Preparing to Apply to Graduate School
The Safest Way to be a Strong Applicant
Grad school can be a great way to further your career opportunities and make great connections
with faculty members at the graduate university! If you have a passion for a certain subject or if
you have burning questions that you really want to study, then graduate school is probably right
for you.
Below I have listed a few steps that I would suggest taking during your junior year and the summer
between your junior and senior years. If you’re a little behind, don’t worry. This is just a
suggested list of steps to take to have the smoothest application process possible. Good luck!
JUNIOR YEAR
1. Figure out what you love to do and study.
 This can be the hardest part, but start by thinking about the classes you’ve most
enjoyed, the books you’ve found most compelling, and the questions that nag you on a
daily basis.
2. Start early.
 It’s never too early to begin your search!
 The earlier you start, the more flexibility you will give yourself with finding the right
program for you. Your interests may change during this time, but just knowing the
available options will help you make a better decision with plenty of time to spare.
 Look at the classes that they require or suggest for college students to take. Do they
require classes like Micro and Macroeconomics? You don’t want to miss out on a class
that you really needed to take because you waited too long to look for programs.
3. Develop strong relationships with professors and advisors at ND.
 This will help you in multiple ways.
 First, it will allow you to have someone to help point you in the right direction and help
you figure out what program is right for you.
 Second, it will be much easier to get strong letters of recommendation when you are
ready to apply. Many programs put a lot of emphasis on recommendation letters, so
the better a professor knows you and your academic strengths, the stronger your
letters will be.
 Lastly, working closely with a professor can really help you specify your interests.
Sometimes it is hard to figure out for yourself what you really want to study, but
working closely with a professor can help you identify your strongest passions. The
more specific you can be about your own academic and research goals, the stronger
your personal statement will be.
4. Write a senior thesis.
 This relates to the point above about making good relationships with professors.
Having a thesis advisor gives you the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member
who shares your same passion in some capacity.
 Grad schools will want to see that you took the initiative to further your own academic
interests during your undergrad years. If possible, figure out a way to do some of the
research on your own instead of just researching what others have already said about

the topic. Doing your own research will not only benefit you and your academic
abilities, but it will also be more impressive to admissions officers.
Start planning your thesis during your junior year. Find a faculty member you want to
work with, and begin talking about what you might want to study.
SENIOR YEAR (or preferably the summer before)
5. Once you find programs you think you may be interested in, look at the faculty who work in that
department.
 Read their bios, download their CV’s, and search through some of the books and
articles they have published. Does their work interest you? Do they seem like people
who share similar views and goals as you? If so, then you’re on the right track.
6. If you find people that interest you, contact them.
 Send them a brief email telling them about your interests, and see if they respond.
Most likely, they will respond with some helpful information. Sometimes they may
even offer to have a phone conversation about their program.
7. Visit.
 Decide on a few places (or just one) and visit the school. Try to meet with a professor,
preferably the one you have contacted previously, and see if it feels like a good fit.
Even if the visit seems unnecessary, you might gain some helpful information that you
didn’t have before. Plus, it always helps to have a face-to-face interaction with
someone!
 Do your research before you visit—especially if you are going to meet with a professor.
It does not impress the admissions people or the professors if you ask questions that
easily could have been answered by looking over their website.
8. Once you decide on the programs you really want to apply to, make a list of their deadlines and
be sure you stay organized.
 The last thing you want to do is wait until the last minute and miss an important piece
of the application.
 Do as much of this during the summer before your senior year as possible. I would
make it a goal to know where you are applying by the end of the summer so that you
don’t have to spend as much time comparing programs during the fall semester.
 Take the GRE in the summer, if possible. Even if you don’t think you will want to go to
grad school for a few years, take the GRE while you are still in school. Everyone says
that you will do better on it while you are in school, no matter what. Plus it can’t hurt
to have it behind you, and most schools will accept scores for up to 5 years from the
date you took the test.
 Also look at the dates for applying. Some programs may have a priority deadline and a
regular deadline. Check to see if the priority dates are binding. Also check to see about
financial aid. Some programs will only consider your for financial aid if you apply by the
priority deadline.
Best of luck in your search!