Graduate school in any area is a large step to take, both academically and professionally. Success in graduate school takes planning and dedication.
There are many reasons why someone may want to attend graduate school. For some, it is the next step towards obtaining a doctoral degree as a part of the MBA essay writing service, while others may already be employed and looking for advanced credentials. For even more, graduate school opens the possibility of advancement in a job or earning qualifications for an intended career path.
Regardless of the reason for attending graduate school, preparing for graduate school in the humanities takes advanced planning and dedication.
How to Prepare for Graduate School
It is never too early to prepare for graduate school.
According to Stanford University’s School of Humanities and Science, students who are considering graduate school should start preparing during their freshman year. Working on building a solid grade point average (GPA) is the first step in applying to graduate school. Stanford also recommends that students should also participate in research projects, whether at their home institution or at another college or university, as often as possible, as participation in research projects helps to round out a student’s resume and application.
The University of California – Santa Barbara recommends taking the GRE during the summer between a student’s junior and senior years. Students need to take the GRE seriously; while formatted in a similar way to the SAT, a student’s GRE scores are valid for five years from the test date, and the test is expensive to retake if a student does not like his or her scores. Study materials and test preparation seminars are available through companies such as Kaplan and The Princeton Review, as well as through some colleges and universities.
Students should also begin researching prospective graduate schools to get essay writing help and requesting information during the summer between junior and senior years. Applications for graduate programs are usually not available until sometime in September, so it is possible that students may have to wait for information if they are also requesting paper applications.
How to Prepare for Graduate School in the Humanities
Graduate school in the humanities encompasses a variety of academic disciplines. However, many of these disciplines will require similar application materials and qualifications from applicants:
- Writing sample: For most humanities applicants, this will be a critical writing sample that not only evaluates how a student writes and formulates arguments and ideas but also demonstrates how a student approaches critical topics. This sample, depending on the institution and department requirements, can vary in length and may require more than one critical paper in order to satisfy requirements. For those applying to fields such as creative writing, applicants may also be required to submit a creative sample in their specialty genre, whether it is poetry or prose.
- Statement of purpose: The graduate school statement of purpose is a large piece of the graduate school application. The University of California – Berkeley recommends highlighting research during your undergraduate career, classes and/or professors that influenced your graduate school decisions, and why you chose to apply to that program.
Statement of Professional Goals defined by the professional essay writing service as a career statement, this may be required as a separate document that outlines what a student would like to do after completing a graduate degree and how this degree – and this graduate program – would be beneficial to their professional development. - Resume: Be sure to highlight undergraduate achievements on a graduate school resume, as well as any relevant work experience or volunteer experience a student may have. Use the resume’s cover letter to highlight points that may be of interest to admissions committees.
Additionally, students should also make sure that they have at least one or two trusted and respected people lined up to proofread all materials before the application is sent out. Applying to graduate school in the humanities with materials that contain typographical and grammatical errors may be the difference between an acceptance letter and denied admission.
Applying to graduate school in the humanities is an involved process. If a student begins preparing early in his or her undergraduate career, however, applying to graduate school does not have to be crammed into just a few short months.
