Applying to Graduate Studies
Steps for Graduate/Professional Schools Admission Process
How to Write a Graduate / Professional School Application
Funding Graduate/Professional Education
Graduate School Application Assistance –  download document
Best Practices: Researching and Applying to Graduate/Professional Schools
- Develop a graduate/professional school entry strategy early:
Start to think of graduate school as early as possible. Ideally, you should start researching graduate schools long before the final year of your undergraduate studies.
- Importance of good GPA:
Grade Point Average is a very important criterion for entry to graduate/professional programs. Though most graduate/ professional programs at Canadian universities require an average of B+ in the last two years of your undergraduate degree, a high GPA throughout your degree will strengthen your application. A GPA that is consistently high will impress admission committees.
- Keep an open mind:
It is not necessary that good programs exist only in big universities. Sometimes you may find that a well-recognized program in your field of study is located in a smaller university. Also, consider studying overseas. Programs in Canada can be very competitive. Do not give up if you are not accepted; keep your options open by looking at programs outside of Canada if that is an option for you.
- Pre-requisite requirements:
One of the advantages of starting research on graduate/professional programs early in your undergraduate program is that you can select courses early on to fulfill pre-requisite course requirements of the graduate/professional program in your chosen discipline. You must ensure that you have both the correct classes required for entrance to your graduate program and the sufficient standardized test scores to be accepted. It is not uncommon for students to write a standardized test more than once to improve their score, and most Canadian universities take the best score or average of two in determining one's marks for admission. It is also important to start early to give yourself time to prepare for any testing by enrolling in an exam preparation class (i.e. Kaplan, Princeton Review) and to write the test more than once if you wish. Students who choose to take a preparation class with an accredited educational agency can improve their scores by as many as 200 points; students who write the test more than once are also likely to improve their scores if they have studied how to take it.
- Establish good relationships with professors in your undergraduate program:
It is important that you get to know a couple of your professors really well. This should happen in your second year of undergraduate study, so that you can form relationships with professors who will write you strong letters of recommendation. Good letters weigh heavily on the decisions rendered by admissions committees. If you go to a big public university, it is difficult to get to know your professors well (they have so many students that they won't even remember your name unless you give them a reason to). You have to be proactive. Visit them during office hours; introduce yourself and let them know that you are an active learner. Email them; seek advice and guidance about papers, tests, labs, etc. You must come across as inquisitive and passionate to impress them. Once you are inspired by a professor in your field, take more than one class with him/ her. By getting to know them, you will gain valuable allies in your application process to graduate school.
- Study the application well:
Give yourself the necessary time to prepare for the application submission. Sometimes, you must include multiple copies of official transcripts from every school you have attended. Pay attention to detail. Incomplete applications will not be considered for admission and late materials may be discarded.
- Include Supplementary materials:
Include supplementary materials if you think it strengthens your application, even if they didn't ask for it. For example, if you have an impressive resume, submit it; if there's a paper you wrote that you want them to read, submit it. You never know what the deciding factor will be when they weigh your application against someone else's with the same grades and same scores as you.
- Have a Plan B:
There is intense competition to enter graduate/professional programs in any given year. With increased competition, it is likely that you may not be able to get in the program of your choice. We strongly advise you to have a Plan B (in case you do not get in). Here are some possibilities:
- Reapply for the program: You can contact the admission office and/or faculty to find how to strengthen your application the second time.
- Apply to another program: There may be more than one pathway to pursue the career of your choice and meet your career goals. Explore these options early.
- Look for Work: You can look for entry level work in your chosen field to get some experience. Having some related work experience can certainly make your application stronger than those candidates who have no related work experience.
- Volunteer: You can get experience through volunteering in different organizations within Canada or even overseas. There are many organizations that offer young Canadians with the opportunity to pursue short-term overseas internship or fellowships within different disciplines and geographic regions of the world.
Additional Resources:
Grad Source
A comprehensive resource for grad students considering graduate schools or studies and exploring career opportunities.
Schools in Canada
A comprehensive career and university prep resource for international students wanting to study in Canada.
Information on Graduate Schools in North America
Looking to expand your horizons and need more information on Undergraduate Programs and Post-Graduate education? This site not only offers links to all Canadian universities and colleges, but also to American universities, and many North American program directories. This site is well worth a visit!
|
