Applying to Graduate School: An Update

Some advice from a now third-year PhD student

Three years ago, I decided to apply to graduate school, and it was a scary and very overwhelming time. I don’t want that to be the case for you.

Full disclosure: I am a now in my third year of my Ph.D. program at Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Here is some advice I would have wanted ahead of applying. Note: this advice primarily applies to people based in the United States.

Michelle Yvonne Hood Denman

It’s okay if you don’t want to graduate school right away.

Read that once, then read it again. Everyone’s path is different. People have financial constraints, different priorities, or interests that take them elsewhere. One thing about the academy is that it’s not going anywhere. Go to graduate school whenever it feels right to you.

Okay, you have decided to apply to graduate school.

Yay. That’s awesome. And if you’re first generation of any kind or part of a marginalized community, that’s amazing. The process of applying can be a lot so here’s a checklist to keep in mind:

1. Recommendations — Who can vouch for you?
2. Test Scores (sometimes) — What scores do you need to pass the screen?
3. Statements — What is your story? What is your why?
4. Fellowships — What are other sources of funding available to you?

Recommendations

First and foremost, check out this resource about recommendations.

Second, here are some general tips to remember about recommenders and the letters they provide:

• Asking for a recommendation: Set up a time to talk with whomever knows you and your work best; discuss your professional goals; share that you’re applying to graduate school; and then ask for the recommendation.
• Managing Recommenders: It helps to pre-assign recommender(s) to specified schools/fellowships. For example, professors who have overseen you in research should recommend you for research fellowships. Also putting all relevant documents (Resume, CV, Statements, Transcripts) into a Google Drive folder helps the recommender. Make their job of hyping you up as easy as possible.
• Submitting Recommendations: Usually graduate schools have some sort of portal to submit emails and names for recommenders. For professors and supervisors, always cc their assistants so that your letter is uploaded on time.

Test Scores

Depending on your discipline, your graduate program may require test scores from the GRE (Graduate Readiness Examination) or some other supplement test. Some things to note:

• Always check to see if the school requires the GRE.
• If it does, find out through other channels if there is an unofficial or official cut off. You can always ask admissions what is “competitive.”
• Magoosh is the G.O.A.T. if you end up taking the test (and it’s cheaper)
• Get a GRE book with actual practice tests
• The score is not the be all, end all of your application, but some schools use it to honestly screen out candidates (hence the cutoff score point).

Statements

There lots of programs that do not interview candidates, which means that aside from your transcript, your statement is how committees get to know you better. Statements, in my opinion, are your opportunity to shine.

There are three types of statements that you may write depending on a given university:

• Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose: This is where you can discuss how your upbringing informs your pursuit for this graduate degree and profession. It’s also an opportunity to discuss why the school you’re applying to would be the best place for you.
• Research Statement: This statement is about your research, but in some ways, it’s still about you. Committees want to know from this statement if you 1) actually know what research is and 2) have any experience doing it. Always highlight what skills you acquired as well as key findings from the projects you’ve worked on. Mention relevant milestones as you see fit.
• Diversity Statement: This statement is typically shorter, and is not required of everyone. Think Personal Statement with an emphasis on identity and how you would further the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” mission of said university and department.

Fellowships

Okay, this section bends more so towards marginalized populations, but is still broadly applicable. Graduate programs, at most, will pay ~$50,000 (at selective schools. However, many stipends are very very low, which is why fellowships are important. Here are two you should consider:

• National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Fellowship — $34,000/year for three years (including summer) + $12,000 towards tuition
• P.D. Soros Fellowship for New Immigrants — $90,000 merit-based fellowship
• If you are applying for a Masters program, look into fellowships the school you are applying to offers and/or organizations that are aligned with what you hope to focus on, e.g. foreign policy, data science.

A couple things to note here:

• NSF has a limited amount of fields they fund, but by-in-large, most disciplines are eligible.
• You can apply to the NSF twice —before graduate school and during. Masters students can only apply if they’ve been out of school for a substantial period of time.
• You can also apply for the Soros fellowship twice.
• Try to get past statements if possible to read so you have a sense of what reviewers expect out of award-winning applications

That said, what are the components of each fellowship?

• National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Fellowship — research proposal of a project you’re thinking of; and statement of purpose that’s really a combination of your personal and research statements
• P.D. Soros Fellowship for New Immigrants — Essay prompt (depends on the year)

Things to think about as you are applying:

• Apply to schools in cities that you actually want to go to/live in.
• Note the diversity demographics of the cities you are moving to.
• Seek out fee waivers if your first-gen or low-income.
• *If you know someone else applying, work alongside them.
• Use Twitter as a way of sourcing out more information.
• If your older, with partner or child, or all of the above, make sure the school you apply to has policies that serve you and your loved ones well.
• Do not apply to a program for one person — people leave, frequently.
• Use Excel/Google Sheets to organize information about schools.
• Get regular feedback on everything you plan to submit.
• Make note of whether there is any diversity initiatives at the school.
• Celebrate the small wins of the application cycle.

*I worked alongside one of my friends on our NSF applications and we both got it in the same year despite graduating from the same undergraduate institution and completing the same pre-doctoral program. Lift as you climb.

You got this.

On Thursday, September 14, I’ll be on Instagram Live (@itsafronomics) answering questions about applying to graduate school at 7 PM ET.

Feel free to join the conversation even if you don’t follow me on there!