Grad School Application Timeline

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January to June: Choosing your Programs

The first step, which can be long and harrowing, is searching for the programs you want to apply to. The application process for graduate schools is very different from undergraduate experience. You need to spend more time specializing the materials for each program, and the application fees are double to triple the amount of undergraduate applications. 

For these reasons, it is recommended to limit yourself to 5 to 10 program applications in one cycle.

Choosing your program should depend on multiple factors, primarily program fit and location.

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Program Fit

This is arguably the most important aspect for all program applications, regardless of your desired career trajectory (e.g., academia, industry, education, etc.). You want to be a part of a program that will let you fulfill your research and educational desires, as this is what you will dedicate the next 2-7 years (depending on what kind of degree) of your life to.

Some ideas to consider are research focus of the program, how many students end up in your desired career field (e.g., do many go on to become professors?), and coursework for your desired major.

To assess program fit, take a look at the professor pages listed on the departmental websites, cross-check their research interests with Google Scholar, and attend academic events. Examples of some events to determine program/research fit are graduate info sessions, research seminars, or conferences in your field!
 

Location

Location is especially important for those pursuing Ph.D. programs, as those can range from 4 to 7 years. Location matters for multiple reasons, including cost of living and mental health. You want to spend these years in a place that will be beneficial for you on all fronts.

If you want to choose programs based on location, start with a state or region that you see yourself living in long-term. An example is that if you want to live in major cities, you might look primarily for universities in California or the East Coast. Once you establish a list of universities in cities that you see yourself living in, then you can spend time looking at whether the program works for your goals.
 

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July: Drafting Essays

Unfortunately, essays for graduate programs differ by university and department. You cannot begin with full drafts of your application before September, as those are when official application portals open. However, you can still draft two essays that are typically required, but differ by name across programs. All essays in the end will likely follow the same story and flow, but they will differ on certain details or focus based on the program’s prompts.

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Research Essay

You want to answer key points such as:

• What made you choose this discipline/field?

• What have you done to prepare you for graduate school in this discipline?

• What are your career goals, and how will this program guide you towards that path?

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Personal Essay
This question differs based on the program… however some general ideas to brainstorm are:

• What is a challenge or adversity you had to overcome to pursue this field?

• Did you feel adequately represented or supported in your journey? Why or why not?

• How have the experiences in the previous questions better prepared or motivated you for graduate school?

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Founder’s Note: detailed guides and real-life examples of these essays will be shared in late spring/early summer 2025 to ensure that there is ample time for upcoming students and I do not accidentally affect my own graduate school decisions.

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August: Communicating with Professors

Reach out to Letter of Recommendation writers during this period to assess their availability in the upcoming fall quarter/semester to write a great letter of recommendation for you. It is best if these individuals are research professors that have mentored you, and possibly one that has seen you excel in coursework related to your field. You want to emphasize different skills in each letter, therefore instruct each letter writer to do so. For example, you can assign one professor to discuss research skills, another for coursework comprehension, and the last one for clinical skills (if this is your field of interest).

Additionally, now is the time to reach out to potential professors or Principal Investigators to hopefully accept you into their research team during the upcoming cycle. Every email you send should be personalized and well-detailed to the potential advisor in question, and attach your CV! Through this process, you will assess beforehand if they have funding, time, and space for you before you commit the time and money to applying. Especially since your essays will oftentimes require that you list potential faculty advisors, it betters your chances to know ahead of time if these individuals are not accepting new graduate students.

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September: School-Specific Requirements

Usually, specifics about application materials required are open to the public in September. During this time, you want to make sure you create an account in all application portals as some might have extra supplemental materials that are not detailed on their website!

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Additionally, you want to look into specific essays they might require, and begin drafting them ASAP. This is why drafting your main essays beforehand is so important.

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If the GRE is required for the program, you should be prepared to take it in September, or latest October.

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October: Revising Materials

You want your essays to be reviewed by people with different backgrounds/perspectives. I recommend choosing 2-3 of the following:

• A friend or colleague in your field

• A professor or graduate student you work with

• A professional writing or graduate school preparatory advisor (if applicable)

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Around this time, you also want to remind your proposed letter writers about the deadline, as most schools will have specified them on their program websites. Do not be too pressuring, however just check that they are available this semester to vouch for you.

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November: Finalizing and Submitting your Application

Once you have feedback from multiple sources, try to take one last good look at ALL of your essays. Do they apply to each program individually? Are they written with style and show your true personality? If the answer is yes to all, then submit them!

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It is recommended to have your materials ready to submit a couple weeks before the deadline, and preferably submit it fully by Thanksgiving week (~3-7 days before the end of the month).

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December 1: Celebrate!

Thank your letter writers formally, go out to a nice dinner with friends or family, and enjoy that weekend after submitting. It is a long and tedious process that took up the past academic year or longer. You deserve a nice celebration before the stress of hearing back hits!