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The Graduate School Application Process < Back to Pre-Grad, Arts & Sciences menu
What Does Graduate or Professional Study Involve? Time Graduate and professional programs require from one to as many as seven years. Professional programs usually follow clearly defined timetables. However, graduate programs in arts and sciences, particularly doctoral programs, have less clearly defined parameters; they can take 4-6 years, or more, to complete. At the other extreme, some masters programs can be completed in one year. Many programs have "residency requirements" for full-time study on campus, even if you are able to transfer credit, apply for advanced placement by examination, or complete your study on a part-time basis. Requirements All graduate and professional programs involve some formal classwork. Classes vary from lectures or seminars to practicums in which you apply particular skills. Graduate study requires basic courses in the theories and methods of your discipline. Your performance in these is frequently assessed by examination. They are followed by courses in substantive areas, in which your performance is assessed through major research papers. After coursework, you may need to pass comprehensive examinations. You will eventually be expected to produce major work demonstrating capacity for creative thought and careful research. Doctoral work culminates in a major piece of original research, your dissertation. In professional programs you must demonstrate that you have learned a specific body of information and can apply it. Assessment usually involves both examination and observation. For example, in teacher training and in clinical programs, such as clinical psychology, your performance will be assessed through supervised internships as well as examinations. Admission Coursework. Programs vary widely in the specificity of their requirements for admission. Some professional programs, such as law, allow you great latitude in your undergraduate coursework. Most Ph.D. programs require that you have majored in the field that you intend to pursue or at least have a nearly equivalent amount of coursework in it. As early as possible, learn what you will need for the type of program that interests you. If you don't meet all the requirements, particularly fo rless competitive programs, don't be unduly discouraged. You may be able to arrange to make up work once you are enrolled. However, don't assume flexibility. Discuss your situation with the admissions staff or committee at the school you want to attend. Skills. Some programs erquire evidence of highly developed skills in addition to the work shown on your transcript. For example, graduate programs in design or creative writing usually require a portfolio. Ph.D. programs may ask to see a reasearch paper. Make sure you learn what may be required. Character. Finally, some programs screen for the personal characteristics required to practice a profession. For example, to be admitted to the Bar in most states, attorneys must pass a records check to confirm that they have the moral and ethical standards to practice law. Similarly, applicants to medical school are assessed not merely for their intellectual skill but also for their character and capacity for empathy, compassion, and sound judgment.
Once you have decided on the kind of degree you want, you must choose a school. Identify several, keeping in mind both your own preferences and the likelihood of admission. Career Services library resources can help you identify a wide range of programs. Peterson's Guide to Graduate Study and the GRE Directory of Graduate Programs provide complete lists of U.S. graduate programs. Specialized directories address particular fields of interest. You'll find many on-line guides to graduate and professional programs on our homepage. Seek information from many programs, and don't limit yourself to those with which you are familiar. As you learn about schools, you must weigh many factors. Consider the following list. Only you can decide which deserve the most weight. What career paths do graduates follow?
Do faculty and administrators show interest in their graduates' success?
What research opportunities are offered?
What is the balance between strict curricular requirements and electives?
What is the educational approach?
What internship, fellowship and clinical opportunities are offered? How much contact with faculty will you have?
How competitive is the school? Is its reputation national or regional?
What financial aid is available?
What happens to students after they enroll?
Where is the school located?
Can you attend part-time or evenings? What is the percentage of minority acceptances? Can you defer admission?
A thorough application process requires a major time commitment. You can keep it from being overwhelming by approaching it in an organized and informed manner. These suggestions will help you avoid headaches. Understand what you need to do and when you need to do it. Some programs require that you start preparing your application as much as a year or a year-and-a-half before you matriculate. Write early for applications, so you will know the deadlines. Make sure you know what test(s) you will need to take, and when you must register for them. Often you need to prepare for and take a test long before you fill out applications. Take advantage of Career Services. Meetings with Career Services graduate and professional school advisors, application and interview workshops, career programs, and graduate/professional school recruiting will help as you apply. The library contains catalogs, information on financial aid and test taking, and directories of graduate and professional programs. We maintain statistics about the characteristics and admissions success of applicants, both from Penn and nationwide, for several professional programs. Start collecting letters of recommendation early. Although you know you will need recommendations, you may not realize how long it takes to get them written by professors and supervisors. Ask for more than you will need. You have the right to request non-confidential recommendations, but admissions committees find confidential ones more credible. Career Services counselors can advise you about which of your recommendations are appropriate for graduate or professional study, but cannot reveal to you their content or tone. The Career Services credentials service helps you to organize recommendations and send them out efficiently. When you establish a file, you will receive materials which explain how the system works and how to ask for a recommendation. Read them carefully. Get recommendations from appropriate authors. Who is appropriate depends upon your field of interest. In addition to these guidelines, seek advice from Career Services counselors and from faculty members. NOTE TO STUDENTS USING ON-LINE APPLICATION FORMATS Increasingly, we are seeing that graduate departments are requiring on-line applications which usually include a section for recommenders. If your faculty recommenders prefer to use our Credentials service, you may contact the graduate department to which you are applying and see if they will accept paper recommendations. It they do, you may submit everything except your recommenders’ letters online. On your online application, you should type in the names of referees WITHOUT their email addresses. This way the admissions officers will know from whom to expect letters, and the recommenders will be saved from receiving email messages automatically generated saying they need to submit their letters on line. The next step is to go through Credentials in the usual way to get your letters sent out. For professional programs: We are often asked if it would be better to obtain a recommendation from an eminent professor in the field or from someone, such as a teaching assistant, who has worked closely with you and knows your work well. Ask the individual who knows you better and can write a more in-depth recommendation. If possible, ask professors who have taught you in more than one class. For graduate programs in arts and sciences: It is essential that you have letters which address your intellectual abilities and your potential for research. At least some of these must be from faculty members, preferably in departments which are clearly related to your proposed field of study. Plan to spend time writing essays. Questions are often open-ended. For example, "Is there anything more you would like us to be aware of?" or "Are there factors that make you a unique applicant?" There is no formula for writing your essay. You must experiment to find the approach that presents you most effectively. Before you begin to write, read the essay directions carefully. Graduate and professional programs require different kinds of essays. For professional study: You may wish to write about an event that strongly influenced or matured you. Do you have a unique reason to pursue graduate work? Is there some part of your background that you did not describe in detail in the application? What else about you needs to be said? Capture the reader's imagination. Don't bore a committee with details of a research project, but focus on who you are as a result of your involvement with it. Don't repeat information already discussed in your application. You may also include a resume to present a more detailed history. For graduate study in arts and sciences: Essays for these programs should be less personal than those for professional study. You will be assessed primarily on your intellectual strengths and aptitude for scholarly research. Make sure that your essay reflects both. In discussing your interest in a field, give the intellectual rather than purely personal readons which attract you to it. If you know the research interests of faculty in the department (and you should if you are applying), discuss your interest with them. Organization has kept many an applicant sane. Keep records of when each item is due for each school. Plan backwards from deadlines and allow extra time to deal with last-minute problems. Know how long Career Services requires to fill credential requests. Follow up with writers of recommendations and check to see if Career Services has received your recommendations. Make copies of everything in case something disappears in the mail. If you send applications by registered mail you can prove they were mailed on time. Find a system that suits you best in keeping on top of details and deadlines. As you apply, work closely with Career Services. Learn about our office resources, and keep in touch with counselors throughout the application process.
What to Do Before Accepting Admission If you have not already done so, visit the school. Sit in on classes, and meet with faculty and students in the department. Before you visit, try to identify a Penn alum who is studying there and arrange to meet with him or her. Career Services alumni resource listings can help you find someone. Listen to what you are told, and make your own observations. Do most students seem glad to be there? Evaluate your financial aid offer carefully and be sure you understand it completely. If you receive funding for the first year, be sure to find out what the prospects are for funding in future years.
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