Admission to most graduate programs is highly competitive. The more you know about the application and evaluation process, the better your chances of acceptance. The primary determinants are the quality of your academic background and abilities and your performance on standard admissions tests.

For more information on applying to Graduate and Professional school, please review the links to the right.

Types of Graduate Degrees

Graduate programs involve specialized knowledge and concentrated study in one or more specific areas of study, including:

The Master's of Science (MS) or Master's of Arts (MA) Degree Program provides the skills and academic coursework required to work in many specific areas of education, business, engineering and other professions.  Master's degrees usually qualify people to work in jobs not accessible to them with a Bachelor's, to earn higher salaries and to potentially advance faster and further in the workplace. The Master's program often involves an internship or practicum and takes about two years of full-time study to complete.  Some programs may be completed on a part-time basis, allowing students to work while pursuing an advanced degree. 

The Professional Doctorate Degree Program takes 3-4 years of full-time study to complete.  The most common types of Professional Doctorates are the JD, MD,  DO, OD, DVM, DDS and other degrees, most found in the health professions.

The Research Doctorate Degree Program takes 5-9 years of full-time postgraduate study to complete and involves both coursework and a major research project. It results in the Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) and is the primary credential for college-level teaching. The traditional career for PhD recipients is private practice, teaching and research in the higher education, corporate and government sectors.

Criteria Used In Evaluating Graduate School Applicants

Although many similarities exist in the admission criteria used by graduate schools, every program is unique and may weigh the following criteria differently:

GPA

Before applying to a program, learn how important having a GPA is to the admission process.  Find out if any New College students have been accepted in the past by checking with faculty in your discipline or the department you are applying to. The Registrar's Office sends an explanation of your New College transcript to each institution you designate. We suggest that you also include a statement about New College and its educational philosophy along with your application materials. 

Standardized Test Scores

Most graduate programs use scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test as admission criteria, although a few use scores from the Miller Analogy Test (MAT).  The other commonly used admissions tests are the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).  

You may download GRE practice tests from the test administrator's web site.

Letters of Recommendation

You will need at least three letters of recommendation to apply to most graduate programs. Letters from faculty are of greatest value since they provide admission committees with additional perspectives on your past academic performance and future potential.

Guidelines:

• A good recommendation letter will discuss why you are particularly well-suited to pursue your intended area of study and will include details about research completed as an undergraduate. 
• Give the references 3-4 weeks to write and mail your letters.
• Give the letter writers a jump start by providing a list of schools to which you are applying and deadlines; a copy of your resume or CV; a copy of your transcript, stamped and self-addressed envelopes and a copy of your personal statement.  
• Remember, the letter writers are the persons doing you a favor and they have tremendous potential to influence admissions committees. Treat them as such and take every opportunity to make their job easier.

Research Experience

Selection committees value research experience, whether paid or unpaid. Gain as much as you can.

Application Essays

You must write a personal statement or essay as part of the graduate school application process. It must be neatly typed, articulate, concise and creative. Career Services staff will help you style, edit and polish your essay.

Personal Interview

The best way to prepare for the interview is to learn as much as possible about the program, including its training model, areas of concentration and educational philosophy.  Become familiar with the program's faculty members and their specific areas of interest. Pick a professor whose work you most admire and read it. Create opportunities during the interview to reference the work and mention that you have read it. 

Other Criteria

Be aware that other criteria not directly required by graduate programs can influence your status as an applicant. One is inclusion of a resume or curriculum vitae (CV).  Although optional, it is recommended because it concisely summarizes the most relevant information about you in an easy-to-read format.

The quality of your application materials matters. This includes neatness, legibility, completeness, timeliness and accuracy. You should submit all  application forms typed, not hand-written. Proofread everything. Twice.

Choosing Graduate Programs

When evaluating programs, remember that graduate schools do not have reputations-- specific departments do.  When choosing programs, look at the admissions requirements, courses offered, length of the program, employment rate for recent graduates, attrition rate, faculty publications and the honors/awards received by both students and faculty. 
 
Your best allies in program selection are the professors you've worked with at New College. Most are extremely knowledgeable about programs in their fields of interest and are happy to share recommendations.

After identifying programs of interest, compare the profiles of current students to your background to estimate the match between the program's requirements and your qualifications. Your goal is to identify 5-7 programs that you will apply to, a couple of which will be "safety-net" schools. Pursue only programs that match your intellectual and career needs and are located in a place you are willing to live in for 2-6 years, or longer.

Ideally, you should visit every school that you plan to apply to. The best way to find out about a program is to talk with students who are currently enrolled. This may not always be practical, but the payoff may be worth your time and money.

The Admissions Process

Many graduate programs have rolling admissions policies that allow them to accept qualified candidates until the entering class is full.  If a program is operating on a rolling basis, acceptance decisions may be made as early as October.  With this policy, it is advantageous to submit your applications materials well in advance of application deadlines. 

If a program does not follow a rolling admissions process, all applications are held until after the deadline and then reviewed by the admissions committee.  Using this approach, selection is more competitive and is based on the total applicant pool.  Knowing the admissions policies of each program you apply to will allow you to create an application timeline that works to your advantage. 

You must also devise an efficient method for tracking your applications, such as using a folder for each application. Make an application checklist and staple it to the inside cover of the folder so you can keep a thorough record of everything you send.  Make copies of all application materials before mailing the originals.

It can take up to six weeks for transcripts and standardized test scores to be received by graduate schools,  so submit your requests early.  Many schools will send an acknowledgement of receipt, but if you have not received confirmation after six weeks, call the school and ask if your file is complete.  It is your responsibility to make sure everything has been received!

Timetable for Applying

If you intend to go to graduate school directly after graduating with your Bachelor of Arts degree, here's a rough timetable for getting ready:

In the spring semester of your third year:  Begin learning more about the  programs you're interested in by studying web sites and going over graduate school guides in the Career Library.  If you haven't already done so, try to get involved in research projects, internships and jobs in your field of interest.  Take a practice GRE and begin preparing for the real one.

In the summer after your third year:  Begin making a list of schools you are interested in applying to and request information from them, including course catalogs and financial aid packets.  Register to take the GRE in the fall.  Think about whom you will ask to write your letters of recommendation.

In the fall of your fourth year:  Make a final list of schools you will apply to. Be sure to get their financial aid and catalog information.  Contact the departments about what is needed to be considered for fellowships and assistantships.  Take the GREs by November or December.  Ask three or more professors to write letters of recommendation for you.

After the fall semester of your fourth year:  Complete your applications and mail them in.  Deadlines are usually January-March, depending on the graduate school.  Confirm that your application materials have been received and your file is complete.  Then, wait for acceptances.  If possible, visit the schools you have been accepted by so you can make a choice of which to attend.

After You Have Applied

It can take 2-3 months before you hear from the programs to which you have applied.  Most decisions for fall enrollment are made between March 1-April 1, so while you are waiting, prepare for interviews you may have to attend and learn how to accept and decline offers gracefully and appropriately.

Consider the worst-case scenario--every school you applied to rejects you!  If you can come to terms with this possibility, you might be disappointed if the worst happens but not devastated.  You can try again if you are committed to advanced academic training, but first examine the reasons you were not competitive.  Was it a bad recommendation letter?  Poor GRE scores?  Did you apply to too few programs?  Don't get discouraged but instead attempt to correct any problems.  If you are graduating, get a discipline-related job or internship, or take a few graduate courses locally on a non-degree basis to show your commitment to the field.  It is not unusual to find well-known researchers who did not get into graduate school the first time they applied!

Preparing for Interviews

If you are invited to an interview, it is highly recommended that you go even if you have to borrow the money because interviews are granted only to applicants being seriously considered for admittance.  If you absolutely cannot attend, find out if the program will consider a telephone interview and make sure to emphasize that your inability to attend in person is no reflection on your interest in the program. 
Some programs schedule a single campus visitation day for all applicants.  Their itinerary usually includes individual interviews with graduate faculty, a lunch with faculty and graduate students, a tour of the department and laboratory facilities, and a dinner or social event with other graduate students.

In preparing for your interviews, review all available hard-copy and web site information about the program and faculty.  Do a mock interview with Career Services staff or family members so that you will be less nervous during the actual interview.  Review your qualifications, interests and goals and prepare answers to the following questions which may arise:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why are you interested in attending this program?
• With which professors would you most like to study and why?
• What qualities make you a good match for this program?
• What is your academic background and which courses have had the greatest influence on you?
• What are your specific research interests and career aspirations?
• Why should we admit you?
• What makes you different from all other applicants?  

Don't try to answer a question if you have nothing reasonably intelligent to say about it--simply state that you have to think over the question before giving an answer.  Make sure you ask questions about the program because a candidate who is not eager to learn more makes a poor impression. 

As soon as you have two offers in hand, choose the one you prefer and decline the other.  You do not have to accept the preferred one immediately unless it is your first graduate school choice.  With each new offer you receive, hold the preferred choice in reserve and formally decline the less attractive offer until you receive the one you want most.  As soon as this occurs, accept it and notify the other programs from which offers are pending that you are no longer considering their programs.

The proper procedure for accepting or declining offers is to call first and follow up with a brief, polite letter.  When declining offers, thank the admissions committee for taking the time to consider you. When you have made your decision, notify your letter of recommendation writers to thank them again and let them know where you have decided to go.