Application Materials

The personal statement is your opportunity to introduce yourself to the admissions committee. Typically one to two pages in length, your personal statement needs to reflect you and your interest in your discipline. You will need to focus on what makes you unique in order to set yourself apart from other applicants. Be sure to allow yourself enough time (several weeks), to write, edit, and seek input from others and then to revise.

Graduate programs will either request a general personal statement or ask that your statement respond to a particular question or issue. Regardless, tailor your statement to the specific program for maximum impact. General statements submitted to multiple programs often sound generic and won't serve you well in convincing an admissions committee that you are the best candidate and that you will fit into their program.

To get started, gather any relevant materials, such as your transcripts, resume, work history, and graduate school applications, and reflect upon these questions before writing:

• What personal and/or work experiences have influenced your life in ways related to pursuing a graduate degree in your discipline?
• When did you become interested in your discipline and how did you know you wanted to pursue a graduate degree in this discipline?
• What have you learned about your discipline?
• What obstacles have you overcome that may demonstrate your ability to overcome future obstacles you may face in graduate school?
• What personal characteristics do you possess that would make you a successful professional in your discipline, and what are some examples of ways you have demonstrated those characteristics?
• What special skills do you have that may be relevant to your graduate work?
• What sets you apart from other applicants?
• Why should the admissions committee admit you to their program?
• What about the program interests you or which faculty members are you interested in working with?
• Do you have any academic deficiencies/weaknesses or gaps in your education that need to be addressed?

An important component for most graduate school applications is the curriculum vitae (translated literally from the Latin as course of life), or CV. A CV is similar to a resume in that it summarizes your qualifications, but it is different in that it is typically longer and includes a comprehensive listing of your professional history including information about employment, academic credentials, publications, contributions, or other significant achievements. However, while the CV is typically longer than a resume, remember that it should still be straightforward and narrowly focused on your credentials.

A good place to get started is to make a list of all of your professional and educational experiences under key categories and then to prioritize them within those categories based on their relevance to the graduate program to which you are applying. Because CVs can be longer than one page, highlighting important information is critical so that it is not easily missed.

The first page of your CV should include your name, address, phone number, and email address. Subsequent pages should list your name and page number in the header.

Use action words to describe your experiences, and be concise with your descriptions. Since people read from left to right and top to bottom, it is most effective to put your most important information toward the top or in the left hand column of each page. For example, emphasize the name of the position, award, or institution by placing those in the left hand column, not the dates of your experiences.

Experiment with different formats for your CV. Two to three pages is an appropriate length for most graduate school applicants, although length will vary depending on your experience.

Involve the people who will be providing references for you in developing your CV. It will allow them to become more familiar with your background and abilities, while providing you with invaluable advice on tailoring your CV for your particular discipline.

Be sure to proofread your CV several times for grammatical and typographical errors. It is always good practice to have other trusted colleagues, the career services staff, family, or friends look at it.

Finally, when creating a CV, be sure to make it your own. You are likely to receive a lot of advice when creating your CV, some of which may conflict or contradict another source. Evaluate all of the different pieces of advice and make the decision that is best for you and your situation. You have to be comfortable with your CV, and here are several helpful resources for writing yours:

• Rebecca Anthony and Gerald Roe. Curriculum Vitae Handbook: How to Present and Promote Your Academic Career. San Francisco: Rudi Publishing, 1998.
• Mary Morris Heiberger and Julia Miller Vick. The Academic Job Search Handbook. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996.
• UNL Career Services: Writing a Curriculum Vitae

Letters of recommendation are a standard part of the application packet for graduate programs. Typically, admissions committees ask for three or four letters. Be sure to verify the specific number of references required by your department and do not send extra letters. It's quite likely the committee will read only the requested number of recommendations.

Letters of recommendation are an opportunity for established scholars (i.e. other faculty members for research programs and professionals for professional programs) to substantiate your potential as a graduate student and your ability to make significant contributions to your graduate program and overall field of study. Keep this in mind when determining whom to ask for letters. Recommenders should be familiar with your work in the classroom, research, writing, critical thinking, group participation, etc. At least one recommender should have worked closely with you on a research project. If you are applying to a Ph.D. program and have already completed a master's degree, your thesis advisor should be included as a recommender.

Remember that the purpose of graduate school is to become an expert in a selected field, and letters of recommendation should reflect your ability and desire to do that. Evidence of campus leadership or volunteer activity, while important, should be contained in the curriculum vitae and should not be the focus of a recommendation letter, unless such activity is intimately tied to your academic program (e.g., service-learning programs). In addition to faculty members, other appropriate recommenders might be administrators, research supervisors, or an employer if the work is directly related to your goals for graduate education. It is worth reiterating that a research-based graduate program's admissions committee is most interested in letters from other faculty who are able to explain your interests and ability to conduct research.

Be sure to spend time and discuss your qualifications and intentions with your proposed recommender. Be clear that you would like a positive letter from him or her and ask if he or she would be willing to provide you with one. After you have selected your recommenders, give them plenty of time to complete the task. Recommenders should have at minimum three to six weeks to complete letters — but the more advance notice you can give, the better — and keep in mind that it is likely they will also be writing letters for other students as well.

The logistics of submitting letters of recommendation vary by program. Some may ask that letters be sent directly from the recommender to the department; others will ask that you submit the letters in sealed envelopes (with a signature across the flap) along with the other application materials and others may ask recommenders to complete the letter online. Be sure to follow the requirements for each department.

Remember to follow up with your recommenders. A simple phone call or email a week before your deadline will provide a kind reminder that they are sure to appreciate and will ensure that your materials arrive on time to meet your program deadline. Finally, don't forget to thank recommenders with a thank you note or other small gift as a token of your appreciation.

Some departments require applicants to submit a writing sample as part of the application packet. Be sure to contact your department directly to verify the need for a writing sample and any specific requirements about other necessary application materials. Many departments request that applicants to the doctoral program submit all or parts of their master's thesis. For applicants to a master's program, a senior thesis or the product of a capstone course in your discipline is a good choice.

Remember that committees will be reading large quantities of paperwork from a number of applicants and will appreciate your ability to follow directions and adhere to the requested number of pages. Use standard formatting for fonts and margins. Typically this is 12-point, Times New Roman font, and 1-inch margins. Avoid fonts that are small or hard to read.

The key to success in selecting a good writing sample is to understand that the purpose of the writing sample is to provide evidence of your writing skills, your familiarity with the discipline, and the ability to complete a sustained research project (even if it's only a 10-15 page paper).

One final consideration in the selection of your writing sample is your comfort and prior knowledge of the material. You should be familiar with the subject and be able to talk easily about your research. Remember that this reflects YOUR interest and should not be written merely to further the research agenda(s) of a potential adviser or department in which you are interested.