Applying to graduate school

Applying to graduate school in the USA - in any subject - can be overwhelming, and more so if you come from outside the USA like I did. There are many guides online for how to apply, so I won’t try to make here an extremely detailed guide but rather put together some tips coming from my own experience and that of my colleagues, together with existing guides such as this How to apply guide from Harvard.

Getting Started

Choose a programs:You are likely not going to apply to just one program but many - both in the USA and also in Europe and beyond. To get started, you’ll need to put together a list of places you’d like to apply to, together with information about each place. Here is an example of what a table could be like… from back 20 years ago!

As you can see I listed the names of the universities and the cost of applying to such place - coming from Argentina, from a solo parent (a university underpaid professor), cost was a detriment. I also included the link to the application site, the deadline, a potential contact to reach out to, my own ranking, the country and other details. One shouldn’t forget a column for the exams needed - different places might need different exams, e.g. GRE, GRE Subject Tests, TOEFL, etc (sometimes mandatory, sometimes not). Exams are expensive, and you should write down how much the exam itself would cost, and how much it will cost to send the results to each extra university - this price constrain makes taking the exams sometimes be flexible, and some places might let you skip some of them.

Making this list will be extremely time consuming, and making it well (e.g. finding contacts in each place, with good/attractive reasons for why they should be contacted) will take even more time - but will make a big difference. To keep track of my reference writers for each university, I asked about 8 people for letters, made a column for each of them, and a tick-able box in that column for all the universities. Then, for each row, I would tick the people I’d request letters from for that particular university.

To find each university, you can look at generic lists of universities such as the this National USA ranking, which you can edit to add the program you’d be interested in pursuing. But you can also look directly at world-wide university lists such as this list and use that to get started. Then, search for the “name of the university” + “graduate Program + “ the field you want to study” and you’ll find the useful link and from there, the information.

Plan your network It will be important to start building a network of researchers around the world who you can contact about applications - people you can send personalized emails about applying to their departments and who can bring up your application to the spotlight. They won’t be able to get you into places, but they will be able to mention your name to their colleagues - and if you’re good and competitive, your files will do the rest.

Prepare your application

Your application folder will comprise a lot of files, from transcripts (which you should translate and have the chair of your department sign the English version explaining such version is official) to personal statements, letters of reference, etc. Make sure when you’re making your table, you add how many letters each place needs, and that when you’re making your network, you start cultivating relationships in advance with professors who can get to know you and write references at later stages.

Make sure you know what each place requires, since for example European and USA universities might need different things (for example, in Europe you don’t often need standardized tests, and also applications are most often free). Moreover, for applications in more applied sciences or within particular research groups (say in Germany for example), applications might be in the group’s website. Search for graduate jobs, graduate programs. etc.

Complete your application by the deadline

Make sure you finish submitting things by the deadline, but most importantly, make sure you add the email addresses of the reference writers well in advance, even if you haven’t finished your application, you can send the letter requests - this will give people enough time to write something good for you. Remember to ask for their permission first, ideally several months in advance, and to remind them at least a month before that you’ll be doing it ) and at that point add their emails and send the official request.