation; and any other aspect of the application process mentioned within the school’s admissions checklist.
Gathering this information is only one side of the equation; keeping organized is essential to keep yourself on track to apply not just appropriately but also strategically. A good rule of thumb is to create an Excel spreadsheet that organizes deadlines and requirements so they can serve as a visible reminder.
Be strategic
Your entire application is your commercial, which means it needs to market you, your experiences and your skills. Having a game plan early on will not only aide in keeping organized, but it will also ensure that the application is sending the message that you intended. There is more to your application than achievements and overall test scores, which is why having a strategic approach within the other aspects of the application can help you set yourself apart.
One way to set yourself apart is to have a very personal and relevant admissions essay. Meeting with your career adviser early on in the process will help you establish themes for your personal statement that will allow the admissions personnel to see the real you, which, in turn, could put you in a better situation for acceptance. Brainstorming and story banking are tools you can use early on to establish such themes and characterize them through experiences and examples.
Just like getting a head start on the personal statement is important, reaching out to individuals you have identified for letters of recommendation is just as important. Beyond just reaching out early on in the process, you will want to have a conversation with each person about your goals, why you are interested in a particular program and key experiences that would make you a valuable asset for such programs.
Make a decision
Making a decision on your graduate studies should be done with precision and care. You must really ask yourself, “What are the factors I need in a program to reach my goals?” and “How do I align with the values of the institution and program?” Committing to a program is the deepest layer of the graduate school process, so making sure that you have exercised due diligence throughout each of the earlier layers will result in the ability to tackle any challenges that come up along the way.
Your application comes with some unpredictable aspects, and just like Shrek had to adapt to a dragon guarding Princess Fiona, you, as a student, must be ready to deal with such challenges, including test scores or not getting into your top choice program. Overall, it is all about creating a game plan for yourself and being strategic with every step you take in the process.
