That Time of Year: Grad School Applications

After what feels like two months of writer's block and other pressing matters, I've decided that now would be an appropriate time to touch on graduate school applications.  For those who've had a head start, sifting through programs and applying in early September to November (I'm speaking to physiotherapy and occupational therapy programs, as well as optometry and other professional schools whose deadlines are set for just before December), you probably won't need to read any of this.  Though, perhaps you may want to spread the word to friends and family who are on a different boat.  For many others who haven't quite decided or who haven't thoroughly researched their programs or potential goals, you're not alone.  This post is for you--no, no need to turn around and look over your shoulder, wondering if I'm pointing to that handsome bloke or peckish person in the library.  You.

A vast majority of graduate school applications within Ontario will have started... today.  Just after exams, just after the bulk of the holiday get-togethers (I'm pointing at you grandmothers, mothers, aunts and relatives who insist I visit them for a "light snack," which often consists of full meals and warm chocolate goods).  You are neither the first nor last cohort to have started "so late in the game"; in fact, I'd like to think you're just on time.  You may feel that those who apply earlier are definitely in a better position for acceptance.  This may be true, but I can assure you that every person has their reason for applying when they apply.  Some, out of laziness.  Others, out of panic.  And then there those who just can't seem to write coherent letters of intent until just before the deadline.  And, though your academic advisors may frown upon this, although your referees will wrinkles their brows and clench their jaws at what may be called "slacking off", I'm going to assure you that this is fine.  It's the quality, and the deadlines, and making sure your application is done that is important.

There are a few rules to getting through this winter break/application season.  I'm going to list them as I encountered them.  Now, let me add a disclaimer here: I am neither your ideal graduate student, nor the worst one, but I am a student and these are my experiences and my thoughts.  Feel free to disagree, agree, comment, complain -- to each their own.

For thesis-based programs:

(1) Make sure you've already contacted several schools, departments and potential supervisors by now.  It's a daunting task; emailing who you might think of as "superiors" and asking for potential interviews and underlining your fascination with their work is a task.  It's perhaps the hardest part of your application.  No, not emailing -- making sure you like what it is you're researching.  An esteemed professor with a slew of post-docs does not necessarily make for a good research project, graduate program or general educational experience.  You need to talk to them, constantly be on top of things and ask them the important questions: how long, what projects are they open to/available for you to look into, etc.  Talk to their graduate students, talk to the people who work for this professor.  Figure out if the flow, the vibe, the energy, the topics -- see if they suit you.  You need to be happy with what you're doing for the next 2-4 years (or more!) of your life.

(2) If you're absolutely sure that Professor X is doing work you're absolutely interested in furthering, or contributing to, ask him or her what could make you a stronger candidate or better versed in that field for future (potential) graduate studies.  For example: if your field of interest is developmental biology, maybe you need to look over your transcript and credentials.  See how many courses you've taken, or how much experience you have, and see what needs to be strengthened.  If you contact these professors early enough, they may guide you and tell you what courses you could take or what steps you can take to strengthen your curriculum vitae/application.

For thesis and non-thesis/professional programs:

(3) Know the programs and the schools you're applying to.  This is a lot like #1, however, as you're not necessarily working for an individual like thesis-based students are, you'll need to understand the dynamics of your program.  Do they offer part-time positions?  Are they full-time only?  How many courses do you need to take?  Is this professional program the one you want to take?  Do they offer practicums?  Contact the graduate secretary, program coordinator and anyone else affiliated with the program and don't hesitate to ask them questions.  Ask them if they can get you in touch with alumni.  You always get a better feel of a program, of a school, by talking to graduates or upper years.

(4) Now, make a list.  Filter your program choices via: pros/cons, location, tuition fee, breadth/depth, admission rates, application deadlines, etc.  This way, you can figure out what needs to be done quicker (deadlines) and what programs you may need to scrap (e.g. if a school you're only half-interested in is located halfway across the world, and you're not remotely interested in relocating, you'll need to cross that off the list).  Additionally, unless you're absolutely certain that X is the only school you would ever want to go to, come up with a list of schools.  There is nothing wrong with applying to multiple schools based on the fear that you may not get into your number one pick.

(5) Go through the admissions requirement/application list for each program on your final list (it should be whittled down, or better refined and prioritized according to deadlines or materials needed) with a fine-toothed comb.  Know the important stuff.  This often tends to be the basics: deadline, admission cycles (are there one or two?), cut-off GPA, referees required (preset form, letters, professional vs. academic, signed envelopes vs. online forms), curriculum vitae (activities required: volunteering, work experience, etc), transcript methods (electronic vs. hard copy), letter of intent (guidelines, content).  Those are the basics, but there may be other requirements.  For those not from Canada, you may need to write the GREs, GMAT, TOEFL tests, etc.  Make sure to inquire.

(6) Collect as you go!  Don't wait for everything all at once.  Start with referees: make sure you can find reliable ones, and not just professors or supervisors that know your face.  Although referees can help, they may not, depending on what school you're coming from.  However, it's important to build some rapport.  If that doesn't happen, ask your referees if they're willing to have a sit down with you, maybe coffee or lunch to discuss your goals, your interests.  By understanding you better as a person, and not just as one of their students, they can write better letters with greater sincerity.  And yes, sincerity does come across quite easily in a well-written letter.

(7) As you sift through referees, put in that request for your transcript(s).  Simultaneously, refurbish your curriculum vitae.  Make sure it's up to date and relevant with regards to what you're applying for.  There's no need to overemphasize your interest in Jane Austen book clubs if you're applying for an M. Sc. in a genetics field.  However, if you can spin minutiae or hobbies or anything on your CV such that it becomes relevant to your field, that's a plus!  It shows synergism and mastery of an important graduate skill: writing.

(8) The letter of intent will probably take you the longest.  Once you get a hang of writing letters of intent, you often fall into a pattern and you can formulate your own template for each program.  However, starting is the hardest part and that's alright.  People often find it hardest to discuss their lives, or their goals, especially in the context of... well... themselves.  It's part of our need to not seem pig-headed.  This will take you the longest and so you should start on it... NOW.  Jot down all that they require of you, e.g. What are your goals? What do you hope to achieve?  And then formulate honest, well-worded, relevant answers.  Each person has their own style, so don't try and mimic anyone too closely.  You want you to shine through that letter.  For most programs, the letter of intent is the closest they'll get to an interview (unless there is an interview process).  Make it personal without being too cliché; make it professional without being too cold.  On top of all this, have someone read it over for you!  It's always good to have a buddy read it for you -- flow, coherence, grammar AND spelling check!  You may be the Princess of Prose or the Sultan of Script, but if you can't write proper, direct, easy-to-understand sentences, you have a problem.  Make it accessible and engaging.  Simple sentences versus long, convoluted, over-semi-coloned lines.  Direct words versus infinitesimally flowery words.  Active versus passive voice.  And most importantly, make sure if you're using a template out of your first letter... MAKE SURE THE NAMES AND SCHOOL TITLES CHANGE TOO.  It would be such a scandal if Yale received a letter for Harvard!

(9) Set up envelopes for each, with addresses and stamps at the ready.  Always ensure that X goes into X, and Y goes into Y.  Have the deadlines sticky-tabbed on the envelopes.  Have a checklist for each package and ensure that everything that is NECESSARY is checked off your list before you seal off that envelope and hand it to the post office.

(10) Be patient and breathe.  The waiting process can be excruciatingly long.  For one of the schools I applied to, it took up to eight months to hear the final word.  I corresponded regularly and was put on a waitlist, but it took a long time to hear back from them.  I became antsy and started to mope.  What you need to learn to do above all things is to breathe: keep calm, carry on.  It's easier said than done, but it's what needs to be done.  If you don't get into A, you may get into B.  If you don't get in anywhere, wait a little or start to formulate a backup plan.  In fact, be proactive.  It's far better than sitting on a couch, waiting for the mailman to ring or for your phone to buzz.

Now, I have an entirely different post for dealing with acceptance vs. rejection letters, and it's quite late.  But I hope that somehow I've provided a good feel for what the application process is like.  Its always hard to get started, but once you start, you'll get into the swing of things.

And remember: if you feel like you're floating, head barely above water, overwhelmed and surrounded by options and the weight of the future... You're not the only one.  Though the rest of the world seems calm and fantastic, peachy and well-groomed, they're all secretly panicking inside.  So don't think you're weird, or odd, or late, or strange.  We all are; some of us are just better at hiding it.

Good luck and godspeed.  And feel free to contact me if questions arise!  (Again, disclaimer: I'm not a guru or a guide, just someone who you can talk to or discuss concerns with.  Just another student looking out for her fellow peers, really.)

Until January 2012, have a Happy Holiday break and a Happy New Year!

Some Sense of (Sick) Pride: A Canadian Hogwarts

A sky view of University College, U of T just outside Convocation Hall.

There's something very intimidating, yet beautiful about walking through the Harvardesque buildings, routes and the odd assortment of stone archways at U of T.  My first time on campus reminded me so much of Harvard that I held in a sigh of admiration.  I remember this quite well: I was seventeen and booked for an early-morning tour of the campus.  As a Torontonian, I should have had a great sense of the architectural wonders gracing U of T, but I hardly walked by the campus.  Downtown is a menagerie of sights and sounds, as well as tastes, so I've spent most of my time scouring the non-academic centers of metropolitan Toronto.  It was like discovering a little nugget, a little gem of frozen time.

I spent a morning wandering the downtown campus before picking up my convocation tickets; I almost forgot that Simcoe Hall was adjacent to Convocation Hall.  It takes some remembering and some mind-bending to realign yourself on campus, but once you do, you realize how easy it is to weave through fragments of classes and scattered students leaving chemistry, anthropology or biology classes.  I remember how I held my breath; I wondered if they could smell that I was no longer a student at the university, that I was now an alumnus and that I was simply visiting, not staying.  My time spent at U of T honed my complex a bit; I could tell when a non-university student was wandering the premises and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand, my arm hairs prickling with feverish detection.  It wasn't so much hostility, as it was innate pride.  Who are you and why are you walking on student-sacred ground?  It came with years of browbeating work and grading curves, so I suppose it was a conditioned response as opposed to a manifested feeling of superiority.

As a graduate student outside of the University of Toronto, I feel that there is some pride to knowing that I survived a stringent set of guidelines and rules.  There is a work ethic I cannot tear from myself; I can tell myself to calm down, to take a day off, and I will, but the work ethic returns with great force.  After that day off, a full day of work follows.  It's the law of give and take, of work and play, and where better to learn about the risks and rewards of hard work than at U of T?  The land of high quality input, critical appraisal and creative problem thinking has generated cohorts of brilliant minds, of incredibly astute researchers in various fields.

For all the griping I've done over the years (re: ridiculous work loads, difficult and meticulous marking schemes, multiple choice tests that have been the bane of my existence, the stripping of my creative and literary passion, the homogenizing of personalities into assigned numbers, etc), I do have some sense of pride, albeit sick and misaligned.  If you've graduated from U of T, or if you are on your way, I can tell you that despite the gruesome journey you've taken, you'll have a great sense of pride in coming from a top tier school.  Of course, this is no advertisement or endorsement of the school or its programs; it's simply a fact.  Once you've survived what seems like the most difficult years of your undergraduate career, anything afterwards just feels possible.

As I walk into Convocation Hall tomorrow evening, donning my hood and wearing uncomfortable heels, I'll take one more glance at the beautiful architecture that inspired so many scholars.  Austere, tall, proud are all words that describe the university and its aged stone buildings.  Timeless, sturdy and mature is what you'll hopefully be by the end of your term there.

To alumni, graduates and persevering undergraduates: we came, we saw, we conquered--we survived.