I’ve been writing a lot of blog posts about students who are already in graduate school and struggling with certain issues, such as balancing graduate school with other elements of life, communicating with dissertation committees, and choosing dissertation committee members. Now, I want to focus a bit of energy toward undergraduates and people who have earned their Bachelor’s degrees who want to move on to graduate school. As you may know, the application process for graduate school is an extensive one, so I am writing a 5-part series of blog posts for everyone who needs a little extra help in applying for graduate school. The rest of the series will include the following topics:

Part 1: Knowing the Overall Application Process

This blog post will be about what most graduate programs require of you when applying for their program. Knowing that every graduate program is different, I will write generally about the most important elements of your application, including your personal statement, resume or curriculum vitae (CV), and portfolio of your work.

Part 2: Doing Your Research

Whether you still have undergraduate status, have just earned your Bachelor’s degree, or have been out of the university scene for a while, it can be intimidating to start the search for graduate programs. In this blog post, I will give you tips on how to search for the best graduate program that will work for you in your chosen field. I will also provide you ways to decide between certain graduate programs when you are accepted into different programs.

Part 3: Including the Necessary Elements

It can be easy to misunderstand what should be included in your application for graduate school, so I want to let you know how to include important documents with your application. I also want to help you understand which phrases to use and topics to discuss when you apply for graduate school.

Part 4: Excluding the Unnecessary Elements

On the flip side, it’s also easy to misunderstand what should not be included in your application for graduate school. In this blog post, I want to give you helpful tips about what you should not discuss or include in your application. You should know by now that there are just some things that you should not write about when trying to receive an acceptance letter.

Part 5: Perfecting Your Application(s)

In this blog post, I want to give you tips about how to edit your application for graduate school. I will include the common mistakes that personnel in graduate programs see in applications. I also want to give you ways in which you can make sure that your application stands out among the other applications.

I’m excited about this new series of blog posts because I think that many people will benefit from it. And if you’re not a person who is thinking about continuing on or going to graduate school, maybe this will encourage you to think about it in a different light. In whatever situation you’re in, whether you are an undergraduate student, have earned your Bachelor’s degree, or have not been in school in a few (or more) years, look out for this new series coming up. And please leave comments or questions if you have any. I’d love to hear from you!