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@ChrisMillward yes. Applying to colleges for the Fall and 3/5 are in Toronto. Fun times! – by orangeclockwork (Virginie St-Hilaire)

How to Apply to American Colleges and Universities: The Complete Manual for Applying to Undergraduate and Graduate Schools in the United States (Selfhelp)

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A Primer on Applying to Graduate Schools

The following applies mostly to graduate programs in ecology, evolution, systematics, natural resources, and forestry. Applying to graduate school in these disciplines is much different than applying to universities from high school or applying to medical or law school.

In general, it is never too early to start thinking about graduate school applications. Before applying, however, you should be fairly confident that graduate school is right for you. It is a big commitment and motivation is the key to success! If you’re not sure, or burned out, take a year or two off, gain some experience, travel, and then carefully consider your options.

This document is divided into five sections:

* Prelude 1 : Grades and GRE’s
* Prelude 2 : Gaining experience
* Applying 1 : Before the Application
* Applying 2 : After the Application
* Further reading

Prelude 1: Grades and GRE’s.

Although grades and GRE’s are not always a good predictor of success in graduate school, universities will use these metrics to compare and evaluate the sometimes large number of applicants they receive.

1. Do not let your GPA drop below a 3.00. The vast majority of graduate schools have a 3.0 as their cut-off. If you are below this, there are some avenues around it (see below).

2. Score well on the GRE. Your score on the GRE is more important than your GPA. A high score on the GRE can make-up for a low GPA. Make sure you study for the GRE by purchasing any one of the many GRE study and preparation guides. Practice taking the test under the actual conditions of the exam. If you can afford it, take a formal course on the GRE (e.g., Kaplan). Studying and practicing for the GRE is proven to significantly increase your score! Note that many universities allocate fellowships and scholarships based on your performance on the GRE’s, so even if you generally score well on these exams, a modest improvement at the high end of these exams can help you qualify for the multi-year fellowships that are often awarded by universities.

Prelude 2: Gaining experience.

1. Start doing actual science early. You should understand that classes are only one part of your education. You should begin to obtain real hands-on research experience as early as your sophomore year. You should try to obtain field and research experience by finding a graduate student or faculty member who is doing interesting work, and see if you can:

* Volunteer.
* Work as a paid field assistant.
* Conduct independent research (field or laboratory research project).
* Conduct an independent study (library project which will require reading in the primary (journal) literature).

A note of caution is due here. Do not do any of these things if you are just trying to fill out your resume. You should be genuinely interested in the research. If you are not, it will end up being a bad experience for you and the researcher.

2. Participate in a scientific meeting. After gaining experience by one of the above means, try to attend and present a paper at a scientific meeting (Local meetings include: Pennsylvania Natural History Conference, Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences; National meetings include: Ecological Society of America annual meeting). Attending a meeting will give you thechance to meet a potential advisor. Also, meetings are fun!

3. Write and try to publish a scientific paper. This could result from your independent research or an independent library project.

4. Get to know your professors and TAs. To get into the top programs you will need three recommendations and four does not hurt. These recommendations are extremely important because in many instances your professors are likely to personally know, or at least be acquaintances of, the professors you are applying to work with. Do not underestimate the importance of recommendations. Recommendations that only include your performance in class will be considerably less influential than recommendations that evaluate your performance both in class and outside of class conducting independent research or an independent study.

Applying 1 : Before the Application

1. Choosing an area of research. Identify the general area of research you would like to pursue (it should probably be more specific than just ecology or even plant ecology). Seek advice from faculty and graduate students.

2. Selecting an institution. Select a range of institutions in terms of quality, from major research universities to small regional colleges with small graduate programs, unless you are confident you have the qualifications to get into a top program. Note, it is often the case that the better the institution, the less likely it will even consider master’s students. For some students – or for some disciplines – finding a good program with a group of faculty doing research that interests you will provide an excellent learning environment. For some students – and for some disciplines (like ecology), finding the right advisor is paramount.

3. Selecting a potential advisor. Identify 6-10 professors conducting research in an area you are interested in and at universities you are interested in attending (use the Internet). Do not go into this blind! Ask professors, TAs, and anyone else for advice on appropriate advisors. Your selection of an advisor is the most important choice you will make with regard to your graduate degree. It is generally more important than your choice of a university. Although it is always possible to switch advisors once you begin your graduate training, switching advisors can often be awkward and sometimes politically difficult.

4. Doing your homework. You should read the most recent scientific papers authored by the faculty member with whom you are interested in working and find out whatever you can about this person. You will not be expected to fully comprehend these papers.

5. Recommendations. You need to secure 3 and sometimes 4 recommendations. These recommendations should come primarily from faculty but some may also come from senior graduate students or job supervisors. Choose people who know your abilities both inside and outside the classroom. Ask each person if they are willing to write you a positive letter of recommendation (most will be quite frank). When you have decided which programs to apply to, give each faculty member a description of your goals and interests, and a copy of your resume. This will allow them to write a more detailed and personal letter. Give them the names and addresses of all of the schools you’re applying to at once, so that they can write all the letters at one time. In general, faculty are notoriously bad about getting recommendations in on time. It is your job to insure that individuals that are writing your recommendations actually send them in. DOUBLE CHECK this by contacting the universities you are applying to, not by asking the faculty member. If the letters have not arrived by near the due date, contact the faculty member writing your letters with a polite letter, e-mail, phone call, or personal visit. Request that they send the letter ASAP.

6. The letter of introduction and resume. Write a personal letter ore-mail to each faculty member you are interested in working with. This letter should go out well ahead of the application deadline (no later than mid-October to mid-November). In the e-mail you should say briefly who you are, why you want to work with that person, and your background and experience. Find someone to read and edit this letter, preferably a graduate student or faculty member. In this letter, focus first on your research experience and secondarily on your academic performance. If you have research experience, give the name of the professor(s) you have research experience with. Ask specifically whether the prospective faculty advisor will be taking on any students in the next academic year. This letter should be no more than one page unless you have substantial research experience. Include a CV or resume at the end of the e-mail or appended to the letter.

7. The application form. Fill out the application completely and type it. Make sure you get it in on time.

6. Application deadlines. Applications are due usually in mid-January to early-February to enter a program that begins in September. In general, the better the program, the earlier the application is due (e.g., Stanford’s application is due ~Dec. 15). Only a small number of programs accept graduate students in the spring semester; thus it is a once a yearprocess.

Applying 2 : After the Application

1. The follow-up letter. When you hear back from your initial letters of inquiry, follow whatever recommendations or advice they give you in the letter. If you do not hear anything, follow-up your inquiry about three weeks later with a short and polite e-mail asking them if they received your initial inquiry and if so whether they would consider you as a prospective graduate student. Faculty may be out of town and so you might consider calling whatever department they are in and inquiring about their whereabouts.

2. The interview – before. Hopefully some subset of the 6-10 professors and universities will be interested in you. Arrange to visit any and all institutions you can afford to visit. Some universities will have money to fly in excellent prospective candidates for an

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Applying for Financial Aid: Requirements for Application

 

Those students who experience some financial problems can apply for financial aid, this service is available at any college. The process of application is quite simple. Financial aid for students is supported by the Department of Education of the USA. The procedure of loan application is strict and precise, as it needs serious preparation and gathering ofall the necessary documents. In order to apply for the Federal Loan, student should fill in Free Application form, having precise personal and general information. This form is forwarded to the department for consideration. After consideration, the members of the department decide what amount of money the student is entitled to receive.

After completion of the necessary information, it is carefully checked by the department. Only then, they inform a decision, whether student is available to get the loan and what amount of money he /she can get. In this case the financial need of the student is very important. In order to apply for the loan the student has to meet a lot of requirements, but there is no guarantee that the department will give a positive answer. As practice shows, there were a lot of cases of denied applications. The list of necessary requirements for application is as following:

1) Citizenship of the USA

2) Social Security Code

3) Reasonable financial Need

4) Good credit history and absence of debts on the credit card

5) Absence of debts

6) High level of grade Points

Students are free to choose the programs of financial aid to apply for. These are: Federal Grants that are the most popular among students, Student Loans that are less popular as the loans should be reimbursed, and, finally, Student Work Programs. As for grants, they are not needed to be repaid and application is based on the student’s financial need. As for loans, they are similar to consumption loans, but the main differences are terms of repayment and lower interest rate.

any help is appreciated. also help with grants and scholarships plz

I’m applying to most of my colleges online, and the teacher recommendations are attached to the application. How can my teachers access this if I’m the person filling it out?

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The Bound for College Guidebook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding and Applying to Colleges

Do I apply to colleges before getting scholarships?
Give a detailed step by step process

I am a high school junior. Obviously, I’ve been looking for scholarships and financial aid for when it is time for me to go to college. Does anyone know how soon I should start applying for scholarships? I think right now is a bit early, since I wont be starting college until August 2010, but I don’t know when exactly is the right time to start applying for scholarships.