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David's Guide to Applying to Graduate School
February 2004

This document is a somewhat idiosyncratic guide to approaching the graduate school application process, distilled from my experience and the experience of others I have met and talked to. This guide is primarily for those who wish to enter a graduate program in the social sciences or interdisciplinary programs, though I imagine some of these guidelines will help those of you wanting to enter the humanities (this won't really help future doctors or lawyers). Moreover, these are written with the assumption that you are interested in academic employment after completing your degree (though most of them are still useful even if you want to find employment outside academia).

Other people may have a different tack on this process, and (in line with my suggestions for selecting a school, below), it would behoove you to get second and third opinions on all of these points. I should also point out that with one exception (the bit about taking time off), I followed none of these suggestions. I was just lucky to land in a great department with a lot of financial, emotional, and intellectual support. I've heard from a lot of my peers in other schools, however, that my experience is not necessarily the norm. So, for what it's worth...:

Before you apply

First of all, my strong suggestion is that you take some time between finishing your undergraduate degree and going to graduate school. Give yourself a break, travel, wait tables (good practice for teaching), etc. I don't subscribe to the idea of school as not being in the "real world," but non-academic contexts are different worlds, and it makes sense to bang around a bit before you settle on a school. Some of you have very clear ideas about career goals and what you'd like to do; most of you probably don't. So, go and find what it is that interests you and then start thinking about graduate school.

Once you've decided that you can no longer deal with waiting tables, being a gofer on a film set, or filing memos, and you decide to send off for those applications, there are several things you should bear in mind.

Vision

First, you should have something in mind. That is, even though you can't be expected to know what it is that your Ph.D. research is going to look like, you need to have some idea of what it is you want to do (see below on the application process). If you don't, and you just plan to enter grad school because you're bored, want to regularize your immigration status, or don't know what else to do, do a reality check. You don't have to have a Ph.D. proposal worked out -- but you do need to have some passion for something that animates your application, or (even if you get accepted somewhere), you will probably not end up finishing your program. So, be very clear about this.

Job prospects

Another thing to remember if you want to enter a program in the social sciences, humanities, or an interdisciplinary studies program is that once you have your degree you will face the fact of a very tight academic job market. Indeed, you will probably have met at least ten rather bitter people with Ph.D.s waiting tables in the restaurant you were working in. So, look around at the jobs that are available in the field you want to enter (job listings for Anthropology, Sociology, American Studies, Economics, Political Science, Women's Studies etc. are usually available on line on the web pages of the respective professional organization).   For example, sociology has a larger job market than anthropology. Talk to your college professors about their experiences of finding a job too. As unpopular as this might be to some, getting a job is easier if you have a Ph.D. in an established discipline (one of the social sciences or humanities) rather than in a field of interdisciplinary study, since as an anthropologist (for example) you are more likely to be considered for a job in both anthropology and an interdisciplinary program while the reverse is less likely. Also, if you are not invested in an academic career, some graduate programs are better than others in setting you up for employment outside academia. Again, look around to see where people are employed. (Alternately, go to the webpages of departments where you fantasize about working and see where the faculty got their Ph.D.s) But it is really essential that you consider employment before you enter grad school, since you'll be spending a good part of the next six to eight years of your life getting your degree.   I'll have more to say about jobs later on in this document.

Choosing programs to apply to

Once you've decided you want to enter a program in, say, medical anthropology, you need to start looking for programs in which you would like to enroll. Again, talk to your college professors to see what they suggest, but also do some of your own research on line. You should apply to more than one program, though remember that applications require fees (though see below). There are several things to consider when choosing the programs you apply to, some of which I'm afraid, require you to adopt a very rationalist cost/benefit perspective. These are (in no particular order):

* First, you need to consider the programs in and of themselves: are there faculty you'd be interested in working with, and who would be able to train and mentor you? Does their research complement your proposed project? Does the course listing reflect topics that interest you? Are other graduate students doing projects that reflect your own interests? How many faculty are there? How often are courses taught? What opportunities are there for taking classes in other departments or is the university linked to a consortium of other schools where you could take courses? I.e. how tasty is the meal being offered? We'll deal with the realities later on, but for now, get a sense of whether, in the idealized way that departments represent themselves, you think you'd get good training. (And again, ask college professors what they know of the departments you select).

* Another issue you need to consider up front is, I'm afraid to say, the status of school and the scholars who are its faculty. While this is not set in stone, jobs and grants often accrue to students of faculty in more prestigious institutions, and you should think about this very carefully. Try and find out where the graduates of each department have found jobs, and when they got their degrees (i.e. how long did it take them to find a job, where is the job, what schools and/or other institutions hired them etc.) This will give you some idea of what possibilities there might be after graduation. Of course, your transcript (and your GRE results; see below) will affect what schools you can apply for, but I am assuming you are a marvelous student with exceptional results and recommendations.

* Finally: location, location, location. This sounds like a feeble criterion, but remember than you may be in school for six to eight years, and you should decide whether or not you are willing to live in the place you're applying to for that amount of time. I know lots of people who dropped out of grad school because they hated where they were living. Another factor to bear in mind is the aforementioned point that you will be living on the bread line unless you have a trust fund, so think about what you might be able to afford (see below re: funding).

The application process

Once you've decided on the schools and departments you intend to apply for, you need to request your application packets. Applications to grad school require all kinds of documentation. Obviously, you'll need your transcripts and so on, but there are a couple of points to make here:

* GREs. More and more schools are abandoning the use of standardized testing for admissions, but many more are still using them. GREs, sadly, can count for a lot, so don't treat them lightly.   There are many texts and courses that help you prepare for these tests.   Strive to do as well as you can. I can tell you from personal experience that funding decisions are often linked to GRE scores.

* You will also probably be required to get letters of recommendation from your college professors. Obviously, you want letters from those you've got a good relationship with, but you should also try and tailor your selection of writers to your program (e.g. a sociologist for a sociology program).   You want to ask those professors who are most likely to write a detailed letter on your behalf, who can speak to the specific discipline you want to train in, and who will actually do it (i.e. the responsible ones). From the other side of the table, I would suggest that a good way to reduce the work for your referees is to provide them with a comprehensive list of the schools you're applying to, the addresses, the necessary forms, a copy of your transcript, your CV (if you have one), and a list of deadlines.

* Finally, and perhaps most significantly, is your personal statement/statement of intent/research outline, or whatever else it is called. This is a very different animal from the one you wrote for your college application. These statements usually must be very short, so every word counts. This document needs to persuade the reader that you are a serious, thoughtful candidate who has some grounding in the field and an interesting project proposal. Writing these kinds of statements is a very specialized form of fiction writing, since you can't know exactly what your research project is going to be. At the same time, you must persuade the reader that you are directed, that you have some sense of the field, that your interests are a good match for the department, and give a sense that you will stay the course, i.e. that you will complete your degree. You want to make an argument as to how your personal interests intersect with those of the faculty and the program more broadly. You should avoid generalities, and strive to carve out a specific field of investigation, displaying your knowledge of the field. My strong suggestion is that you work with a willing college professor or someone who has some experience in the field on crafting this statement. It should go through many edit cycles!

Once you've been accepted to a program of study

Of course, being brilliant, you have been accepted to all the programs you applied to. Now comes the real work! (And if you are not accepted in a department you really want to enter, you might also consider waiting a year and, if they accept re-applications, put in a stronger application again for the following cycle.) Once a department has accepted you, you must work with the assumption that they are as invested in having you enter their program as you are in accepting their offer. That is, let them sell you on their program, and don't feel you can't ask questions and do research about the place; indeed, you will be considered a more serious candidate if you take the time to investigate what the department has to offer. I cannot stress enough the importance of doing your research: you should treat each department that has accepted you as an ethnographic site where you are doing research to find out about the culture, politics, and economics of each place. The central points you should attend to are:

* Funding. Beyond everything else, you need to find out first about how much this is going to cost you. This goes back to the point I made above about employment. Remember that as an academic, you will probably not earn more than $45K in your first job after graduation (this figure is from my own experience, from 2001). If you are saddled with $100K of student loans, you will be paying them off until you retire.   Usually, I tell students that they shouldn't enter a graduate program if they have to pay for it. By this I mean that they should only consider graduate programs that provide a decent amount of funding (i.e. covering tuition and providing a stipend in some form, whether in return for being a teaching assistant or some other service for at least the time you are taking classes). Again, and sadly, decent funding often goes with the more prestigious schools. See what funding packages are available, and ask detailed questions about what gets covered, and most importantly, how long you will be funded for (there are limits on most funding, so make sure you know how long you can count on financial support as this will also give you some idea of how soon they expect you to be finished).   No matter how passionate you are about your field of study, unless you or someone else is willing to pay out of pocket (and up front) for the bulk of your education, seriously consider the long term financial implications of entering a poorly funded program. Also find out if they have money to fund student research, travel money etc. (many large universities have a travel fund to help grad student attend conferences, do pre-dissertation research etc.) You may have to take out loans still, even with a good funding package, but you should not pay for your tuition. Do note, however, that some disciplines tend to have more money than others. The natural sciences have tons, the social sciences have some, and the humanities and arts tend to be the hunter gatherers of university funding. And, as with finding jobs, the prestige of the institution is often tied to the amount of money they have to fund grad students. Modify your expectations accordingly.

* Campus visits. Some schools will pay for candidates to whom they have offered places to come for a campus visit (another sign of their seriousness) in their attempt to recruit good students. If this isn't offered, ask whether they would consider covering all/part of your trip to check out the campus. Either way, you should make sure to visit the departments you have applied to and been accepted in (and if they ain't paying, pay special attention to the above re: funding).

* Faculty check. Once you are there, it is important to meet and get a sense of the faculty who look so fabulous on paper. Of course, faculty in most schools are horribly over worked, so it makes sense to organize meetings ahead of time. Make sure you have some questions prepared about the program, but also ask anything that comes to mind. Again, remember you are checking them out as much as they are trying to get a sense of you. Don't expect a red carpet, but do expect that people will make the time to meet with you. If you are stood up, this is a Bad Thing.

* The process. Get an idea what the process is, how many hoops you have to jump through, the expectations in terms of completion, the requirements for the course of study etc. Most departments will have student handbooks in which this is laid out. Try and get hold of this before you visit the campus so you can read it carefully. From your reading, get a sense of what you will be required to do over the years to come -- and more importantly, whether you think you really want to do it.   Make sure you ask questions about anything you don't understand during your visit.

* Graduate students. The single most important thing you need to do, whether you go to the campus or not (and you really should), it to make sure you talk to or communicate with current graduate students who are in the program. Ideally, you want to speak to people who are both in early and advanced stages of the program, and you should speak to as many as will talk to you. Faculty will tell you all the great things about the department; students will fill you in on all the downers. You want to find out from the graduate students what the culture of the department is like: do the funding promises get fulfilled? Are they relatively happy in the program? (No graduate student is fully "happy," since grad school is always a trial, but find out whether they feel like they're benefitting from the program.) Are faculty available to them? Do they feel they are being mentored and nurtured as future colleagues? Are they getting help with writing grant proposals, and are faculty helping their students find outside sources of funding? Most crucially (for the advanced students you speak to), are faculty invested in helping them get jobs? That is, do faculty work with them on writing job letters and constructing a good CV? Have they gotten help (or do they know they would get help) in getting work in print, in getting a book contract? Basically, you need to find out from the current students whether this department nurtures their students as future scholars, or whether they feel like a herd of cattle. There will always be disaffected students in any bunch, so don't rely on just one testimonial -- make sure you talk to a broad range (but especially to the more advanced students). I have heard way too many stories from my peers who were accepted to amazing programs with amazing, famous scholars, all of whom disappeared for the eight years of their graduate work and offered little or no input on anything, simply showing up for the dissertation defense. You do not, under any circumstances, want to enter a program like that, even if the funding is great.

Last thoughts

You have to consider all these issues simultaneously; you won't get all of them probably, but you should prioritize (a) a positive departmental culture in which you will be trained and nurtured and (b) funding.

Again, you should consult with knowledgeable people (including your college professors) about your choice, and gather as much data as you can before you select which offer you will accept.

Finally, you make your decision, inform the lucky department and politely decline the offers from those who haven't measured up to your standards. And then, stand by for eight years of hard work. Good luck!ate school