Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

How to Prepare for Grad School

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cal State LA chapter.

Grad school is an option for many students. Some students want to further their education, explore another field or get more expertise. Applying for grad school can be stressful since students already have to balance classes, homework and maybe work. Here are some tips that can ease the process.

Check with Different Schools

Make a list of the schools that you are interested in. Visit their websites or call the department to make sure that they offer a program that caters to your interests. Sign up with the school to receive emails about deadlines, open houses and events.

 

Check Deadlines

Different grad programs have different deadlines. Some deadlines are different from deadlines for bachelor degree programs.

 

Prepare for Gradschool Exams

Some schools ask for GRE, GMAT, or LSAT scores. Check what test your program asks for and prepare with time. These tests usually require intense studying and require you to polish your math and vocabulary. Schedule your test with time because slots fill up as deadlines approach. Scheduling with time also gives you the opportunity to retake the test if needed and gives you enough time to send your scores to the schools you want. To find out more about these tests or to schedule an appointment visit https://www.ets.org

 

Prepare your Personal Statement

This can be hard especially since the last thing we want to do is write an essay. A personal statement is one of the most important aspects of the grad school application since it gives admission officers an insight to not only  your writing, but also about your persona. Start with time so you can ask a professor or your school’s writing center to review and help you edit your personal statement.

 

Letters of Recommendation

Check with your desired program to see how many letters are required. Ask professors, advisors or anyone with knowledge about your educational or professional work to write you a letter. Ask them with enough time to spare since they are also busy. If they agree to write a letter of recommendation, help by providing them with a copy of your resume or work samples that you developed for that professor’s class.

 

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Cristina Galvan

Cal State LA

Cristina Galvan is a senior at Cal State LA. She is majoring in Television, Film and Media Studies with an option in Broadcast Journalism. When not working, or doing homework, she enjoys reading,spending time with her family, shopping and doing arts and crafts.
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Yzzy Gonzalez

Cal State LA

Yzzy (real name Ysabel, for the record) is obsessed with a myriad of things, including Inception, traveling, Downtown LA, and laser tagging. Majoring in Television, Film and Media and a lover of creative writing, Yzzy is torn between visual storytelling and using a whole bunch of words. Twitter: @yzzygonzalez