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A Girl’s Guide to Grad School Applications

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

It’s the senior year of my undergraduate degree, and there’s an ongoing battle between severe senioritis and wanting to finish strong. Time’s speeding by, and the thought of life outside of college seems hard to picture.

In a world where my best friends aren’t a five-minute walk away and parting ways with Guthrie’s sounds insane, saying goodbye to the home of some of my most transformative and sweet moments is the most unbelievable.

What got me out of my senior year’s slothful state was the unforgiving and daunting deadlines for graduate school. Once I was ready to lock in and begin applying, I realized the deadlines were much closer than expected. This process was extremely stressful while managing a full courseload and extracurricular involvements.

Despite the stress, I learned ways to organize myself and calm my nerves during the grad school application process while keeping up with my academics and social life. I finally finished my last application and got into my top school!

Still, I wish I’d known someone who had already gone through the process, so I hope this article helps you out if you’re feeling a little lost! But before we jump in, you made it to the final year of your undergraduate degree! Allow yourself some grace and breathe because that is a huge accomplishment!

What Do You Want From A Grad Program?

Before you begin any applications, list factors you want in your future grad program. What factors matter the most to you? What exactly are the top characteristics that make a university appeal to you? Is it location, prestige, or financial feasibility?

Do your research and find the programs and universities that fit them. If you know you’ll need financial aid, research what kinds of grants and scholarships the schools may offer, and look into which schools have application fee waivers based on financial need or for applicants who attend certain virtual or in-person events.

When applying to graduate programs that you feel are a reach, don’t let academic imposter syndrome psych you out. You might be the perfect candidate for your dream program; you just may not see it yet! It’s better to have applied than to regret what could’ve been because you’re afraid of a possible rejection.

GET ENGAGED

Now that you know what to look for, think of the schools where you can picture yourself happy. Grad applications can be time-consuming, so applying to schools you wouldn’t attend could be an unnecessary and added task.

Make sure you follow both the main accounts for the schools on social media platforms and the specific accounts for the college that your program is under. This should most importantly include LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, allowing you to stay up to date with deadlines and opportunities that the school and your program of interest have in store.

It’ll also help you look into the campus and student life. The FSU equivalent is following FSU’s official Instagram and the account for the College of Business if you’re interested in one of their graduate programs.

Create a list

Before tackling the applications themselves, make a list somewhere, either physically or on your notes app, and add any deadlines or supplemental essays you’ll need to complete for the application.

This will allow you to organize and prioritize which applications will take the longest and which have the most pressing deadlines. Supplemental essays, statement of purpose essays, and requests for letters of recommendation need time to be completed and finalized. Before I put things in order, I was easily overwhelmed by the entire process. Visualizing my tasks and upcoming deadlines gave me more clarity about what I’d do first, becoming the most critical step to getting coordinated and putting myself at ease.

What Works For You?

Once you begin the process, how you take on each application depends on you. I did several applications at once, but I know others who would prefer to take them on one at a time. This is entirely up to your preference since there’s no right or wrong way. As long as you’re on top of deadlines and have requested your letters of recommendation, you’ll be okay.

Have your friends or family review your supplementals, read them out loud to yourself, and get super comfortable with what you’re submitting. Trust your judgment, and answer questions in ways that are authentic to yourself since they’re also looking at you as an individual, not just for a certain GPA and resume.

Senior year can feel like an endless pit of the Sunday scaries if you let it. Tackling grad applications is a bit stressful, yet think of how many possibilities you’re unlocking by moving forward and simply applying!

Instead of seeing graduation as the end of your youth, you’re simply opening the fun and limitless potential of your 20s, regardless of where you end up and whatever you choose to pursue in your career and your heart!

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Maya Shah is a staff writer at Her Campus at the FSU chapter. She is a Marketing major with a minor in Hispanic Marketing Communications.