Pre-Grad School Handbook

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PREPARING FOR

GRADUATE SCHOOL

Academic Advising Programs

University of North Carolina

Campus Box 3110

Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3110

November 2006

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I. INTRODUCTION

This handbook is intended for anyone who is contemplating attending graduate

school once they have completed their undergraduate degree at UNC. It contains

information about the nature of graduate education, how to prepare for graduate

education, how to select a graduate program, and the graduate school application

process. While this handbook hopes to answer many questions about graduate

school, it is likely that youll have some that are not answered here. Please feel

free to schedule an appointment with one of the pre-graduate school advisers in

the Academic Advising Program. They can tell you a great deal more about

graduate education and answer any remaining questions that you have.

II. WHAT IS GRADUATE SCHOOL?

The term graduate school refers to all post-baccalaureate educational programs

that award advanced degrees. Entrance into graduate school requires a bachelors

degree. After completion of the graduate training you may have earned a Masters

degree, Ph.D., graduate certificate or professional degree.

Professional and Other Graduate Degrees

A distinction can be drawn between professional and other kinds of graduate

degrees. Professional degrees include business (MBA), dentistry (DDS and

DMD), law school (JD), medical school (MD), pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and

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veterinary medicine (DVM),l among others. These programs are typically not

administered by the Graduate School of a university. Their focus is usually less

on doing research and more on providing the necessary skills to engage in a

particular profession (e.g. practicing medicine or law). This handbook does not

focus on professional degrees. For information on those degrees, click on the links

for pre-law school advising and pre-health science advising.

Of the other kinds of degrees, the Masters and Ph.D. are the most

common. There is also a wide range of graduate certificates that can be earned,

sometimes as a part of obtaining ones Masters or Ph.D. degree. These degrees

are typically more research oriented and they are almost always administered bythe Graduate School. The practical relevance of the latter piece of information is

that your application may have to be sent to the Graduate School rather than to an

academic department.

The distinction between professional and other kinds of degrees should not

be drawn too sharply, since there are now a growing number of joint degree

programs. Joint DMD/PhD, DDS/PhD, JD/MBA, JD/PhD, MD/M.P.H., MD/PhD,

and other programs are of interest if you would like to conduct research but would

also like to practice in a profession (e.g. dentistry, medicine, or law). The

downside of these programs is that they can take considerably more time to

complete than a straight-out professional degree. The pre-health and pre-law

advisers can help you to identify these programs and discuss the pros and cons of

a joint degree.

Masters versus Ph.D.

Masters degrees come in different flavor, including M.A., M.S., M.P.H., M.P.A.,

and others. Under normal circumstances, earning a Masters degree will take two

years, with some programs requiring a little more time. During this time you will

take advanced courses in a particular field. You may also be asked to take a

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comprehensive examination in one or more sub-fields and to write a thesis or

create a final project.

Earning a Ph.D. degree typically requires four years. A small number of

programs compress their Ph.D. requirements into three years, but this usually

means that they will only admit students who already have a Masters degree. In

practice, many Ph.D. students take longer than four years, especially when they

are pursuing a joint degree program.

The organization of the Ph.D. curriculum varies greatly by field and

university, but it typically involves taking courses for the first two or three years,

taking comprehensive examinations in one or more sub-fields in the secondand/or third year, and writing a dissertation in the last year. Some programs will

have an examination at the end of the first year, which decides if you can continue

in the program. In many cases, students earn their Masters degree along the way

and may be asked to write a Masters thesis as well as a dissertation. In some

programs the Masters thesis is used as a benchmark to decide whether you can

continue in the program.

The dissertation is a major piece of original research. Although many

programs allocate only one year to writing the dissertation, students often spend

considerable more time on it. Just conducting the field work can take a long

time, with graduate students spending countless hours in libraries and archives, or

conducting experiments, surveys, and interviews. In comparison, Masters theses

are smaller and more circumscribed projects that can usually be completed within

the time span of one or two semesters.

III. IS GRADUATE SCHOOL FOR ME?

Whether graduate school is the right choice for you depends on your academic

ability, goals, and personality. Successful pursuit of a graduate degree requires

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talent, extremely high motivation, persistence, unbelievably hard work, and

dedication to the chosen field. Graduate education is also costly. Apart from the

financial costs, which can sometimes be recovered through scholarships and

stipends, there are opportunity costs. You will be spending several years of your

life working extremely hard and often long hours. If youd rather be making a

living or have an abundant social life, then graduate school may not be the right

choice for you.

Here are some things to consider when deciding if graduate school is right

for you.

-

Do I enjoy learning?- Am I academically and intellectually equipped for graduate school?- Do I need graduate school for the profession that I am interested in?- Am I willing to make significant sacrifices of time and/or money in the

foreseeable future? Am I willing to put other aspects of my life on hold?

- Am I passionate about the subject matter that I wish to study?- Am I a self-starter who can structure his/her own time?- For Ph.D. programs, in particular: Am I passionate about doing research?

If you find yourself answering no to most of these questions, then graduate school

is probably not a wise choice for you, at least not at this point in your life. If you

find yourself answering yes to most of these questions, then graduate school

indeed may be a good option for you.

IV. SELECTING A FIELD

Most students know what field they want to study if they decide to go to graduate

school. They have discovered that they are passionate about a particular subject,

perhaps because of the inspiring teaching by one of UNCs professors. Or they

have discovered that an advanced degree in a particular field is required in order

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to enter a profession. If you are one of these students, then feel free to skip this

section.

Sometimes it is less clear what the appropriate field is. Perhaps different

fields all give access to a profession, or perhaps you are passionate about many

things and cannot quite decide what to focus on. In this case, it is helpful to seek

out more information. Potential information sources include the following.

- Career Services: Career Services can help you to explore different careersand your suitability for them. Career counselors know the educational

requirements for different professions. They can also perform assessmentsof your interests and aptitudes. The Career Services website provides a

great deal of information, as well as several assessment tools online. This

is a great place to explore your future. You can also set up an appointment

with a counselor via the website.

- Professors: The UNC faculty is a great resource for information aboutgraduate education. They can tell you about the nature of graduate

education in their field, about job prospects, and about the prevailing

admissions standards. All of this can help you to decide exactly what field

is appropriate given your goals.

V. SELECTING A GRADUATE PROGRAM

Many things figure into the selection of a graduate program. Some of the most

important criteria are the following.

(1) What is the reputation of the university and, more specifically, thegraduate program?

(2) What kind of student does this program typically accept? Am I this typeof student?

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(3) Is there faculty that I would like to work with? Do faculty interests matchmy own?

(4) What is the placement record of the graduate program?(5) What facilities does the program offer?(6) Does the program offer financial assistance to its students?

It is important that you give some thought to these questions because settling on a

graduate program may be one of the most important life choices that you will ever

make.

Factors to Consider

Reputation

The reputation of a graduate program is of great importance and affects the

answers to several other questions. For example, programs with good reputations

frequently have better placement records and better facilities. On the other hand,

getting into these programs is usually also a lot more difficult.

A good source for assessing a programs reputation is the U.S. News

ranking of graduate programs. You may also wish to consult the National

Research Council and sources such as phds.org to obtain a sense of program

rankings and ratings. You should consult both the overall rating of a

department/program and the rating of the particular subfield that interests you. For

example, a chemistry program may have a solid overall reputation but it may be

weak in the area of polymers. If that is the area in which you seek training, then

the program may not be such a good choice after all.

Keep in mind that rankings do not always reflect recent changes in a

program. Perhaps the aforementioned program just hired a star polymer chemist,

but this may have been too recent to affect the rankings. Also keep in mind that

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rating or ranking a program is to a considerable extent subjective. While

ratings/rankings are based on objective indicators such as research productivity of

the faculty, faculty citations, and placement record, the weight that one places on

these things could easily vary from one person to the next. (Some ranking engines

such as phds.org allow you to manipulate these weights.) Rather than staring

yourself blind on ratings and rankings, it may be better to use them as one source

of information and to obtain additional information from other sources (e.g.

faculty at UNC, especially more senior professors).

Who Is Accepted?Graduate school admissions are competitive. The number of slots is often small,

while the number of applicants can measure in the hundreds. So what are graduate

admissions committees looking for in applicants? In two words, they are looking

for excellence and promise. Graduate programs want to admit those students who

will become outstanding researchers, educators, and leaders in their field. In

making this assessment, they rely on several pieces of information: (1) admission

test results, (2) undergraduate GPA and curriculum, (3) letters of

recommendation, and (4) CV and personal statement. A detailed discussion of

these can be found below.

Unlike Law Schools, few graduate programs will tell you ahead of time

what GPA and test score will get you in. Much will depend on the actual number

of slots that are open in a particular year and on what your competition is.

However, by speaking with UNC faculty you can get a pretty good sense of which

programs are the most competitive in a given field. The key to your own realistic

evaluation of your desirability to any graduate program is your own assessment of

the match between the record you have compiled and the level of achievement

that is probably expected by the institution. So ask yourself: Would I admit

myself to this institution based on my credentials?

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Fit

So you discovered that program A is the best program in your field of interest.

That is wonderful. Even more wonderful is that you have been accepted into the

program. Full of enthusiasm you start your graduate studies and then it hits you.

Nobody on the faculty does exactly what you want to do. To be sure, there are

many bright specialists in your subfield, but they all focus on something different

from what you would like to do. So now you have a choice: find a new program

or change your interests. Either way, the outcome is not quite as perfect as you

had hoped.This scenario is not nearly as far-fetched as it may seem. Every year,

scores of well-meaning graduate students discover that their interests are poorly

suited to the program in which they have been accepted. Sadly, this situation is,

for the most part, preventable. By taking a close look at the faculty, their CVs,

and their teaching and research interests, an accurate mental picture emerges of

whether there is anyone who does (remotely) what you are interested in. (Of

course, faculty may still leave but at least there will not be a problem right at the

start.) Finding this information is easy these days. Most programs have websites

that provide biographical sketches of their faculty and many faculty members

have websites of their own. Apart from preventing frustration, considering your

interests in light of those of the faculty can help you write a better application.

Graduate admissions committees often look for hints that an applicant would fit

the programis there a likely adviser/mentor on the faculty? If you can link your

interests to those of specific faculty members, then this will make your

application stronger.

While it is important to consider fit, it is equally important to keep an open

mind. It is common for graduate students to change their interests or even their

subfield once they have entered a graduate program. While it is inadvisable to

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seek admission to a program where no one works on the problems that you are

interested in, it is equally unwise to narrow your interests down too much. After

all, that situation may make it impossible to find any graduate program that fits

your interests and may also make you a less attractive applicant.

Placement Record

Ultimately, graduate school is a means toward an enda job that you enjoy.

Therefore, it is important to inquire about the placement record of a graduate

program. What percentage of graduates finds a job right after they finish? Where

are those jobs situated? Are they in good agencies, firms, offices, organizations,universities, or does the program have difficulty placing its students? How long

are graduates typically on the market before they find a (permanent) job?

You should keep in mind that job placement depends on many factors.

Placement is inherently more difficult in some fields than in others. It is also

subject to economic conditions: even the best graduate programs may find it

difficult to place their students during an economic downturn. Nevertheless,

holding these factors constant, some graduate programs do have a better

placement record than others and this should be a major consideration in selecting

a program.

The best way to find out about the placement record of a graduate program

is to ask the Director of Admissions, Director of Graduate Studies, or Placement

Director of that program. Some departments provide information about their

placement record on their websites, although this is relatively rare and is likely to

happen only if a program is proud of its record. You can also talk to UNC faculty

members in the field; they generally will have a good sense of how well certain

programs place their students.

Research Facilities

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Graduate students rely heavily on data centers, laboratories, libraries, and

computer facilities. Such resources are more plentiful in some graduate programs

than in others, often depending on the size and wealth of the university in which

the program is housed. You should find out what facilities are available, either on

campus or off-campus (e.g. through agreements with other universities, archives,

libraries, etc.). Do not expect that your every desire will be met, but do make sure

that you will be able to do your work.

Funding

Graduate school can be expensive. Apart from the cost of tuition, there are livingexpenses and expenses for research, books, computers and other equipment. Some

of these may be recovered through tuition remission and stipends.

In general, there is little funding in Masters programs. Masters students

almost always pay their own way, unless they entered as PhD students and choose

to leave with a (terminal) Masters degree. There are exceptions to this rule, so it

is worthwhile to explore funding opportunities across different graduate

programs. However, you should not get your hopes up. On the positive side, it is

sometimes possible to obtain your Masters degree while working full- or part-

time. It may be worthwhile to find out if a program will let you do this. (Some

may require it as part of practical training.)

Funding opportunities in PhD programs are much more plentiful. Most

programs provide for tuition remission (they pay for or reimburse you for tuition)

and stipends. In return, they may ask you to serve as a research or teaching

assistant for a certain number of hours per week. In the natural sciences, it is

common for graduate students to be funded as part of a grant. Those students

usually work in the lab as a member of a research team. Often this work will form

the basis of a dissertation.

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The amount of funding varies greatly across programs. It is generally

better in private than in public universities and it also varies across disciplines. It

is tempting to opt for the graduate program that offers the best funding, but it is

important to put funding into perspective. First, funding levels should be gauged

against the cost of living. An annual stipend of $15,000 may not get you very far

in New York City, whereas a stipend of $12,000 may go quite a long way in

Athens, Georgia. Second, funding should take second place compared to quality

of the program, fit, and placement record. A lot of money now will mean little in

another four years when you find yourself struggling on the job market because

you picked a poorly ranked program or one with a weak placement record. Whenit comes to funding, make sure that you can afford to live in a place (without

having to take a job that would distract from your studies) but do not expect to

live in luxury.

If funding is not everythingand surely should not be the decisive factor

in choosing a graduate programit is still important to evaluate and compare the

financial packages that are available across the programs in which you have been

accepted. Here are some things to look for.

(1) Does the financial package include tuition remission (most do) and healthinsurance (many do not)? These are major expenses, so make sure to take

this into consideration when comparing the offers from different graduate

programs.

(2) Does funding cover summers? Academic salaries are usually based onnine months of work, since professors are not expected to teach during the

summer. Correspondingly, stipends for PhD students often span nine

months as well. Summer funding is sometimes available, although this is

often on a competitive basis and may not be guaranteed. If summer

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funding is not guaranteed, then you should plan on finding a job during

the summer.

(3) Is funding guaranteed? Some programs guarantee funding only for thefirst year. Funding for subsequent years is competitive and depends on

your class ranking. Other programs guarantee funding as long as you

make satisfactory progress toward the degree (and as long as no financial

calamities beset the program).

(4) For how long is funding guaranteed? If graduate funding is guaranteed, ittypically is for four years. That is the amount of time it is expected to take

to complete your degree requirements. However, many PhD students findthemselves still working on their dissertation in their fifth year. Some

programs make fifth year funding available, others do not, and still others

will do this on a competitive basis. While it is difficult to anticipate your

needs five years from now, it is worthwhile to investigate if fifth year

funding is even an option in the program that you are considering. After

all, you may find yourself needing this funding down the line.

There is one other aspect of funding that deserves attentionreimbursement

for travel expenses. PhD students, and occasionally Masters students as well, are

expected to attend professional meetings and conferences. This is a major part of

the graduate education experience but can also be a major expense. Some

graduate programs will reimburse travel expenses, although perhaps only for one

conference per year and only partially. Other programs do not reimburse travel

expenses or do this on a competitive basis. You should ask about this when you

are trying to decide between programs, since conferences are really of great

importance and you would not want to miss them because you cannot afford to

go.

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Factors Not to Consider

The most important factor not to consider when applying for graduate school is

location. While it may be tempting to spend your years in graduate school near a

sunny beach or a nice ski resort, this does little to enhance your long-term goals.

You want the best graduate education you can get, not the sunniest or snowiest, or

whatever other criterion may cause you to prefer one location over another.

Besides, if you take your graduate education seriously then you will not be

spending too much time in the sun or snow anyway. It is better to pick a good

graduate program so that your first job may be in a nice location, then to pick a

poor program in a nice location that may ultimately produce no job at all or a jobin a not-so-nice location.

Setting Realistic Goals

While all graduate school applicants would like to get admitted to their top choice

program, it is clear that not all will. You have to be realistic about your chances of

getting into a program. This means you may wish to consider fall-back options

programs that may not be at the top of your list but that would be acceptable and

where your chances of admission are good.

For the typical student, it is wise to apply to several graduate programs.

Pick one to three from your wish list. You are not sure you will be admitted to

these programs, but if you were they would be at the top of your list. Pick two to

four programs that are acceptable. You feel you can get a fine education in these

programs, even though they do not appear on all of the top 20 lists. Finally, be

sure to pick one or two backup programs, i.e. programs which you feel sure you

can gain admission and where you would be comfortable with your choice.

VI. THE APPLICATION PROCESS

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In most cases, graduate school applications are a one-step process: you submit a

written application that is evaluated by the admissions committee. In some

casesmost notably, the natural sciences and psychologythe process may be

two-tiered. First, a group of interviewees is selected. Next, these interviewees are

invited to campus for one-on-one meetings with the faculty. Sometimes,

interviewees will also be asked to give a presentation of a research project. Once

the campus visits are over, the admissions committee or department makes its

final selection of students it would like to admit.

Be prepared to spend some money on the application process. Graduate

schools charge for processing your application, undergraduate transcripts are notfree, and placement exams cost money as well. In practice, application costs will

probably force you to focus on a limited number of graduate programs that you

will apply to. This makes it all the more important to select those programs

carefully (see above).

Components of the Application

The written portion of your application consists of: (1) the results of your

placement exam (submitted under separate cover), (2) your undergraduate

transcript(s) (often also sent under separate cover), (3) a personal statement, (4) a

CV, and (5) letters of recommendation (usually three letters of recommendation

are required; they may have to be sent under separate cover). You may also have

to submit a writing sample. Each of these components plays a significant role in

the admissions process, so it is important to take all of them seriously.

Placement Exam

Practically all graduate programs require that students take the GRE (Graduate

Record Examinations). If you pursue a joint degree program, you will also have to

take the MCAT, LSAT, or other appropriate placement exams. The GRE has two

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components: (1) the general test and (2) the subject test. In most cases, you will

only have to take the general test. In some fields, you are also required to take the

appropriate subject test. Information about these tests can be found at the

Educational Testing Service (ETS) GRE website.

The GRE general test measures verbal and quantitative reasoning, critical

thinking, and analytical writing skills that are essential for a successful graduate

career. It makes this assessment in a general manner, i.e. without requiring

detailed knowledge about a specific subject area. The test has three components:

(1) verbal reasoning, (2) quantitative reasoning, and (3) analytical writing.

Graduate programs care about the first two components in particular, but somealso take a close look at the third component. Admission committees frequently

start by rank-ordering applicants according to their total GRE scores. They

frequently set cutoffs as to the minimal acceptable performance on each

component. The weight of the components depends on the field of study.

Obviously, verbal reasoning will count more when you seek a PhD in English,

while quantitative reasoning becomes more central when you are seeking a degree

in statistics. However, it is safe to say that all components carry some weight in

considering your application. The general test is computer-administered year-

around at many different test centers around the world.

The GRE subject test is offered in a small number of areas, mostly in the

natural sciences. These tests gauge subject-specific knowledge in a particular field

(biochemistry, cell, and molecular biology; biology; chemistry; computer science;

literature in English; mathematics; physics; psychology). This is the level of

knowledge graduate programs expect incoming students to have for successful

completion of a PhD in the specific field. Especially when graduate course work

is limited, as it often is in the natural sciences, the subject test becomes a critical

yardstick for determining who has the requisite field-specific background

knowledge to take advanced course work and become a productive member of a

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research team. Subject tests are paper-based tests that are administered at a

limited number of test facilities in November, December, and April.

The importance of the GRE cannot be overstated. A students GRE score

is a good predictor of how well they will do in the first year of graduate school,

which in turn is a good predictor of whether the student will be able to complete

graduate school successfully. Just as colleges are striving to improve the average

SAT score of each successive class, graduate schools are looking to improve their

average GRE scores. Thus, it is essential that you take this test seriously.

Given the importance of the GRE, it may be wise to take a test preparation

class. The UNC Learning Center offers GRE prep classes throughout the year.The GRE website also offers useful information about test preparation. You can

also take a course with a commercial test preparation company such as Kaplan or

Princeton Review. You should consider taking a prep course the semester before

you take the GRE. If you choose not to do a prep course than at least obtain

copies of past tests so that you can practice them. With the GRE, practice may not

make perfect but it surely enhances your chances of obtaining a decent score.

What if you perform poorly on the GRE? In this case, you can retake the

GRE. However, you should keep in mind that the GRE is designed to tap your

chronic aptitude, which means that test results are unlikely to fluctuate much from

one test to the next. Retaking the GRE thus makes the most sense if your

performance was negatively affected by unusual circumstances such as illness on

the day of the test. Otherwise, you may not find much of an improvement in your

test score or you may find that it actually deteriorates from the first attempt. If you

retake the exam, then the new score will be sent along with the two most recent

scores from the past five years.

Transcript

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You will also need to send an official transcript of your undergraduate record at

UNC and any other institutions of higher education that you may have attended.

The official transcript can be obtained from the Registrars Office for a nominal

fee. Some graduate programs would like to see the overall GPA along with the

GPA in your major(s). In this case, you will need to ask the Registrars to

compute the major GPA as this is not done routinely. [Check this.]

Graduate admissions committees pay considerable attention to your

undergraduate GPA but they also take into consideration the institution where you

earned it and the difficulty of the curriculum. UNC Chapel Hill does not have the

reputation of being easy so good grades earned here will count for something.As far as your curriculum is concerned, you should of course meet the UNC

general education and major requirements. However, the manner in which you

meet these requirements is of some importance. Taking more advanced (as

opposed to introductory) courses will show that you are a highly motivated

student who can handle more complex material. Becoming engaged in a research

project or writing an honors thesis can also help to strengthen your undergraduate

record. Try to avoid P/D+/D/F courses since admissions committees may view

these as an easy way out of a requirement. Internships and independent studies

can be useful, but you will need to explain what you did in these courses since

this will generally not be clear from the transcript. Try to engage in internships

and independent studies that prepare you for graduate school; avoid doing them

because they lead to an easy A. Graduate admission committees look for serious

students who are well-rounded. Anything that could reflect negatively on this

should be avoided.

What should you do if your record is blemished? The first piece of advice

is not to panic. To be sure, a poor undergraduate record may keep you from being

accepted into graduate school. If the problem is isolated, however, then there is a

good chance that youll be accepted somewhere, if perhaps not in your top choice

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graduate program. The key is to explain the blemishes on your transcript in your

cover letter. Explain why you had a bad semester or why your grades in the first

couple of years were not what they should have been. Point to any improvements

you have made. One bad grade will not end your ability to attend graduate school,

especially not if you can explain that grade.

Personal Statement

A good personal statement can make a lot of difference. Apart from explaining

blemishes on your transcriptwhich should be a minor elementthe personal

statement is foremost a place to convey your enthusiasm for a particular field andgraduate program and a place to highlight your credentials. The cover letter

should frame your application: it should draw attention to those aspects of your

record that you would like to stand out for those reading your application.

Another way to think of it is that the cover letter is often the first thing admissions

officers see in your file. Thus, you should use this as your entryway into the

evaluation process.

The cover letter should stress your interest in obtaining a graduate degree

in the chosen field, your credentials for seeking a degree in this field, the reason

why you are applying to the particular graduate program, and any other

information that is useful in framing your application (e.g. why did you have that

bad semester?). In terms of conveying your interest, you should sketch out your

career goals and how the degree would help you accomplish these goals. For a

PhD you should also stress your passion for research. Try to be specific in stating

your interests. For example, when applying to a PhD program in political science

it is not all that helpful to reveal that you are interested in politics. It would be

much more telling if you said that you are interested in the causes of war or

electoral behavior (and do so in a way that reveals your passion for scientific

research on these topics). Illustrate your interest by referring to specific things

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you have done. For example, you can say that you realized your passion for

research when writing your Honors Thesis and that it was at this time that you

realized you wanted to become an academic. Try to avoid telling your lifes story;

highlight only those experiences that demonstrate your passion and credentials for

obtaining a graduate degree.

The second component of the cover letter is to show your credentials.

Here you can point to the coursework you have taken in preparation for your

graduate education and your performance in those courses. You can also reference

internships and independent studies in as far as they illustrate your credentials.

For PhD programs it is useful to reference any research experience (working withfaculty or writing an Honors Thesis) you have. PhD admissions committees will

look for these kinds of experiences and the cover letter is the best place to

highlight them. (Important: Note that the operant word here is highlight. Cover

letters should not repeat your CV verbatim but rather focus the attention of

admissions officers to certain parts of it.)

A final aspect of the cover letter is to show your interest for the specific

program that you are applying to. This aspect is often forgotten, in part because it

requires tailoring your cover letter to each specific program you are applying to.

But it is an essential component of a good letter, since admissions committees

want to know if you would fit into their program. You can convey your

enthusiasm for a particular program by highlighting the strengths of the program

and how these strengths match your interests. Even better is to list specific faculty

members that you would like to work with (and to explain why). This kind of

information will show that you have given thought to the application and that

your interests match those of the program.

Curriculum Vitae

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Your curriculum vitae (CV) is the place where you should list your contact

information and all experiences and credentials that are relevant to your graduate

school application. One section of the CV should describe your undergraduate

education, i.e. all institutions you have attended, including UNC, your major(s)

and (if applicable) minor(s), the degree(s) you are pursuing (e.g. AB, BS, BFA,

BMus), the anticipated completion date, the overall GPA, and (if relevant) the

major GPA (make sure these match the transcript). You may also wish to briefly

summarize relevant coursework, but do not provide too much detail as this can be

found on the official transcript.

Another section of the CV should highlight relevant experiences. This caninclude internships, independent studies, participation in faculty research projects,

an Honors Thesis, if you are writing onein sum a lot of the things that UNC

recognizes as experiential learning. The focus does not have to be exclusively on

academic experiences. You can also list other experiences such as those working

on campus or in the community if they provide information about you as a person

and/or your fit to the chosen field. Do not go overboard listing these other

experiences, however. If you create the impression that you are spending more

time on extra-curricular activities than on your academic pursuits, then

admissions committees might draw the mistaken conclusion that you are not a

very serious student.

It may also be useful to add a skills section to the CV where you can list

your proficiency in computer software and/or foreign languages. At the beginning

of your CV you should list relevant contact information. Gender, date of birth,

nationality, and marital status generally need not be listed on the CV. This kind of

information is often solicited through other means, for example through queries

by equal opportunity officers and international student centers at the university

where you are applying.

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Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation are another key component of a graduate school

application. These letters reflect the professional judgment of faculty and others

about your qualifications for graduate school. As such, they provide invaluable

information to graduate admissions committees. Most graduate programs require

three letters of recommendation. Many ask for these to be sent under separate

cover (e.g. in a sealed envelope), assuming you have waived your right to view

your recommendation letters. (A waiver pledge is usually printed at the top of the

recommendation sheet.)

The key to a helpful letter of recommendation is that it should providedetailed information. Vague letters that are full of boilerplate language but short

on specifics will not be very helpful to admissions officers and will therefore

carry less weight. This means that you should select your recommendation writers

carefully. They should be people who know you at more than a superficial level,

so that they can write something specific about you. Hence, there is little point in

going to the faculty member who had you in a 400-student class four years ago;

unless you have cultivated a personal relationship with this person, he or she is

unlikely to remember you. On the other hand, asking your thesis adviser to write a

recommendation makes a great deal of sense.

Considerations other than familiarity may enter your selection of

recommenders. If you are applying to a research-oriented PhD program you

probably want to have your recommenders be all faculty members (professors, not

graduate students), since they are in the best position to comment on your

scholarly potential. If you are seeking a degree in social work or clinical

psychology, then you may seek some recommendations from practitioners with

whom you have done internships and who could comment on your suitability to

your chosen field. The important thing is that you should put some thought into

soliciting recommendations. Seek them from people who know you and whose

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judgment will mean something to those in charge of evaluating your application.

Getting these kinds of recommendations can really help your chances of getting

into graduate school.

Writing Sample

Many graduate programs require that you submit a writing sample. The writing

sample will tell admissions committees whether you can communicate effectively,

whether you can analyze a question logically and thoughtfully, and whether you

can bring relevant data to bear on that question. Especially in PhD programs, you

will be doing a lot of research and writing. The writing sample is a way to see ifyou have an aptitude for these endeavors.

Given the role that the writing sample plays, it is again of the utmost

importance that you put some thought into selecting a particular sample. Short

assignments written in introductory classes will generally not make for good

writing samples, since these assignments typically do not require in-depth

research. Papers written for advanced classes may be a better choice, if they

involve extensive research. Particularly good writing samples are Honors Theses

or reports written while conducting research with a faculty member (provided you

did the writing). These kinds of samples will give admissions officers a good

sense of your ability to conduct research and to communicate its results.

In selecting a writing sample you may do some tailoring to the graduate

programs you are applying to. For example, if one program in sociology values

quantitative research, than you may select a paper that uses statistical analysis as

your writing sample. However, if another program is more qualitatively focused,

then you may do better by sending a paper that is based on archival research or in-

depth interviews. Of course, this assumes that you have sufficient writing samples

lying around to make these kinds of adjustments. If not, then you should just send

the best research paper that you feel you have ever written.

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Graduate School Interviews

In a number of disciplines, it is conventional to ask potential graduate students to

come in for an interview before the final decision about admissions is made. This

is true, for example, in certain natural science and psychology programs. These

interviews are extremely important, so it is essential to properly prepare for them.

The first thing you should find out about the interview is the programs

expectations. What sort of attire do they expect? (In many cases, the program will

want to see formal attire, but there are exceptions.) Is there the expectation that

you will give a talk? Who will you meet during the interview and how long dothese meetings last? By asking these questions you can plan for a successful

interview experience.

Second, it is essential that you inform yourself about the program. You

probably did this when you applied, but it never hurts to re-acquaint yourself with

a program. In addition, you should familiarize with the people whom youll meet.

Look up their bios, look through their CVs, and read some of their research.

Nothing is more painful than meeting faculty and not knowing anything about

them. It will certainly leave a positive impression if you have read their work and

can carry on an intelligent conversation about it. Finding faculty bios and CVs is

easy in this electronic age and with JSTOR and other electronic journal databases,

getting access to a persons research is not all that difficult either.

Third, realize that interviews are a two-way street. Of course, program

faculty will want to find out about you. But there is an equal expectation that you

have some questions about the program and its faculty. Do not ask questions that

have already been answered in written materials that the program sent you; after

all, that would not make a good impression. But any other questions are fair

game. To make sure that those questions have been answered, it may be useful to

write them out and check them off during the interview. Sometimes it is useful to

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ask the same question of multiple faculty members, just to get different

perspectives.

If a talk is required, then it is important to establish what the expectations

are. Should this be a research talk or a more general talk? Who will be the

audience? Will it be specialists in the area of the talk, in which case you may be

able to skip over certain well-known ideas, or is it a more general audience? How

long should your talk be? Will there be a question-and-answer period and how

long will it be? Is the expectation that you use Powerpoint or other presentation

software? Should you prepare a handout?

It is also important that you practice the talk. Practice will allow you tomake sure that you can deliver your message in the allotted time without speaking

too quickly, that the content makes sense to an audience, and that slides come

over clearly. You should try to anticipate questions and develop responses. There

will almost certainly be unexpected questions, but some questions can be

anticipated and it is useful to have a response formulated in your head. For those

unanticipated questions, it is OK to take a moment and to try to formulate a

response. Appearing to be thoughtful will leave a good impression and is better

than dismissing a question with the clich that it is a really interesting point and

that youll have to think about it.

The general rule about interviews is that preparation will make the whole

experience less anxiety provoking. This, in turn, will make the experience more

enjoyable and productive. You will leave a positive impression and will get your

questions answered, which can only help your chances of being admitted to the

program that is right for you.

VII. PREPARING FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL AT UNC

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You can do a lot to prepare for graduate school and to strengthen your application

while you are at UNC. Among the many opportunities that UNC offers you

should definitely attempt to pick an appropriate major, choose challenging

courses, cultivate relationships with faculty, and engage in research.

Starting with majors, it is important that you put considerable thought into

them. Unlike Law School and Medical School, which generally do not care much

about your major, Masters and Ph.D. programs often expect that you have been

trained in a particular field as an undergraduate. This is not true of all graduate

programs but it is true of a good number of them. For example, do not expect to

enter a Ph.D. program in chemistry if you majored in music and took nochemistry beyond a few introductory courses. Choosing a major thus takes on

extra importance when you have graduate school in the back of your mind. It is

just one more reason to see your academic advisor frequently.

In terms of course selection, opting for challenging courses is a definite

pre. It helps to strengthen your application, demonstrating that you do not shun

difficult courses and can excel in them. It also helps to prepare you for graduate

school, since the level of advanced courses is a lot closer to what you will

encounter in graduate school than the level of introductory courses. Exceptional

undergraduate students may even consider enrolling into a graduate level class at

UNC, although this requires permission from the instructor. This will give the

best sense of what it will be like to be a graduate student, in terms of reading load,

difficulty of the material, and expectations. Academic and departmental advisors

will be able to help you with selecting courses.

It is essential that you cultivate relationships with faculty. This will make

it much easier to find letter-writers when it comes to applying for graduate school.

Moreover, the UNC faculty is an excellent source of information about graduate

education and careers in the field that you are interested in. To cultivate these

relationships, it is generally best to enroll in smaller classes where faculty will get

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to know their students better. First-year seminars, Honors and advanced courses,

and capstone seminars are an excellent place for you to get to know some faculty

and for faculty to get to know you.

Finally, graduate work involves a strong research component, especially in

Ph.D. programs. To see if research is for you, it would be very useful if you could

get involved in it while at UNC. Some options include:

- Writing an Honors thesis: The Honors thesis is a piece of research thatyou conduct yourself under the supervision of a member of the faculty.

You will also have to defend your research in front of a committee of 2-3faculty members who will ask questions about your theory, research

design, and findings.

- Engaging in faculty research: In this case, you will be working on afaculty members project, taking charge of a small piece of it. Solicitations

for student participants in faculty research are generally channeled through

the Office of Undergraduate Research, which also provides other research

opportunities for undergraduate students.

These kinds of research experience will look great on a CV and they are also

excellent opportunities to cultivate relationships with faculty.

In addition to acquiring research experience, you may also think about

appropriate internships and independent studies that can help to strengthen your

CV. A study abroad experience can also help to strengthen your application, as

can Burch field research seminars. With all of these, it will be important to

describe the experience in your personal statement and to explain how it helped

you to prepare for graduate school.

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VIII. WHAT IF YOU DO NOT GET INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL?

There is a possibility that you will not be admitted to any of the graduate

programs you applied to or that you are admitted to a program about which you

have grave reservations. While this surely is a disappointment, do not get too

discouraged. Ask yourself if there is anything you can do that will enhance your

chances of getting into a (better) graduate program. Here are some things that can

enhance your chances.

-

If you did not get into any program, reassess your selection of programs.Were you aiming too high? Are there other feasible programs that you

chose not to apply for? Going back to UNC faculty members to ask for

advice may be a good option at this point.

- Take a break for one or two years and acquire relevant practicalexperience. This will strengthen your CV and will also show that you are

serious about your desire to attend graduate school.

- If you got into a less desirable program, consider completing a Mastersdegree in that program. Once you have the Masters, you can always apply

elsewhere. The Masters is another credential on your CV that may make

you a more competitive candidate for programs that you deem more

desirable.

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Pre-Grad School Handbook

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Transcript of Pre-Grad School Handbook