Graduate and Professional School Preparation
Thinking about Graduate or Professional school? The Graduate and Professional School process may seem complex and overwhelming upon first glance. We have compiled some key steps for you to follow in the process as you consider your options and submit applications. Please note that these steps are not necessarily in chronological order, but can be helpful as you devote your time and commitment to the process.
Is Graduate or Professional School right for you?
If you are looking to further specialize your education in an academic subject of interest, are seeking a career that requires advanced degrees, or want to build upon existing skills and acquire new ones, then graduate/professional school may be an option for you.
Here are some factors to consider:
- Consider your career goals and academic interests
- Factor in the time commitment of a program
- Identify funding sources (graduate assistantships, scholarships, fellowships, loans) that are available
- Find out the reputation, rankings, and status of a program
- Seek out input and advice from individuals (faculty, mentors, advisors, students) that are associated with programs of interest
Researching and Evaluating Graduate/Professional Programs
It is important to research available programs and consider multiple factors as you make decisions to apply.
Below you'll find resources to help you find programs in your area of interest, as well as some factors to pay attention to when you are researching each program.
Lists of Graduate/Professional Programs
These are general guides of information and directories for graduate and professional programs in all academic areas:
- Graduate Guide
- GradSchools.com
- Peterson's Graduate School Guide
- UW-Whitewater Graduate Programs
Many professional associations in various fields of interest provide information about graduate and professional schools, and the process involved to get a career in their industry. You can find a full searchable directory of professional associations here.
Below are some specific resources from professional associations in fields that UW-Whitewater students have applied to in the past.
- Art Therapy - American Art Therapy Association
- Chiropractic - Association of Chiropractic Colleges
- Communication - National Communication Association
- Counseling - American Couseling Association
- Dance - American College Dance Association
- Dentistry - American Dental Association
- Law - American Bar Association
- Medicine - American Medical Association and Association of American Medical Colleges
- Pharmacy - American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
- Physician Assistant - The Physician Assistant Life
- Physical Therapy - American Physical Therapy Association
- Veterinary Medicine - American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges
Please note that for each of the fields above, UW-Whitewater offers pre-professional coursework that can be counted towards some of the prerequisites for the program. You can also consult pre-professional advisors at UW-Whitewater, who have expertise in the application process for various fields and are available to meet with you. Click here for more information about the health-related pre-professional programs at UW-Whitewater.
Evaluation Criteria
When evaluating graduate and professional programs, consider the following criteria to help you decide which programs are best suited to your needs:
- What are the admission requirements?
- How important are GPA and test scores?
- What criteria are used to evaluate and select students?
- What is the ratio of acceptances to applications?
- Are there state regulations and residence requirements? Many state universities are required by law to give admission preferences to in-state residents. These regulations apply to your legal residence and may affect the cost of your tuition.
- What are the tuition and fees?
- What financial assistance is available in the form of loans, scholarships, graduate assistantships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and fellowships?
- How long is the financial aid offered? Is is offered through the full course of study?
- Teaching or graduate assistantships are helpful in not only financing your graduate education but also in gaining experience. Find out how many are available each year and what courses you would be teaching or what duties you would be responsible for.
- What specializations are available, do they match your interests?
- Does the program focus on theory and original research, or does it stress the practical application of knowledge and skills?
- Does the program provide real work experience such as internships?
- How structured is the curriculum?
- Are there opportunities to work on research projects?
- Who are the faculty and what are their credentials?
- Do the faculty hold degrees in fields of expertise from leading universities?
- What is the faculty/student ratio?
- What awards, grants, and special recognition have the faculty earned?
- What have the faculty published?
- What research projects have the faculty conducted?
- Does the published and research work of the faculty represent your interests?
- Do the faculty hold chairs or professorships?
- Does the department have nationally or internationally known scholars in the field?
- Do the top scholars in the program teach, or are they primarily involved in research?
- Do the faculty actively participate in the graduate school community?
- Is there diversity among the faculty?
- Is the university accredited by appropriate organizations?
- Is the program nationally ranked in terms of excellence?
- Is the program well established or relatively new?
- Who has graduated from the program and what are they doing now?
- What is the attrition level?
- Look at the size of the department as well as the university. A large institution will have more extensive facilities and libraries, while a smaller school will offer more personal attention and a sense of community.
- What career planning and job search assistance is available through the department?
- Is there an on-campus career center that offers advising, job search training, and employment leads?
- Does the program provide real work experience such as practice, cooperative programs, or internships to give you solid work experience?
- Are career services offered to alumni?
- Are you hoping to develop professional contacts? If so, select a school that prides itself on real-world orientation and partnerships with employers, organizations, and additional academic institutions. If you want a program that encourages graduates to network, seek a school with a well-developed alumni relations office.
- What are the faculty and student composition?
- Will you have an opportunity to work with students from other cultures?
- What international exchange programs are available?
- Is it possible to study additional languages?
- What multicultural experiences do the faculty bring to the classroom?
- Are international topics substantially integrated into the curriculum?
- Is there a comprehensive reference collection in your area of specialization, both in print and online?
- What special collections exist?
- Are there specialized reference librarians in your area of specialization?
Admissions decisions are based on a holistic review of multiple application items. In addition to your GPA, common application materials include essays/personal statements, entrance exams, and letters of recommendation.
Application Essays/Personal Statements
An application essay for graduate school is where you can express how your educational and professional goals are a good fit for the program and how you can contribute to the program.
Factors and points to consider when writing your statement can include, but are not limited to:
- Describe your background and experiences.
- What are your career goals for your field of interest?
- What are your passions, goals, and interests?
- How and why did you come to the decision to apply?
- Who or what were your influences?
- What are your reasons for pursuing graduate study?
- What are unique characteristics about your background, relevant skills, training, or experiences you have acquired?
- Why do you think you would be an effective student in the program?
- How do your goals and motivation align with the program and its characteristics?
- What are specific characteristics of the program that draw you to it (you can make reference to details about the program, mention research of certain professors, etc.)?
- What experiences do you have that relate to the program's mission, values, and faculty research?
Here are some essential tips to follow when writing application essays:
- An essay is generally 500 to 1000 well-selected words, using 12 point font, double-spaced and around 2 pages. All essay requirements are different, so follow the instructions provided with the application.
- Make sure to clearly read and respond to the prompt you are given for your application essay/personal statement. Some essays ask you to respond to specific questions or items.
- Be concise! Make sure your statement is clear, organized, and specific to the program.
- Avoid summarizing what is in your resume.
- Personalize and be honest in your essay to tell your story.
- Remember to use good transitions between your paragraphs to enhance the flow of the statement.
- Polish your essay by proofreading and editing for any errors. Ask others to help review for additional edits and feedback.
Below are great external resources to help you as you are writing your application essay or personal statement.
6 Tips for Writing a Graduate School Personal Statement by Indeed
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation are a key part of an application to graduate and professional school. Be in touch with those that will write letters or recommendation for you. They can be professors that know you well, supervisors, as well as peers and/or those you might have supervised/mentored/taught, etc. They need to be people who can speak highly about your skills, strengths, and interests.
When reaching out to your letter writers to ask them, share with them your application essays, resume, and other relevant items. Also, be sure to state the deadlines for them to complete the letters. Most schools provide an online link that is directly sent to the letter writer for them to complete.
- Give your letter writers up to one month to complete their letters.
- More details about letters of recommendation and the process can be found here.
Entrance exams are a requirement for many graduate and professional school programs. The following exams are the most common, and you can get more information about each from their respective websites.
There are a variety of ways to prepare for these entrance exams, including individual self-paced study and/or enrolling in prep courses such as Kaplan and Princeton Review.
The GRE is a widely used admissions test for graduate and professional school. There are two types of GRE exams, noted below. Click the buttons below to learn more about each test, including preparation and scheduling information.
The GRE is the "general" graduate admissions exam and is required for admission to many university graduate programs. It includes a five section general test that measures your analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning abilities to measure your potential success on a graduate level.
The GRE Subject Tests are achievement tests that measure your knowledge of a particular field of study. Fields of study with Subject Tests include Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology. These scores can be used to supplement your undergraduate qualifications and recommendation letters.
Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
The GMAT is a standarized test used by graduate management programs to assess the business skills and qualifications of applicants. Scores are used to predict your academic performance in the first year of graduate business and management programs. There are three sections within this exam.
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
The LSAT is an integral part of law school admission in the United States, Canada, and a growing number of other countries. The purpose of the LSAT is to test the skills necessary for success in the first year of law school. Those skills include reading comprehension, reasoning, and writing. The test results help admissions decision makers and candidates alike gain valuable insight as to law school readiness.
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
The MCAT is a standardized, multiple-choice exam designed to assess your problem solving, critical thinking, and knowledge of natural, behavioral, and social science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine. Scores are given in four sections including Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior, and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.
Some graduate schools may require an interview for acceptance. Admissions interviews will include meeting with faculty and students of the program. Interviews may be virtual or in-person and will include tours of the program's facilities and campus. There may also be seminars, lectures, and receptions/socials for you to attend.
Prepare for the Interview
Consider this interview to be similar to a job interview. We've included some helpful tips below to help you prepare for your admissions interviews. You will need to research and learn about the program, which can include reading about faculty and and their research interests, becoming familiar with the program's goals and resources, and getting a sense of the students in the program and their areas of study, goals, and aspirations. Your interviewers will expect you to:
- Be able to articulate how your goals and qualifications match what the program has to offer
- Convince the interviewers that you will be an asset to their department and program
Typically, graduate and professional schools will be asking questions about:
- Your academic, career, and personal goals
- Your academic and professional aptitude
- What appeals to you about their academic program and institution
We have included some sample questions below, but you should also research and practice interview questions that pertain to your intended course of study.
- Tell me about yourself.
- What are your career goals?
- Why do you want a graduate degree in _____?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a student?
- Why would you be an asset to our department?
- What kind of teaching or research experience have you had to date?
- Why should we accept you into this program?
- What makes you a good candidate?
- What appeals to you about this program?
- What what other schools are you applying to?
- Tell me about the research project you were involved in with Professor ____?
- Why do you want to be in this profession? Think through the process. What event(s) led to the decisions? What experiences and people influenced the decision?
- What other careers have you considered?
- How did you become committed to this choice?
- How do you feel about the many ethical issues that face the profession? In medicine for example, consider: animal research, dealing with death, helplessness, fetal research, AIDS, abortion, test tube or surrogate babies, HMOs, national health insurance, and malpractice insurance.
- How have you investigated the field outside of the classroom? (work or volunteer experiences) What did you find? What did you learn? How did you change through the experience?
- In what extracurricular activities have you been involved? What role(s) did you play? How did you grow through the experience? Did your participation lead to change or have positive results?
- How do you view the future of your chosen profession?
- Why should the admissions commitee accept you above other candidates?
- How are you unique? What and how do you expect to contribute to the profession?
- What type of professional would you like to be and why?
- In what setting would you like to practice, work, or teach?
- What are your outside interests? Talents - music, art, athletics? Reading material, music, films?
- Have you gotten involved in community service?
- How do you deal with stress?
- How do you plan to finance your graduate education?
- How do you feel about starting out in debt?
- How do you deal with uncertainty or failure?
- What are some of the reasons you have chosen this profession?
- What do you think it takes to be successful in your profession?
- What are some of the rewards and some of the frustrations of this profession?
- What was your most rewarding college experience?
We recommend using InterviewPrep for interview practice. This online service is available 24/7 and allows you to access a large question database and conduct practice video interviews with pre-recorded questions.
Finally, interviewers will expect you to have questions for them. Your questions will demonstrate your interest in the program, your analytical and inquisitive mind, and your interpersonal skills. You should try to emphasize your intellectual curiosity, motivation, ability to discuss issues current in your field, and your ability to work with professors.
- Narrow down your program list to focus on your top 3-5 schools. You can of course have more, but a smaller target group will make the process less overwhelmig to tackle.
- Write down key points that stick out about each program, and consider making a pros and cons list.
- Write down the due dates for each program in your notes. Typically, due dates range from late November/December 1 (for Ph.D programs) to mid-February (for other programs).
- Pre-professional programs (medical, PA, dentistry, veterinary) will open up application processes about 1 year prior to the intended enrollment date (.e. June 2023 for Fall 2024 enrollment).
- Create a goal/calendar based on your schedule of when you will complete each application.
Can I take some time off after graduating from UWW?
You can always choose to wait to apply for graduate/professional school for a year or two after you finish your undergraduate degree at UW-Whitewater. Here are some options to consider between graduation and graduate/professional school to help you gain experience:
- Complete an internship, find a job, or volunteer in the area that you're interested in pursuing.
- Consider a gap year program like Teach for America, AmeriCorps, or the Peace Corps. There are many options available!
- Complete job shadowing and informational interviews with professionals in the field you want to study to make sure it’s the right fit for you.
- Seek out personal and professional development opportunities to strengthen your skills in areas of interest and gain confidence.
Looking for help with the Graduate and Professional School application process?
Career Services offers appointments and drop-in hours so that you can meet with you career advisor to discuss planning, review your application materials, or conduct a practice admissions interview. Please note that we do not offer same day appointments.