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PREPARING FOR
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Academic Advising Programs
University of North Carolina
Campus Box 3110
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3110
November 2006
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I. INTRODUCTION
This handbook is intended for anyone who is contemplating attending graduate
school once they have completed their undergraduate degree at UNC. It contains
information about the nature of graduate education, how to prepare for graduate
education, how to select a graduate program, and the graduate school application
process. While this handbook hopes to answer many questions about graduate
school, it is likely that youll have some that are not answered here. Please feel
free to schedule an appointment with one of the pre-graduate school advisers in
the Academic Advising Program. They can tell you a great deal more about
graduate education and answer any remaining questions that you have.
II. WHAT IS GRADUATE SCHOOL?
The term graduate school refers to all post-baccalaureate educational programs
that award advanced degrees. Entrance into graduate school requires a bachelors
degree. After completion of the graduate training you may have earned a Masters
degree, Ph.D., graduate certificate or professional degree.
Professional and Other Graduate Degrees
A distinction can be drawn between professional and other kinds of graduate
degrees. Professional degrees include business (MBA), dentistry (DDS and
DMD), law school (JD), medical school (MD), pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and
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veterinary medicine (DVM),l among others. These programs are typically not
administered by the Graduate School of a university. Their focus is usually less
on doing research and more on providing the necessary skills to engage in a
particular profession (e.g. practicing medicine or law). This handbook does not
focus on professional degrees. For information on those degrees, click on the links
for pre-law school advising and pre-health science advising.
Of the other kinds of degrees, the Masters and Ph.D. are the most
common. There is also a wide range of graduate certificates that can be earned,
sometimes as a part of obtaining ones Masters or Ph.D. degree. These degrees
are typically more research oriented and they are almost always administered bythe Graduate School. The practical relevance of the latter piece of information is
that your application may have to be sent to the Graduate School rather than to an
academic department.
The distinction between professional and other kinds of degrees should not
be drawn too sharply, since there are now a growing number of joint degree
programs. Joint DMD/PhD, DDS/PhD, JD/MBA, JD/PhD, MD/M.P.H., MD/PhD,
and other programs are of interest if you would like to conduct research but would
also like to practice in a profession (e.g. dentistry, medicine, or law). The
downside of these programs is that they can take considerably more time to
complete than a straight-out professional degree. The pre-health and pre-law
advisers can help you to identify these programs and discuss the pros and cons of
a joint degree.
Masters versus Ph.D.
Masters degrees come in different flavor, including M.A., M.S., M.P.H., M.P.A.,
and others. Under normal circumstances, earning a Masters degree will take two
years, with some programs requiring a little more time. During this time you will
take advanced courses in a particular field. You may also be asked to take a
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comprehensive examination in one or more sub-fields and to write a thesis or
create a final project.
Earning a Ph.D. degree typically requires four years. A small number of
programs compress their Ph.D. requirements into three years, but this usually
means that they will only admit students who already have a Masters degree. In
practice, many Ph.D. students take longer than four years, especially when they
are pursuing a joint degree program.
The organization of the Ph.D. curriculum varies greatly by field and
university, but it typically involves taking courses for the first two or three years,
taking comprehensive examinations in one or more sub-fields in the secondand/or third year, and writing a dissertation in the last year. Some programs will
have an examination at the end of the first year, which decides if you can continue
in the program. In many cases, students earn their Masters degree along the way
and may be asked to write a Masters thesis as well as a dissertation. In some
programs the Masters thesis is used as a benchmark to decide whether you can
continue in the program.
The dissertation is a major piece of original research. Although many
programs allocate only one year to writing the dissertation, students often spend
considerable more time on it. Just conducting the field work can take a long
time, with graduate students spending countless hours in libraries and archives, or
conducting experiments, surveys, and interviews. In comparison, Masters theses
are smaller and more circumscribed projects that can usually be completed within
the time span of one or two semesters.
III. IS GRADUATE SCHOOL FOR ME?
Whether graduate school is the right choice for you depends on your academic
ability, goals, and personality. Successful pursuit of a graduate degree requires
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talent, extremely high motivation, persistence, unbelievably hard work, and
dedication to the chosen field. Graduate education is also costly. Apart from the
financial costs, which can sometimes be recovered through scholarships and
stipends, there are opportunity costs. You will be spending several years of your
life working extremely hard and often long hours. If youd rather be making a
living or have an abundant social life, then graduate school may not be the right
choice for you.
Here are some things to consider when deciding if graduate school is right
for you.
-
Do I enjoy learning?- Am I academically and intellectually equipped for graduate school?- Do I need graduate school for the profession that I am interested in?- Am I willing to make significant sacrifices of time and/or money in the
foreseeable future? Am I willing to put other aspects of my life on hold?
- Am I passionate about the subject matter that I wish to study?- Am I a self-starter who can structure his/her own time?- For Ph.D. programs, in particular: Am I passionate about doing research?
If you find yourself answering no to most of these questions, then graduate school
is probably not a wise choice for you, at least not at this point in your life. If you
find yourself answering yes to most of these questions, then graduate school
indeed may be a good option for you.
IV. SELECTING A FIELD
Most students know what field they want to study if they decide to go to graduate
school. They have discovered that they are passionate about a particular subject,
perhaps because of the inspiring teaching by one of UNCs professors. Or they
have discovered that an advanced degree in a particular field is required in order
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to enter a profession. If you are one of these students, then feel free to skip this
section.
Sometimes it is less clear what the appropriate field is. Perhaps different
fields all give access to a profession, or perhaps you are passionate about many
things and cannot quite decide what to focus on. In this case, it is helpful to seek
out more information. Potential information sources include the following.
- Career Services: Career Services can help you to explore different careersand your suitability for them. Career counselors know the educational
requirements for different professions. They can also perform assessmentsof your interests and aptitudes. The Career Services website provides a
great deal of information, as well as several assessment tools online. This
is a great place to explore your future. You can also set up an appointment
with a counselor via the website.
- Professors: The UNC faculty is a great resource for information aboutgraduate education. They can tell you about the nature of graduate
education in their field, about job prospects, and about the prevailing
admissions standards. All of this can help you to decide exactly what field
is appropriate given your goals.
V. SELECTING A GRADUATE PROGRAM
Many things figure into the selection of a graduate program. Some of the most
important criteria are the following.
(1) What is the reputation of the university and, more specifically, thegraduate program?
(2) What kind of student does this program typically accept? Am I this typeof student?
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(3) Is there faculty that I would like to work with? Do faculty interests matchmy own?
(4) What is the placement record of the graduate program?(5) What facilities does the program offer?(6) Does the program offer financial assistance to its students?
It is important that you give some thought to these questions because settling on a
graduate program may be one of the most important life choices that you will ever
make.
Factors to Consider
Reputation
The reputation of a graduate program is of great importance and affects the
answers to several other questions. For example, programs with good reputations
frequently have better placement records and better facilities. On the other hand,
getting into these programs is usually also a lot more difficult.
A good source for assessing a programs reputation is the U.S. News
ranking of graduate programs. You may also wish to consult the National
Research Council and sources such as phds.org to obtain a sense of program
rankings and ratings. You should consult both the overall rating of a
department/program and the rating of the particular subfield that interests you. For
example, a chemistry program may have a solid overall reputation but it may be
weak in the area of polymers. If that is the area in which you seek training, then
the program may not be such a good choice after all.
Keep in mind that rankings do not always reflect recent changes in a
program. Perhaps the aforementioned program just hired a star polymer chemist,
but this may have been too recent to affect the rankings. Also keep in mind that
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rating or ranking a program is to a considerable extent subjective. While
ratings/rankings are based on objective indicators such as research productivity of
the faculty, faculty citations, and placement record, the weight that one places on
these things could easily vary from one person to the next. (Some ranking engines
such as phds.org allow you to manipulate these weights.) Rather than staring
yourself blind on ratings and rankings, it may be better to use them as one source
of information and to obtain additional information from other sources (e.g.
faculty at UNC, especially more senior professors).
Who Is Accepted?Graduate school admissions are competitive. The number of slots is often small,
while the number of applicants can measure in the hundreds. So what are graduate
admissions committees looking for in applicants? In two words, they are looking
for excellence and promise. Graduate programs want to admit those students who
will become outstanding researchers, educators, and leaders in their field. In
making this assessment, they rely on several pieces of information: (1) admission
test results, (2) undergraduate GPA and curriculum, (3) letters of
recommendation, and (4) CV and personal statement. A detailed discussion of
these can be found below.
Unlike Law Schools, few graduate programs will tell you ahead of time
what GPA and test score will get you in. Much will depend on the actual number
of slots that are open in a particular year and on what your competition is.
However, by speaking with UNC faculty you can get a pretty good sense of which
programs are the most competitive in a given field. The key to your own realistic
evaluation of your desirability to any graduate program is your own assessment of
the match between the record you have compiled and the level of achievement
that is probably expected by the institution. So ask yourself: Would I admit
myself to this institution based on my credentials?
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Fit
So you discovered that program A is the best program in your field of interest.
That is wonderful. Even more wonderful is that you have been accepted into the
program. Full of enthusiasm you start your graduate studies and then it hits you.
Nobody on the faculty does exactly what you want to do. To be sure, there are
many bright specialists in your subfield, but they all focus on something different
from what you would like to do. So now you have a choice: find a new program
or change your interests. Either way, the outcome is not quite as perfect as you
had hoped.This scenario is not nearly as far-fetched as it may seem. Every year,
scores of well-meaning graduate students discover that their interests are poorly
suited to the program in which they have been accepted. Sadly, this situation is,
for the most part, preventable. By taking a close look at the faculty, their CVs,
and their teaching and research interests, an accurate mental picture emerges of
whether there is anyone who does (remotely) what you are interested in. (Of
course, faculty may still leave but at least there will not be a problem right at the
start.) Finding this information is easy these days. Most programs have websites
that provide biographical sketches of their faculty and many faculty members
have websites of their own. Apart from preventing frustration, considering your
interests in light of those of the faculty can help you write a better application.
Graduate admissions committees often look for hints that an applicant would fit
the programis there a likely adviser/mentor on the faculty? If you can link your
interests to those of specific faculty members, then this will make your
application stronger.
While it is important to consider fit, it is equally important to keep an open
mind. It is common for graduate students to change their interests or even their
subfield once they have entered a graduate program. While it is inadvisable to
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seek admission to a program where no one works on the problems that you are
interested in, it is equally unwise to narrow your interests down too much. After
all, that situation may make it impossible to find any graduate program that fits
your interests and may also make you a less attractive applicant.
Placement Record
Ultimately, graduate school is a means toward an enda job that you enjoy.
Therefore, it is important to inquire about the placement record of a graduate
program. What percentage of graduates finds a job right after they finish? Where
are those jobs situated? Are they in good agencies, firms, offices, organizations,universities, or does the program have difficulty placing its students? How long
are graduates typically on the market before they find a (permanent) job?
You should keep in mind that job placement depends on many factors.
Placement is inherently more difficult in some fields than in others. It is also
subject to economic conditions: even the best graduate programs may find it
difficult to place their students during an economic downturn. Nevertheless,
holding these factors constant, some graduate programs do have a better
placement record than others and this should be a major consideration in selecting
a program.
The best way to find out about the placement record of a graduate program
is to ask the Director of Admissions, Director of Graduate Studies, or Placement
Director of that program. Some departments provide information about their
placement record on their websites, although this is relatively rare and is likely to
happen only if a program is proud of its record. You can also talk to UNC faculty
members in the field; they generally will have a good sense of how well certain
programs place their students.
Research Facilities
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Graduate students rely heavily on data centers, laboratories, libraries, and
computer facilities. Such resources are more plentiful in some graduate programs
than in others, often depending on the size and wealth of the university in which
the program is housed. You should find out what facilities are available, either on
campus or off-campus (e.g. through agreements with other universities, archives,
libraries, etc.). Do not expect that your every desire will be met, but do make sure
that you will be able to do your work.
Funding
Graduate school can be expensive. Apart from the cost of tuition, there are livingexpenses and expenses for research, books, computers and other equipment. Some
of these may be recovered through tuition remission and stipends.
In general, there is little funding in Masters programs. Masters students
almost always pay their own way, unless they entered as PhD students and choose
to leave with a (terminal) Masters degree. There are exceptions to this rule, so it
is worthwhile to explore funding opportunities across different graduate
programs. However, you should not get your hopes up. On the positive side, it is
sometimes possible to obtain your Masters degree while working full- or part-
time. It may be worthwhile to find out if a program will let you do this. (Some
may require it as part of practical training.)
Funding opportunities in PhD programs are much more plentiful. Most
programs provide for tuition remission (they pay for or reimburse you for tuition)
and stipends. In return, they may ask you to serve as a research or teaching
assistant for a certain number of hours per week. In the natural sciences, it is
common for graduate students to be funded as part of a grant. Those students
usually work in the lab as a member of a research team. Often this work will form
the basis of a dissertation.
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The amount of funding varies greatly across programs. It is generally
better in private than in public universities and it also varies across disciplines. It
is tempting to opt for the graduate program that offers the best funding, but it is
important to put funding into perspective. First, funding levels should be gauged
against the cost of living. An annual stipend of $15,000 may not get you very far
in New York City, whereas a stipend of $12,000 may go quite a long way in
Athens, Georgia. Second, funding should take second place compared to quality
of the program, fit, and placement record. A lot of money now will mean little in
another four years when you find yourself struggling on the job market because
you picked a poorly ranked program or one with a weak placement record. Whenit comes to funding, make sure that you can afford to live in a place (without
having to take a job that would distract from your studies) but do not expect to
live in luxury.
If funding is not everythingand surely should not be the decisive factor
in choosing a graduate programit is still important to evaluate and compare the
financial packages that are available across the programs in which you have been
accepted. Here are some things to look for.
(1) Does the financial package include tuition remission (most do) and healthinsurance (many do not)? These are major expenses, so make sure to take
this into consideration when comparing the offers from different graduate
programs.
(2) Does funding cover summers? Academic salaries are usually based onnine months of work, since professors are not expected to teach during the
summer. Correspondingly, stipends for PhD students often span nine
months as well. Summer funding is sometimes available, although this is
often on a competitive basis and may not be guaranteed. If summer
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funding is not guaranteed, then you should plan on finding a job during
the summer.
(3) Is funding guaranteed? Some programs guarantee funding only for thefirst year. Funding for subsequent years is competitive and depends on
your class ranking. Other programs guarantee funding as long as you
make satisfactory progress toward the degree (and as long as no financial
calamities beset the program).
(4) For how long is funding guaranteed? If graduate funding is guaranteed, ittypically is for four years. That is the amount of time it is expected to take
to complete your degree requirements. However, many PhD students findthemselves still working on their dissertation in their fifth year. Some
programs make fifth year funding available, others do not, and still others
will do this on a competitive basis. While it is difficult to anticipate your
needs five years from now, it is worthwhile to investigate if fifth year
funding is even an option in the program that you are considering. After
all, you may find yourself needing this funding down the line.
There is one other aspect of funding that deserves attentionreimbursement
for travel expenses. PhD students, and occasionally Masters students as well, are
expected to attend professional meetings and conferences. This is a major part of
the graduate education experience but can also be a major expense. Some
graduate programs will reimburse travel expenses, although perhaps only for one
conference per year and only partially. Other programs do not reimburse travel
expenses or do this on a competitive basis. You should ask about this when you
are trying to decide between programs, since conferences are really of great
importance and you would not want to miss them because you cannot afford to
go.
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Factors Not to Consider
The most important factor not to consider when applying for graduate school is
location. While it may be tempting to spend your years in graduate school near a
sunny beach or a nice ski resort, this does little to enhance your long-term goals.
You want the best graduate education you can get, not the sunniest or snowiest, or
whatever other criterion may cause you to prefer one location over another.
Besides, if you take your graduate education seriously then you will not be
spending too much time in the sun or snow anyway. It is better to pick a good
graduate program so that your first job may be in a nice location, then to pick a
poor program in a nice location that may ultimately produce no job at all or a jobin a not-so-nice location.
Setting Realistic Goals
While all graduate school applicants would like to get admitted to their top choice
program, it is clear that not all will. You have to be realistic about your chances of
getting into a program. This means you may wish to consider fall-back options
programs that may not be at the top of your list but that would be acceptable and
where your chances of admission are good.
For the typical student, it is wise to apply to several graduate programs.
Pick one to three from your wish list. You are not sure you will be admitted to
these programs, but if you were they would be at the top of your list. Pick two to
four programs that are acceptable. You feel you can get a fine education in these
programs, even though they do not appear on all of the top 20 lists. Finally, be
sure to pick one or two backup programs, i.e. programs which you feel sure you
can gain admission and where you would be comfortable with your choice.
VI. THE APPLICATION PROCESS
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In most cases, graduate school applications are a one-step process: you submit a
written application that is evaluated by the admissions committee. In some
casesmost notably, the natural sciences and psychologythe process may be
two-tiered. First, a group of interviewees is selected. Next, these interviewees are
invited to campus for one-on-one meetings with the faculty. Sometimes,
interviewees will also be asked to give a presentation of a research project. Once
the campus visits are over, the admissions committee or department makes its
final selection of students it would like to admit.
Be prepared to spend some money on the application process. Graduate
schools charge for processing your application, undergraduate transcripts are notfree, and placement exams cost money as well. In practice, application costs will
probably force you to focus on a limited number of graduate programs that you
will apply to. This makes it all the more important to select those programs
carefully (see above).
Components of the Application
The written portion of your application consists of: (1) the results of your
placement exam (submitted under separate cover), (2) your undergraduate
transcript(s) (often also sent under separate cover), (3) a personal statement, (4) a
CV, and (5) letters of recommendation (usually three letters of recommendation
are required; they may have to be sent under separate cover). You may also have
to submit a writing sample. Each of these components plays a significant role in
the admissions process, so it is important to take all of them seriously.
Placement Exam
Practically all graduate programs require that students take the GRE (Graduate
Record Examinations). If you pursue a joint degree program, you will also have to
take the MCAT, LSAT, or other appropriate placement exams. The GRE has two
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components: (1) the general test and (2) the subject test. In most cases, you will
only have to take the general test. In some fields, you are also required to take the
appropriate subject test. Information about these tests can be found at the
Educational Testing Service (ETS) GRE website.
The GRE general test measures verbal and quantitative reasoning, critical
thinking, and analytical writing skills that are essential for a successful graduate
career. It makes this assessment in a general manner, i.e. without requiring
detailed knowledge about a specific subject area. The test has three components:
(1) verbal reasoning, (2) quantitative reasoning, and (3) analytical writing.
Graduate programs care about the first two components in particular, but somealso take a close look at the third component. Admission committees frequently
start by rank-ordering applicants according to their total GRE scores. They
frequently set cutoffs as to the minimal acceptable performance on each
component. The weight of the components depends on the field of study.
Obviously, verbal reasoning will count more when you seek a PhD in English,
while quantitative reasoning becomes more central when you are seeking a degree
in statistics. However, it is safe to say that all components carry some weight in
considering your application. The general test is computer-administered year-
around at many different test centers around the world.
The GRE subject test is offered in a small number of areas, mostly in the
natural sciences. These tests gauge subject-specific knowledge in a particular field
(biochemistry, cell, and molecular biology; biology; chemistry; computer science;
literature in English; mathematics; physics; psychology). This is the level of
knowledge graduate programs expect incoming students to have for successful
completion of a PhD in the specific field. Especially when graduate course work
is limited, as it often is in the natural sciences, the subject test becomes a critical
yardstick for determining who has the requisite field-specific background
knowledge to take advanced course work and become a productive member of a
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research team. Subject tests are paper-based tests that are administered at a
limited number of test facilities in November, December, and April.
The importance of the GRE cannot be overstated. A students GRE score
is a good predictor of how well they will do in the first year of graduate school,
which in turn is a good predictor of whether the student will be able to complete
graduate school successfully. Just as colleges are striving to improve the average
SAT score of each successive class, graduate schools are looking to improve their
average GRE scores. Thus, it is essential that you take this test seriously.
Given the importance of the GRE, it may be wise to take a test preparation
class. The UNC Learning Center offers GRE prep classes throughout the year.The GRE website also offers useful information about test preparation. You can
also take a course with a commercial test preparation company such as Kaplan or
Princeton Review. You should consider taking a prep course the semester before
you take the GRE. If you choose not to do a prep course than at least obtain
copies of past tests so that you can practice them. With the GRE, practice may not
make perfect but it surely enhances your chances of obtaining a decent score.
What if you perform poorly on the GRE? In this case, you can retake the
GRE. However, you should keep in mind that the GRE is designed to tap your
chronic aptitude, which means that test results are unlikely to fluctuate much from
one test to the next. Retaking the GRE thus makes the most sense if your
performance was negatively affected by unusual circumstances such as illness on
the day of the test. Otherwise, you may not find much of an improvement in your
test score or you may find that it actually deteriorates from the first attempt. If you
retake the exam, then the new score will be sent along with the two most recent
scores from the past five years.
Transcript
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You will also need to send an official transcript of your undergraduate record at
UNC and any other institutions of higher education that you may have attended.
The official transcript can be obtained from the Registrars Office for a nominal
fee. Some graduate programs would like to see the overall GPA along with the
GPA in your major(s). In this case, you will need to ask the Registrars to
compute the major GPA as this is not done routinely. [Check this.]
Graduate admissions committees pay considerable attention to your
undergraduate GPA but they also take into consideration the institution where you
earned it and the difficulty of the curriculum. UNC Chapel Hill does not have the
reputation of being easy so good grades earned here will count for something.As far as your curriculum is concerned, you should of course meet the UNC
general education and major requirements. However, the manner in which you
meet these requirements is of some importance. Taking more advanced (as
opposed to introductory) courses will show that you are a highly motivated
student who can handle more complex material. Becoming engaged in a research
project or writing an honors thesis can also help to strengthen your undergraduate
record. Try to avoid P/D+/D/F courses since admissions committees may view
these as an easy way out of a requirement. Internships and independent studies
can be useful, but you will need to explain what you did in these courses since
this will generally not be clear from the transcript. Try to engage in internships
and independent studies that prepare you for graduate school; avoid doing them
because they lead to an easy A. Graduate admission committees look for serious
students who are well-rounded. Anything that could reflect negatively on this
should be avoided.
What should you do if your record is blemished? The first piece of advice
is not to panic. To be sure, a poor undergraduate record may keep you from being
accepted into graduate school. If the problem is isolated, however, then there is a
good chance that youll be accepted somewhere, if perhaps not in your top choice
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graduate program. The key is to explain the blemishes on your transcript in your
cover letter. Explain why you had a bad semester or why your grades in the first
couple of years were not what they should have been. Point to any improvements
you have made. One bad grade will not end your ability to attend graduate school,
especially not if you can explain that grade.
Personal Statement
A good personal statement can make a lot of difference. Apart from explaining
blemishes on your transcriptwhich should be a minor elementthe personal
statement is foremost a place to convey your enthusiasm for a particular field andgraduate program and a place to highlight your credentials. The cover letter
should frame your application: it should draw attention to those aspects of your
record that you would like to stand out for those reading your application.
Another way to think of it is that the cover letter is often the first thing admissions
officers see in your file. Thus, you should use this as your entryway into the
evaluation process.
The cover letter should stress your interest in obtaining a graduate degree
in the chosen field, your credentials for seeking a degree in this field, the reason
why you are applying to the particular graduate program, and any other
information that is useful in framing your application (e.g. why did you have that
bad semester?). In terms of conveying your interest, you should sketch out your
career goals and how the degree would help you accomplish these goals. For a
PhD you should also stress your passion for research. Try to be specific in stating
your interests. For example, when applying to a PhD program in political science
it is not all that helpful to reveal that you are interested in politics. It would be
much more telling if you said that you are interested in the causes of war or
electoral behavior (and do so in a way that reveals your passion for scientific
research on these topics). Illustrate your interest by referring to specific things
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you have done. For example, you can say that you realized your passion for
research when writing your Honors Thesis and that it was at this time that you
realized you wanted to become an academic. Try to avoid telling your lifes story;
highlight only those experiences that demonstrate your passion and credentials for
obtaining a graduate degree.
The second component of the cover letter is to show your credentials.
Here you can point to the coursework you have taken in preparation for your
graduate education and your performance in those courses. You can also reference
internships and independent studies in as far as they illustrate your credentials.
For PhD programs it is useful to reference any research experience (working withfaculty or writing an Honors Thesis) you have. PhD admissions committees will
look for these kinds of experiences and the cover letter is the best place to
highlight them. (Important: Note that the operant word here is highlight. Cover
letters should not repeat your CV verbatim but rather focus the attention of
admissions officers to certain parts of it.)
A final aspect of the cover letter is to show your interest for the specific
program that you are applying to. This aspect is often forgotten, in part because it
requires tailoring your cover letter to each specific program you are applying to.
But it is an essential component of a good letter, since admissions committees
want to know if you would fit into their program. You can convey your
enthusiasm for a particular program by highlighting the strengths of the program
and how these strengths match your interests. Even better is to list specific faculty
members that you would like to work with (and to explain why). This kind of
information will show that you have given thought to the application and that
your interests match those of the program.
Curriculum Vitae
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Your curriculum vitae (CV) is the place where you should list your contact
information and all experiences and credentials that are relevant to your graduate
school application. One section of the CV should describe your undergraduate
education, i.e. all institutions you have attended, including UNC, your major(s)
and (if applicable) minor(s), the degree(s) you are pursuing (e.g. AB, BS, BFA,
BMus), the anticipated completion date, the overall GPA, and (if relevant) the
major GPA (make sure these match the transcript). You may also wish to briefly
summarize relevant coursework, but do not provide too much detail as this can be
found on the official transcript.
Another section of the CV should highlight relevant experiences. This caninclude internships, independent studies, participation in faculty research projects,
an Honors Thesis, if you are writing onein sum a lot of the things that UNC
recognizes as experiential learning. The focus does not have to be exclusively on
academic experiences. You can also list other experiences such as those working
on campus or in the community if they provide information about you as a person
and/or your fit to the chosen field. Do not go overboard listing these other
experiences, however. If you create the impression that you are spending more
time on extra-curricular activities than on your academic pursuits, then
admissions committees might draw the mistaken conclusion that you are not a
very serious student.
It may also be useful to add a skills section to the CV where you can list
your proficiency in computer software and/or foreign languages. At the beginning
of your CV you should list relevant contact information. Gender, date of birth,
nationality, and marital status generally need not be listed on the CV. This kind of
information is often solicited through other means, for example through queries
by equal opportunity officers and international student centers at the university
where you are applying.
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Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation are another key component of a graduate school
application. These letters reflect the professional judgment of faculty and others
about your qualifications for graduate school. As such, they provide invaluable
information to graduate admissions committees. Most graduate programs require
three letters of recommendation. Many ask for these to be sent under separate
cover (e.g. in a sealed envelope), assuming you have waived your right to view
your recommendation letters. (A waiver pledge is usually printed at the top of the
recommendation sheet.)
The key to a helpful letter of recommendation is that it should providedetailed information. Vague letters that are full of boilerplate language but short
on specifics will not be very helpful to admissions officers and will therefore
carry less weight. This means that you should select your recommendation writers
carefully. They should be people who know you at more than a superficial level,
so that they can write something specific about you. Hence, there is little point in
going to the faculty member who had you in a 400-student class four years ago;
unless you have cultivated a personal relationship with this person, he or she is
unlikely to remember you. On the other hand, asking your thesis adviser to write a
recommendation makes a great deal of sense.
Considerations other than familiarity may enter your selection of
recommenders. If you are applying to a research-oriented PhD program you
probably want to have your recommenders be all faculty members (professors, not
graduate students), since they are in the best position to comment on your
scholarly potential. If you are seeking a degree in social work or clinical
psychology, then you may seek some recommendations from practitioners with
whom you have done internships and who could comment on your suitability to
your chosen field. The important thing is that you should put some thought into
soliciting recommendations. Seek them from people who know you and whose
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judgment will mean something to those in charge of evaluating your application.
Getting these kinds of recommendations can really help your chances of getting
into graduate school.
Writing Sample
Many graduate programs require that you submit a writing sample. The writing
sample will tell admissions committees whether you can communicate effectively,
whether you can analyze a question logically and thoughtfully, and whether you
can bring relevant data to bear on that question. Especially in PhD programs, you
will be doing a lot of research and writing. The writing sample is a way to see ifyou have an aptitude for these endeavors.
Given the role that the writing sample plays, it is again of the utmost
importance that you put some thought into selecting a particular sample. Short
assignments written in introductory classes will generally not make for good
writing samples, since these assignments typically do not require in-depth
research. Papers written for advanced classes may be a better choice, if they
involve extensive research. Particularly good writing samples are Honors Theses
or reports written while conducting research with a faculty member (provided you
did the writing). These kinds of samples will give admissions officers a good
sense of your ability to conduct research and to communicate its results.
In selecting a writing sample you may do some tailoring to the graduate
programs you are applying to. For example, if one program in sociology values
quantitative research, than you may select a paper that uses statistical analysis as
your writing sample. However, if another program is more qualitatively focused,
then you may do better by sending a paper that is based on archival research or in-
depth interviews. Of course, this assumes that you have sufficient writing samples
lying around to make these kinds of adjustments. If not, then you should just send
the best research paper that you feel you have ever written.
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Graduate School Interviews
In a number of disciplines, it is conventional to ask potential graduate students to
come in for an interview before the final decision about admissions is made. This
is true, for example, in certain natural science and psychology programs. These
interviews are extremely important, so it is essential to properly prepare for them.
The first thing you should find out about the interview is the programs
expectations. What sort of attire do they expect? (In many cases, the program will
want to see formal attire, but there are exceptions.) Is there the expectation that
you will give a talk? Who will you meet during the interview and how long dothese meetings last? By asking these questions you can plan for a successful
interview experience.
Second, it is essential that you inform yourself about the program. You
probably did this when you applied, but it never hurts to re-acquaint yourself with
a program. In addition, you should familiarize with the people whom youll meet.
Look up their bios, look through their CVs, and read some of their research.
Nothing is more painful than meeting faculty and not knowing anything about
them. It will certainly leave a positive impression if you have read their work and
can carry on an intelligent conversation about it. Finding faculty bios and CVs is
easy in this electronic age and with JSTOR and other electronic journal databases,
getting access to a persons research is not all that difficult either.
Third, realize that interviews are a two-way street. Of course, program
faculty will want to find out about you. But there is an equal expectation that you
have some questions about the program and its faculty. Do not ask questions that
have already been answered in written materials that the program sent you; after
all, that would not make a good impression. But any other questions are fair
game. To make sure that those questions have been answered, it may be useful to
write them out and check them off during the interview. Sometimes it is useful to
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ask the same question of multiple faculty members, just to get different
perspectives.
If a talk is required, then it is important to establish what the expectations
are. Should this be a research talk or a more general talk? Who will be the
audience? Will it be specialists in the area of the talk, in which case you may be
able to skip over certain well-known ideas, or is it a more general audience? How
long should your talk be? Will there be a question-and-answer period and how
long will it be? Is the expectation that you use Powerpoint or other presentation
software? Should you prepare a handout?
It is also important that you practice the talk. Practice will allow you tomake sure that you can deliver your message in the allotted time without speaking
too quickly, that the content makes sense to an audience, and that slides come
over clearly. You should try to anticipate questions and develop responses. There
will almost certainly be unexpected questions, but some questions can be
anticipated and it is useful to have a response formulated in your head. For those
unanticipated questions, it is OK to take a moment and to try to formulate a
response. Appearing to be thoughtful will leave a good impression and is better
than dismissing a question with the clich that it is a really interesting point and
that youll have to think about it.
The general rule about interviews is that preparation will make the whole
experience less anxiety provoking. This, in turn, will make the experience more
enjoyable and productive. You will leave a positive impression and will get your
questions answered, which can only help your chances of being admitted to the
program that is right for you.
VII. PREPARING FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL AT UNC
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You can do a lot to prepare for graduate school and to strengthen your application
while you are at UNC. Among the many opportunities that UNC offers you
should definitely attempt to pick an appropriate major, choose challenging
courses, cultivate relationships with faculty, and engage in research.
Starting with majors, it is important that you put considerable thought into
them. Unlike Law School and Medical School, which generally do not care much
about your major, Masters and Ph.D. programs often expect that you have been
trained in a particular field as an undergraduate. This is not true of all graduate
programs but it is true of a good number of them. For example, do not expect to
enter a Ph.D. program in chemistry if you majored in music and took nochemistry beyond a few introductory courses. Choosing a major thus takes on
extra importance when you have graduate school in the back of your mind. It is
just one more reason to see your academic advisor frequently.
In terms of course selection, opting for challenging courses is a definite
pre. It helps to strengthen your application, demonstrating that you do not shun
difficult courses and can excel in them. It also helps to prepare you for graduate
school, since the level of advanced courses is a lot closer to what you will
encounter in graduate school than the level of introductory courses. Exceptional
undergraduate students may even consider enrolling into a graduate level class at
UNC, although this requires permission from the instructor. This will give the
best sense of what it will be like to be a graduate student, in terms of reading load,
difficulty of the material, and expectations. Academic and departmental advisors
will be able to help you with selecting courses.
It is essential that you cultivate relationships with faculty. This will make
it much easier to find letter-writers when it comes to applying for graduate school.
Moreover, the UNC faculty is an excellent source of information about graduate
education and careers in the field that you are interested in. To cultivate these
relationships, it is generally best to enroll in smaller classes where faculty will get
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to know their students better. First-year seminars, Honors and advanced courses,
and capstone seminars are an excellent place for you to get to know some faculty
and for faculty to get to know you.
Finally, graduate work involves a strong research component, especially in
Ph.D. programs. To see if research is for you, it would be very useful if you could
get involved in it while at UNC. Some options include:
- Writing an Honors thesis: The Honors thesis is a piece of research thatyou conduct yourself under the supervision of a member of the faculty.
You will also have to defend your research in front of a committee of 2-3faculty members who will ask questions about your theory, research
design, and findings.
- Engaging in faculty research: In this case, you will be working on afaculty members project, taking charge of a small piece of it. Solicitations
for student participants in faculty research are generally channeled through
the Office of Undergraduate Research, which also provides other research
opportunities for undergraduate students.
These kinds of research experience will look great on a CV and they are also
excellent opportunities to cultivate relationships with faculty.
In addition to acquiring research experience, you may also think about
appropriate internships and independent studies that can help to strengthen your
CV. A study abroad experience can also help to strengthen your application, as
can Burch field research seminars. With all of these, it will be important to
describe the experience in your personal statement and to explain how it helped
you to prepare for graduate school.
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VIII. WHAT IF YOU DO NOT GET INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL?
There is a possibility that you will not be admitted to any of the graduate
programs you applied to or that you are admitted to a program about which you
have grave reservations. While this surely is a disappointment, do not get too
discouraged. Ask yourself if there is anything you can do that will enhance your
chances of getting into a (better) graduate program. Here are some things that can
enhance your chances.
-
If you did not get into any program, reassess your selection of programs.Were you aiming too high? Are there other feasible programs that you
chose not to apply for? Going back to UNC faculty members to ask for
advice may be a good option at this point.
- Take a break for one or two years and acquire relevant practicalexperience. This will strengthen your CV and will also show that you are
serious about your desire to attend graduate school.
- If you got into a less desirable program, consider completing a Mastersdegree in that program. Once you have the Masters, you can always apply
elsewhere. The Masters is another credential on your CV that may make
you a more competitive candidate for programs that you deem more
desirable.
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