How to Avoid Common Grad School Application Mistakes
It's no secret that starting work on a master's degree is a big leap from undergraduate study. For some, the difference may become apparent as soon as the application process begins. Graduate applications often require information that's a far cry from what's required for undergraduate programs, especially when it comes to personal statements. Schools expect their graduate students to be professional, motivated and well-informed, with a solid academic track record behind them. That means that even successful undergraduate students should take some time to learn what they should include and avoid in their graduate program applications.
'Kisses of Death'
A 2006 study published in the journal Teaching of Psychology examined some of the major mistakes that could hurt an applicant's chances of being admitted to a graduate psychology program. Although the study was specific to psychology departments, the so-called "kisses of death" that they identified should be avoided by applicants to any graduate program. Researchers received information from 88 program chairs detailing 156 examples of costly mistakes. The responses were grouped into five categories, listed in descending order of frequency:
- Damaging personal statements
- Harmful letters of recommendation
- Lack of program information
- Poor writing skills
- Misfired attempts to impress
Make a Statement
Damaging personal statements were the most common kiss of death, which may come as no surprise considering how many ways an open-ended statement could go wrong. The study's researchers found that personal statements often hurt an applicant's chances when he or she reveals too much personal information that's not related to the program of study. These include disclosures of mental illness or other personal problems, inappropriate use of humor and excessive mentions of religious belief. While these mistakes may not be grounds for rejection from a school, they aren't likely to be relevant to the application.
In addition to being on target, personal statements and any other essays must also show an applicant's ability to write. Even in programs of study that aren't specifically directed toward writing, the ability to communicate clearly is essential. Grammar and spelling mistakes will obviously reflect poorly on applicants, but they're also the easiest problems to fix. It could be wise to have a professor or someone else with strong language skills look over essays and other materials before submitting them to reduce the chance of such an error getting through.
Style can also pose a problem in applications. Some applicants may be tempted to use overly complex language or structure in an effort to mimic what they think of as academic writing. This approach is wrongheaded, the Washington University School of Law reports. It's much more important to write clearly and articulately than to try to impress essay readers.
Know Your Strengths and Your School
In general, the Teaching of Psychology study's authors discourage trying too hard to impress admissions officials. Respondents to the survey report that students sometimes inappropriately reference influential people who they know but have no connection to the program. In other cases, they may be overly critical of their undergraduate programs or blame others for poor academic performance. This can come off as arrogant and petulant.
Statements need to demonstrate an applicant's fit for a specific program as well as academic successes. Applicants should be sure that their goals align with the focus of the university to which they're applying. Referencing faculty members who are no longer employed or failing to address a school's specific strength could land an application in the rejection pile.
Get the Right Recommendation
Lackluster recommendations were also a major misstep in many applications. Researchers found that many recommendations revealed qualities of the applicant that made them unsuitable for graduate school or for the specific program for which they were applying. Students could also sabotage their applications by asking for recommendations from the wrong sources.
The best candidates to write a recommendation letter are professors who've worked closely with the applicant and who are likely to have positive things to say. School officials who never actually taught or worked with a student may have impressive titles, but they're unlikely to provide much helpful information. Going outside of academia - to get recommendations from friends or family members, for example - should be discouraged. It's best for students to specifically ask faculty members if they would be willing to write a positive letter and provide some information that they would like included, Professor Emeritus Drew Appleby of Indiana University reports for Accepted.com.