Know Your Schools

Study the schools carefully.  Do they emphasize research or teaching?  Research the schools' academic strengths and see if they match your research interests.  Inform yourself of the competition you will face -- particularly at well known schools -- by comparing your qualifications with admitted class profiles.  Check for any financial support and begin researching your schools well ahead of the application season, which is fall/winter for most schools. 

1. Prepare yourself

2. Know the Costs

• Inform yourself of the price of required tests – GMAT/GRE/TOEFL. 
• Look up application fees or fee waivers that might apply to you.
• Is there extra cost for an application service used by the school?

3. Know Yourself

Pursuing a doctorate is a large commitment; it is important to do extensive self reflection prior to applying. Do you like one-on-one interaction with faculty or are you ok as part of a crowd?  Can you persevere when you need to talk to faculty about your work and they have other priorities?  How you deal with criticism?  Absorbing criticism and using it to improve your work is important in getting you through a doctoral program.

Here are some other questions to ask:

- Some schools do not hire their own doctoral graduates. Are you determined to stay in a particular part of the country? 

- Are you comfortable in a large or a small city, or in the country? 

- Do you have a spouse or partner who will need a job in your new location.

- Do you have money saved or resources available if you find you can’t live on the school's financial support?

• Be truthful. Admissions committees want to see a seamless record of your career from the beginning of your undergraduate degree to the present.  The information you provide may be cross checked and confirmed.  If there is a gap in your submitted information which have not been explained, the admissions committee may note this gap in your evaluation.
• Fill out the application completely. Do not skip parts of the application that you think are not needed. Missing information may delay your application.
• Make a copy of the application for your records, in case any part of the application is misplaced by you or the school.

Your Resume

• Make it factual and seamless.  Do not editorialize or hype your qualifications.  Include facts, and not judgments of your performance.
• Here is a suggested format: 1) contact information, 2) objective, 3) education/degree/major/date received-expected, 4) academic rank and/or honors/distinction, 5) employers in chronological order, 6) awards and outstanding accomplishments, 7) outside activities, offices held, hobbies.

Letters of Recommendation

Recommenders need to be aware of the ability, preparation, and character required to complete a doctoral degree.  Many schools now suggest recommendation letters be submitted online via an online application system.

• Consider your audience. 
• Supply the number of letters requested.  Exceed that number only for an exceptional recommendation that might supply different information from your other recommenders.
• Avoid letters from people who do not know you well, even though they may have impressive titles.
• Letters from educators are helpful, as you want to emphasize your academic ability and potential for study for the degree.  Business professionals familiar with your skills and character can also be helpful.

Test Scores

Test scores will most likely not be the deciding factor in your admission. However, they are an important component of your application used to judge your potential for success in the program.  It is acceptable to take the test more than once. Taking the test repeatedly, however, may not provide additional useful information to the admission committee.

For some schools, test scores may be a threshold used to make an initial decision about your training and ability to complete their program. 

Essay

Your essay should make clear that you thoroughly understand the arduous process you are applying for and have a sincere interest in your major area of study.  Think about the fit between your interests and the school you are applying to and demonstrate how they match.  Make your essay complete the picture that you would like to present to the admissions committee. Discuss your weaknesses as well as your strengths.  If you stumbled academically in the past, explain how it happened and how your corrected the situation.

Interviews

Admissions interviews may be required, optional or discouraged.  This may be dependent upon the size of the program and/or the number of applications received.  Be sure you understand each school’s policy.  

Campus visits prior to the application are appropriate and you may be able to speak with current students, faculty and staff. (Some schools do not encourage applicants contact faculty directly. Contact the administration to learn school norms). Be aware that selling yourself as a potential doctorate student probably will not gain you admittance; but familiarizing yourself with the school’s location, facilities and area amenities is a wise move that will aid you in making a decision should you be admitted.  Some schools will pay for a visit, once an admission decision has been made.