Bookshelf

• Essential Words for the GRE by Philip Geer Ed.M.
• Get Into Graduate School: A Strategic Approach for Master's & Doctoral Candidates by Kaplan
• Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way into the Graduate School of Your Choice by Donald Asher
• Graduate Schools in the U.S. 2011 by Peterson's
• Graduate School and You: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students by Clara Sue Kidwell and Cheryl A. Flagg

Helpful Websites

1. Graduate School Guide
2. Gradschools.com
3. Peterson's
4. The Grad Café

Fellowships:

1. scholarships.fatomei.com/college-scholarships-graduate-fellowships.html
2. www.finaid.org/scholarships
3. www2.ed.gov/programs/jacobjavits/index.html
4. sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/fellowships/
5. www.truman.gov

Other Resources

Flashcard Software:

1. iFlash(for Mac)
2. Flashcard Exchange(web-based)

Miscellaneous:

1. Financing Graduate Education BW.pdf
2. Free GRE practice tools
   
3. Tips on effective time management

Timetable for Applying to Graduate School¹

Summer

• Write a draft statement of purpose/personal statement.
• Start browsing through guides to graduate programs, Web sites, and college catalogs.
• Begin studying for required standardized tests.

August-September

• Meet with faculty members you know to discuss your personal statement and learn about possible programs.
• Ask for letters of recommendations.
• Begin to develop your personal timeline for the application process.
• Sign up for required standardized tests.

October

• Take standardized tests.
• Determine the schools to which you plan to apply, and request application materials.
• Contact programs about the possibility of visiting. Make trips if possible.
• Finish your timeline based on each institution's application and financial aid deadlines.
• Complete your personal statement, adjusting it to meet each application's specific needs.
• Order transcripts from all postsecondary institutions (If fall-term grades are expected, check with the staff in the registrar's office to see if a transcript including fall-term grades can be sent in time to meet the deadlines of programs to which you are applying).

November

• Complete application forms (First download the form from the university website and do a draft).
• Give your recommenders all the information that they will need to write recommendations for you for each of your application schools. Be sure to give them plenty of time.

December/January

• Submit applications. Even if deadlines are later, it is good to get the applications in early.

April

• If you are applying for need-based financial aid programs, you may have to file a copy of your federal income tax return.

¹Adapted from Kidwell, C.S. and Flagg, C.A. (2004)
Graduate School and You: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students
Washington, D.C.