Transcript Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers

Duke University Parents
Committee
A Guide to Graduate School: “Dressing”
(Your Application) for Success
February 14, 2014
J. Alan Kendrick, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean for Graduate Student
Development
Duke University
OBJECTIVES this afternoon
To learn:
●Some benefits of a graduate degree;
●General knowledge about graduate school;
●How to prepare for graduate school (with a
focus on the application and personal
statement);
●Strategies for completing a successful
application by example – CASE STUDIES!
In general, a graduate degree…
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Is a leadership degree;
Is an expert degree;
Is a tool toward advancement;
Can improve marketability and earning potential;
“Is for people who love research, scholarship,
and teaching for their own sake and for the
difference they can make in the world”
(copyright 2001 by Philip E. Agre – http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/grad-school.html
The Graduate School
Application: What is Evaluated?
• Undergraduate grades/GPA/academic
record
• GRE scores
• Letters of recommendation (typically 3)
• *Statement of Purpose
• Résumé/skills/patterns of academic
study/experience, research experience
The Personal Statement:
Goals
• To state why you are interested in
graduate study in a particular field;
• To share your motivation, research goals
and career goals;
• To share why you have chosen to apply to
a particular school/program of study;
• To articulate your academic skills and
abilities within the context of the graduate
program to which you are applying.
Questions to Get Started Writing
the Personal Statement
• What is unique/impressive about your
personal history/academic background?
• When did you become interested in this
field?
• What details about your life might help the
committee better understand you?
• People or events that have shaped you or
influenced your goals
• Challenges that you have faced and overcome
Questions to Get StartedContinued (Personal Statement)
• What are your academic and professional
goals?
• What skills do you possess? (leadership,
communicative, analytical)
• What are some of the most compelling reasons
that you can give to the admissions committee to
be interested in you?
• Do you think that you “fit” well in the program?
• What makes you a strong or qualified candidate
for the program?
Questions to Get StartedContinued (Personal Statement)
• Are there any gaps or discrepancies in my
academic record that are worth
mentioning?
• What evidence do you have to
demonstrate that you have the knowledge,
skills, abilities for success in your field?
(internships, externships, summer
research, for example)
Personal Statement – Do’s
• State your interest in
the particular
program/field;
• Share motivation and
career goals;
• Share reasons for
applying to a
particular school or
program;
• Research program
faculty;
• Give yourself time to
revise, revise, and
revise;
• Type and proofread
your essay carefully;
• Be concise in your
writing.
Personal Statement – Don’ts
• Avoid form letters;
• Avoid grandiose
statements;
• Avoid form
statements/letter;
• Avoid judgmental
statements;
• Do not describe what you
have done in detail.
Instead, state what you
have learned and how it
has prepared you for
graduate school;
• Refrain from the use of
references or
accomplishments in high
school or earlier. Use
these references only if
they are necessary and
make a point;
• Do not purposely or
needlessly mention
controversial subjects
(such as religious or
political issues).
Personal Statement:
Concluding Thoughts
• The purpose of the personal statement is to persuade the
admissions committee that you are an applicant who should be
chosen;
• Content must be presented in a manner that will give coherence to
the whole statement;
• Keep the statement focused so that extraneous material is left out;
• Pay attention to the audience (various admissions committees) to
whom you will be writing. Remember that your audience will most
likely be made up of professionals in the field and you are not going
to tell them much that they have not heard before. This is why it is
important to use your own (truthful) experience as the basis for the
personal statement because they have not met you before;
• Have individuals to critique your personal statement. Revise, revise,
revise!
• You should tailor your statement to each graduate program to which
you are applying.
References
• Graduate Admissions Essays — What Works, What
Doesn't and Why. 2000. Donald Asher. Ten -Speed
Press, Berkeley, CA.
• Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way Into the
Graduate School of Your Choice. 3rd ed. 2008. Donald
Asher. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA.
• How to Write a Winning Personal Statement for
Graduate and Professional School. 3rd ed. 1997.
Richard J. Stelzer. Peterson's, Princeton, NJ.
• Perfect Personal Statements. 3rd ed. 2004. Mark Alan
Stewart. Peterson's, Princeton, NJ.
Questions?
Duke University
The Graduate School
http://gradschool.duke.edu
(919) 684-2056