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A ‘How to’ Guide to Apply to Grad. School

A ‘How to’ Guide to Apply to Grad. School. Ian Roberge, Chair Department of Political Science. What do you want to do after Glendon?. Work Come back for a Victory lap Law school – MBA Go to a Post-graduate College program

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A ‘How to’ Guide to Apply to Grad. School

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  1. A ‘How to’ Guide to Apply to Grad. School Ian Roberge, Chair Department of Political Science

  2. What do you want to do after Glendon? • Work • Come back for a Victory lap • Law school – MBA • Go to a Post-graduate College program • Federal Government Parliamentary Internship Program, Ontario Legislature Internship Program • The Ontario Internship Program • Take a year off, and then re-consider • Go abroad • Go to Grad. school

  3. Why should you consider Grad. School? • You should NOT consider Grad. school to please your parents, or because you think it will bring you money, fame and glory. You should not consider Grad. school just because you do not know what else to do with your life! • Be aware, Grad. school is hard work! It will be very different than your BA! • You SHOULD consider Grad. school if you enjoy being engaged in and challenged by intellectual and practical problems. It is a deeply enriching intellectual experience, it can often be an excellent (and often necessary) preparation for a professional career.

  4. How to pick a grad school/program • Professional-based program vs. academic-based program • Make sure you visit the website of the programs that interests you, along with the website of the Faculty/School of Graduate Studies • Professors/potential supervisors • Financial aid • Program: course-based vs thesis based • Location • Requirements (eg. : grade point average) • Email the program coordinator, and obtain all relevant information • Visit the department and if possible, talk to professors and ask questions to students currently in the program • Assess the credibility of the program (especially one that is foreign-based)

  5. How to pick a grad school/program (Part two) • Talk to your Glendon professors, they are full of useful (and at times admittedly useless advice). They know you as a student, and they know the programs that are out there and that can be of interest • Select programs that best match your intellectual interest, and your professional and personal needs. • Do think finance • In Canada, the US or Abroad?

  6. I found the program (s) that interests me… now what? • CAREFULLY look at ALL the prerequisites. Does it require a… • TOEFL? www.ets.org/toefl or IELTS? • GRE? www.ets.org/gre • LSAT? www.lsat.org • GMAT? • If so, make EARLY arrangements to take the test (and perhaps take a prep course, eg: www.oxfordseminars.ca or www.prep.com ) as you need to include your scores in your application

  7. What should my application include? • No two applications are the same • In addition to filling in an actual application form, you will probably need to include some/all of the following: • 2-3 recommendation letters • Transcripts from ALL post-secondary schools (Grades matter - B+ often a minimum) • Letter of intent and/or research proposal and/or personal statement (approximately 1-2 pages each) • Application fees • A CV • A sample of one of your written work (typically a 10-30 page paper you wrote in your 3rd or 4th year)

  8. The Personal Statement • The PS should be targeted to the School! • Important Components • A quick introduction (who you are and what motivates you) • What interests you (what sub-field of study) • Specific experiences that distinguish you • Why that particular school • FIND THE RIGHT NARRATIVE! THIS IS YOUR STORY • Be concise, respect the word limit!

  9. Letters of Reference • Select professors that know you well, preferably in your discipline. Hopefully, they will not simply write you a standard letter, but they will personalize it! • Professors write many letters a year, make their life easy, be prepared… • They will probably want a copy of your transcript, a draft of your personal statement, a cv, and they will need the referee form that many Schools now require • Are they to mail the letters themselves, or do they give it back to you in a sealed envelope? Make sure your referees know the deadline date • Students applying to Grad school generally have good grades, the PS and letters of reference do matter. If they are so, so… you will not get in!

  10. Financing Grad. School • What is the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada? • What is the Ontario Graduate Scholarship? • What are entrance scholarships? • How do I apply? • What about TAships, and RAships?

  11. A few tips… • Start working on your application EARLY • Follow the requirements set by the program or university (eg: lengths, margins, font size, etc) • Save a little to cover the total costs of all your applications (typically 100$ or more per university) • Make sure you follow up on your application: it is YOUR responsibility to make sure all the required documentation (eg. recommendation letters and transcripts) has made it to the appropriate office.

  12. Questions? • Should I apply to one program only, or to several? • Should I first get work experience and then apply to grad school? • Should I study part time or full time? • When should I expect to hear from Grad. Schools? • What are requirements for Grad. Schools abroad? • What is a ‘Direct Entry’ PhD? • If I get in to more than one program, how do I decide where to go? • What if I do not get in? What is my back-up plan?

  13. Questions? Contact the Department • For more information, contact Professor Ian Roberge, iroberge@gl.yorku.ca. • Follow the Department of Political Science on Twitter, @GLPoliSci

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