10 Free Tips For Getting Admitted Into Graduate School

Before we start... I will continue my story. I was fortunate enough to go to a small school and to develop close relationships with a few faculty members. I received the most valuable advice the day before I sent the application for the school I'm currently in. I made a last-minute change that proved to be a life-saver. I got rejected by all six schools to which I sent out applications before that day.
And no, I wasn't a bad student at all. I actually have a decent resume also.
I hope that my student perspective on some of the insider secrets will help you make your application bring out the best in you.

It costs 9 dollars, but you won't find any real help any cheaper. If you're not happy they also give refunds.

If you traveled a lot, why not mention how that helped you mature? Especially if your dream job involves traveling.

What I'm trying to say is: make your life experience count. If you're not in your early 20s any more, take advantage of that!
I might sound like a broken record, but... talk about what YOU have, what YOU have achieved, and, finally, tell them what you WILL accomplish.

Be honest in your essay, and you will stand out!

Different schools put different weights on this part of the application, so it's up to you to find out which schools do what.
If your major GPA is higher than your overall GPA, make sure to include it in your application somewhere.

Let's say you are not very proud of a few of the grades you got. The kind of advice you'll get very often from online sources is to try and explain them in the essay or somewhere else. That could be a good idea, but don't ruin a great essay just so you can complain about your GPA. If you must...then you must!

The GPA is the one part of the application that you can't change last minute. So if you haven't been working very hard on your grades, talk about how ambitious and motivated you will be from now on. If you have some project that won some award make it count, especially if it's relevant to your career choice!
If your GPA is very high (like above 3.75) DO NOT try to justify any of your bad grades. They will think all you care about is your GPA and it makes you come across as forever unhappy with what you have. What you can do is briefly mention how you managed to work part-time and get good grades in the same time (if that's the case).

Last tip: Send your transcript on time!

Professor Smith is your favorite and he/she inspires you! Professor Smith also wrote the best recommendation letter for you.

Then why not tell the whole world about it? Well, ok...at least tell the admission committee. If you can, include a paragraph in your essay where you mention him once or twice. The person reading your essay will be thinking: "Wait, let me see again who professor Smith was".

Voila! This is a neat trick that increases you chances of having your application carefully looked at.

When it comes to choosing a graduate program, you have to forget about the reputation of the school. What really matter are your options when you get there. If you're passionate about 17th century Spain you have to go to a school that will encourage that. Otherwise you will find yourself writing a thesis on post-war conditions in Vietnam.
Needless to say, the school you go to will influence your research, which in turn will have an impact on your entire life.
Choose carefully! People within your area of expertise will be aware of the quality of the graduate program in most schools, so you don't need to worry much about it!. Lots of students will apply to big name schools, so you will have lots of competition there.
Look for the hidden gems!

That is your business card. I shouldn't have to tell you that there should be no mistakes in it.
But I will, because I've seen many faulty resumes at some of my most competitive classmates.
There are many good sources of information out there about what makes a good resume, but I'll focus on grad school application tips.
If you have some grading or teaching experience put it in a separate section from the rest of your jobs.
Don't forget to mention honor societies or scholarships you received.
How about internships? Conferences? Research Experiences? Presentations? Awards?

Get personal: include a section on extra-curricular activities and other interests. Well-rounded individuals are more likely to be successful in life. The schools want to be able to brag about your achievements once you leave them.

However, the main point I wanted to make is that you should ask professors from your school to read it and give you some feedback. Make sure you ask for honesty. With their experience they will be able to nit-pick every single issue.

Finally, if you submit your CV or resume in digital format, use PDF (unless instructed otherwise). Maybe not all the members of the committee have the latest version of MS Office. The last thing you want to do is to get on their nerves.

You have the opportunity to use between 500 and 2000 words to send across ONE message: 'Let me in!'
Easier said than done.

What I learned at my new school is that they received a few hundred applications for only about a dozen spots. If you think that each member of the committee is going to carefully read your essay while listening to classical music in his/her living room, think again!
Make a strong intro. I cannot emphasize enough how important that is. It's their first impression of you. If it's not good enough, it's like walking into the interview room with no shoes on. Sure, your skills in your area of expertise won't be affected by the quality of your outfit, but having shoes on sure helps with building relationships.
If you are not confident about your writing skills, get help. Sooner or later you will need to learn how to tie your own shoe laces, but you can start by learning from others.
Yes, even if you are applying for a PhD in Science you need to be able to put some words together. If you're aiming to work with a world-renowned researcher, you're going to do a lot of writing and presentations. Your advisor won't have time for anything more than proofread your masterpiece. To sum it up, how you write is like a preview of what they're going to have to deal with.

Now that we got that out of the way, I'll give you a few general tips that I received a while ago.
-Don't start with a negative word (like I just did here). Even if you use them to describe something good.
-If this is the career you've been dreaming about since you were a toddler, emphasize that you've matured and that you learned exciting things about this subject. Pursuing a childhood dream for the sake of it usually results in failure.
-If you had to change majors, talk about what made you switch. Professors dig that!
-Include an anecdote (short story) about a relevant experience you had in the recent past. Talk about how that shaped you into the person you are now.
-Be casual!
-Not too casual. Show maturity. You will need patience and the ability to work independently in grad school. The most successful graduate students are those that can stay focused on their long-term goals.
-Proofread.
-If you already have a project in mind (that they have going on, of course) mention it! Don't lay out a plan of attack, just tell them why you're interested. Nobody expects you to perform without some guidance.
Finally, write a strong conclusion. Imagine you're already admitted and keep that attitude while writing the last paragraph. Don't be too arrogant.

By that I mean triple check your sources for recommendation letters. Most schools ask for a minimum of three letters. They really mean it! Three is enough. Send four only if you have to; for instance, if you have some unusual background story. If it's been a long time since you got your bachelor's degree and you've been working full-time since.

I was the typical applicant. For some reason I decided that I could send in four references instead of the required three. My fourth reference turned out to be too busy to write a detailed letter, so he just wrote a very generic one (Yes, I found out!). His name was definitely rather resonant, so I figured it could help my chances. Along with reputation...comes a busy schedule. The day I figured this out I decided not to ask him for a letter anymore, and I got in!

So watch out! A generic letter will make the admission committee think that you don't know who your friends are. Not a good sign if you want a successful career!