By Breanna Bonner, Peer Research Ambassador
The fall semester brings up many unique feelings and responsibilities for UConn students: excitement about the start of the school year, dread of the first round of midterms, exhaustion about the course load, and anticipation for Thanksgiving break. For seniors intending to apply for graduate or professional school, the fall semester often brings feelings of anxiety and dread around starting the application process. Remembering the college application process personally brings a shiver down my spine; now as a senior applying for PhD programs, I find myself back in a similar position.
The bad news? Unfortunately, you DO have to go through the application process. There isn’t a shortcut or magic spell to get out of the standard requirements: essay questions, personal statement, letters of recommendations, etc. The good news? The skills that you use to find and pursue research in undergrad will be useful throughout this process. Here are some key similarities between the processes:
- Reaching out to professors of interest
Often, graduate and professional school applications will suggest that prospective students reach out to faculty at the school to see if their interests align with the students. In the case of PhD programs, most applications require it. While reaching out to these professors might seem daunting, it’s the same process as pursuing research in undergrad. In both cases, do your homework and email faculty to ask questions about the work they are currently doing. Consider reading How to Connect with Faculty for tips on making valuable faculty connections.
- Finding letters of recommendation
If you have ever applied to a research program such as BOLD or The Caxide Scholars Program, you know that letters of recommendations are often required for the application process. Especially when you are applying to take on a big project or degree, the application committee wants to know that faculty can vouch for your abilities. Graduate and professional school applications require multiple letters of recommendations for this exact reason. The etiquette for requesting letters of recommendation is simple: pick a professor who knows your abilities, try to reach out at least one month in advance of the deadline, and reach out a week before the due date with a check-in. While not required, it’s also a good idea to thank your professors after they have sent in the letter: remember, they put a lot of time and effort into those! Refer to OUR’s guide to letters of recommendations for letter request templates.
- Nailing the personal pitch
Both research applications, reaching out to join a professor’s lab/project, and applying for graduate/professional school all require a personal pitch. Simply put, can you explain who you are, what research you want to do, why you want to pursue it, and what makes you uniquely qualified? If so, you’ve nailed the art of the personal pitch. If you’re lost on what to say, reach out to a peer research ambassador or a trusted advisor/ faculty member to help brainstorm.
Although applying for graduate or professional school might on the surface seem daunting, many of the skills that you utilize in pursuing research transfer over to the application process. Remember to thank your recommenders, reach out to trusted advisors for help, and utilize the resources of OUR. Good luck, we got this!