How to Start Your Grad School Search
Maybe you are nearing the end of your undergraduate career, or maybe you have been taking that post-grad break that seemed like a one-month vacation that turned into a several-month stint, but the start of your grad school search can be confusing and daunting no matter when it begins. Just like the search for the university to call home for your undergraduate career, your grad school search can begin at any time and doesn’t necessarily have to be something you have been planning since your freshman year to be successful.
And also like many of your previous endeavors, starting your grad school search may just be the most difficult part when you do not know where to start or even how to start. If it’s time for you to start your grad school search, consider the following tips to help you navigate how to start your grad school search with more ease.
Make a list before you start your research
Think of how you would go about buying a house or a car – you are going to have some obvious preferences off the top of your head, but also some “smaller” preferences that will only come up when you are faced with them or with the lack of them. When you are going to start your grad school search, make sure that you are fully prepared by creating a list of preferences or factors you will want to consider during your grad school search. Creating a list before you actually go forward in your research is important because you want to have your preferences out on paper before you can get persuaded by how famous a certain school or program is, or even how a friend has hyped up a certain program to you.
Having a clear list of preferences will allow you to have a clearer vision of what you want to get out of the grad school you choose. For example, if you know you want to go to grad school but are not willing to be faced with excessive student loan debts, you might want to put down finances on your list of preferences. Doing so will remind you that you do want to go to grad school, but within a certain budget, and it will help you make a final decision in grad schools when cost is a larger factor.
The list of preferences you make can also be an effective checklist for when you are considering multiple schools during your grad school search, and you can use your premade list of preferences to see what grad school program is the most similar to your preference and make your final decision much easier when you have a clear vision of what you want out of a grad school program.
Start online
The internet is beautiful and do not hesitate to take advantage of it when it comes time to start your grad school search. While there are specialized websites that you can stick on during your grad school search, it does not hurt to start out with a Google search to give you plenty of options to begin your grad school search with. Simply type “grad school programs in…” for whichever field you are deciding to pursue and start bookmarking options that look promising to you.
Once you have a substantial list of programs that interest you, start breaking down that list to make the rest of your grad school search much easier. There are several ways you can break down the list of grad schools you are planning to pursue, and here are just a few methods you can consider:
- Your chances of getting into the grad school. While you definitely do not want to make your grad school application decisions based on how likely you are to get into the grad school, it is something you may want to consider when you have a long list of grad schools you are interested. Just as you did when applying to your undergraduate school, you will want to have some “safety” schools where you know your chances of getting into the grad school are near-guaranteed. From there, choose some that you have a decent shot of getting into, and some that you consider a “reach,” but would still like the opportunity to try.
- How much a grad school fits your preferences at a glance. You do not have to completely eliminate a grad school if it does not have all of your preferences, but you also may want to consider spending more time and effort researching grad schools that do match your preferences.