SPS Document
02/17/16
Some Advice on Getting into Grad School
Deciding where to apply
For me there were two major considerations as to where to apply. These were the
quality of the program and location. The first consideration just comes down to the fact
that you want the best education you can get. The second consideration was necessary for
me because I had to coordinate with my husbands job search.
Another good rule for selecting graduate schools to which you will apply is to
keep the number to about six. You will only attend one school, so applying to too many
schools is a waste of time and money, because the applications are several pages long and
have an application fee. Of the schools to which you apply at least one of them should be
a school that you will have no problem getting into.
Fellowships
Fellowships are the most desirable way in which to have your education funded
because they give you the most freedom. They are also the most difficult to obtain.
There are several fellowships for which you can apply, but they are very competitive.
The application deadlines are earlier than those for the schools. You need to get the
applications at the beginning of the fall semester of the year before you want to start your
graduate work.
As far as finding out which fellowships you are eligible to apply for, there is a list
of them on the web and you can also talk to professors. Some of them have copies of the
applications.
Getting applications
Applications for both schools and fellowships can be obtained on the web, by
writing for them, or sometimes getting them from professors. For the most part I just got
them off of the web.
Filling out the applications
In general, there are five main components of an application for grad school:
1) General Information
2) Transcript
3) GRE Scores (both general and physics)
4) Personal Statement
5) Letters of Recommendation
(1) General Information
This is straightforward, just filling in the blanks. Each school has a different
form, so make sure to read through each one and don't hesitate to ask questions. Most
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schools have a graduate secretary you can either email or call. I was always treated very
nicely when I contacted them.
(2) Transcripts
Each school will have its own policy on how they want to receive transcripts.
Most want an official transcript sent directly from Records to them. Some schools want
more than one transcript. In these cases one is for the department to which you are
applying and the other is for graduate admissions (what would be equivalent to the
graduate college here at OU). Sometimes the application requires that all materials be
returned in one envelope, in which case you can have records send you an official
transcript with a signature across the seal. In the rare case an unofficial transcript sent by
you is acceptable, but don't count on it. Records is located on the third floor of Buchanan
Hall (the building in which the bursar's office is located) in room 330. If you want to call
them, look under transcripts in the OU phone book. Transcripts are free, but you do have
to fill out a form for each transcript you want. Make sure to bring with you your student
ID and the addresses to which the transcripts are to be sent. You can only order 10
official transcripts in one day, so if you need more than that plan accordingly. More
information is available at http://www.ou.edu/adm&rec/transcripts.html.
Most schools want both general and physics GRE scores. In my experience the
general test is not a problem, but the physics test is. I would recommend taking the
physics test at least twice, possibly a third time if you don't take tests well. Unfortunately
these tests are expensive, $96 for 1997-98. There is a good chance that the cost will
increase, so don't be surprised if they want more money. For those who are eligible for
financial aid, you can get a one time fee waiver that is good for one day of testing from
the financial aid office. This will allow you to take the general and/or the physics test for
free on the same day. It does not allow you to take the general on one day and the physics
on another day. The financial aid office is located in Robertson Hall. Taking both tests
on one day makes for an extremely long day, but it can be done. If you take the physics
test more than once I would recommend that one of those times you only take the physics
test on that day. After three hours of tests in the morning I was a little brain-dead by the
time I got to the physics test in the afternoon. There are two formats for the general test,
paper based and computer based. I never took the computer based test, but I've been told
that there are many days on which you can take the computer based test. There are only
three days during the year on which you can take paper based tests, all of them Saturdays.
One day is usually in October, one in December, and one in April.
(3) GRE Scores
The deadline for having the registration form and money turned in is about six
weeks before the test date, so if you want to take an test in October you need to get the
registration form early in the fall semester. Forms can be found on the second floor of
Goddard Health Center. (Directions: Take the elevator to the second floor an go right.
Once in the room go left and you will find a black cabinet with registration forms in it.
Help yourself to the appropriate form (there are forms for other tests in the same
cabinet.)) You can also register on the web. A link to the website is located on the SPS
homepage.
As I mentioned before, the physics GRE can be troublesome, the biggest problem
being time. You have 2 hours and 50 minutes to complete 100 questions. This means
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that there is no time to derive any of the equations you might need, you simply have to
know them off the top of your head, The best way to prepare for the test is to work
practice problems. Your freshman physics book is a good source for problems. There are
books of practice problems, but in my experience they weren't any more helpful than a
physics book. The problems were not any more indicative of what was on the exam than
those in the physics text book and several times the answers in the practice books were
wrong. There are two previous exams that have been released that are good indications
of the problems you will see on the exam. You can either order them from GRE or get a
copy from someone who already has a copy.
(4) Personal Statement
This is a very important part of the application. You should spend time and a
great deal of thought on your personal statement. Each application will have a slightly
different wording and may therefore vary slightly, but once you have your basic personal
statement most of the work is done.
(5) Letters of Recommendation
The number of letters of recommendation required for the applications I filled out
varied from 2 to 4. Some applications had forms to be filled out, others simply let the
recommenders use whatever form they wished. It is important to give professors ample
time to complete the letters of recommendation. I gave the forms to the professors about
a month before the due date. It was my experience that most professors waited until the
last minute to do them, but it is only polite to give them the opportunity to do them
earlier. It's also a good idea to remind them shortly before the due date. I did this about a
week and a half to a week before the due date.
In order to make things easier, I paper-clipped an addressed, stamped envelope to
each of the recommendation forms and put all of them into a manila envelope along with
a list of the forms and their due dates. Some applications gave the option of having the
forms filled out on the web or sent by email, but you should still provide an addressed,
stamped envelope so that the professors have the choice.
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