A college degree isn’t what it used to be anymore. If you are thinking of advancing your career or switching to a new field, you might want to consider applying to a Master’s Degree Program. While these 2 year programs can often be very intense, if you’ve done enough research beforehand, it might be worth your while to look into your dream school and how it can accelerate you on your path to your dream career.
Admission Interviews
Many graduate schools conduct admission interviews to make sure that their candidate is a good fit for their school. Even more so than the undergraduate environment, graduate schools are smaller and need the right student to maintain their rankings and reputation. Many admissions interviews include students as well as admissions officers to make sure that the candidate is the right fit for the school. To prepare for admission interviews, you should be asking alumni on typical questions and researching to find the best answers that apply to you.
Standardized Tests
Most graduate programs require you submit test scores. Depending on the program that you are going into, you might have to take the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, or GMAT. While the GRE is a general test for graduate school, the LSAT is for Law School, the MCAT for Medical School, and the GMAT for business school. You should be studying for these tests, either through programs or test prep books. You might be surprised at what you have forgotten!
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation are extremely important for graduate school, and depending on the school itself, it may be more important than any other factors since some private schools accept their undergraduates into their graduate programs based on their professor’s recommendations. Make sure that you have an academic reference who can vouch for you, as well as other references that can come from your work or internships.
Personal Essays
Personal essays are a place where you can truly shine. Make sure that you put in a story about yourself that will intrigue the admissions officer. You should make sure to show this essay to several other people to make sure that it is good before sending it out. You should be spending a lot of time on your personal essay because it is often what distinguishes you from the other candidates, and can be the difference between admission and rejection.
Applying to a master’s degree program is no cakewalk, but there are many things that you can do to ensure that you get the maximum competitive advantage. Making sure that you nail the interview process, ace the standardized tests, and recommendation letters and personal essay will put you ahead of many candidates competing for a seat at your dream school.
