GRADUATE SCHOOL TIMETABLE FOR APPLICATIONS

This outline is catered towards those students who would like to enter graduate school immediately after graduation. If you are going to take time off from studies, you need to prepare your graduate school application at least a year in advance of your expected year of enrollment. FRESHMAN YEAR This is a good time to get to know the various faculty members in the science departments. If you are interested in research during the summer months, approach a professor as early as possible with questions or your desire to work with them on a research project. SOPHOMORE YEAR The ideal time to do a summer internship is right after your second year. You should be exploring research opportunities during the fall semester. Many of the deadlines are right after the New Year so be prepared to work on applications over Christmas. Do not forget to ask for letters of recommendation well in advance since most of the applications require them submitted with the application packet. JUNIOR YEAR Now is the time to think about research areas and graduate programs. You are starting to take science electives and hopefully reading the scientific literature that will give you an idea of what kind of research and programs are out there. Also, talk to the PC faculty for help in this decision process and also for research opportunities in their labs. Many of the labs at PC fill up quickly so act sooner than later. You may want to work in a lab at PC over the summer or do a research internship this year. Some PC students return for another internship

in the lab of the previous summer’s internship. You should also be preparing for the GRE tests at this time. Take time out of the summer to either study on your own or enroll in a test preparation course. Obtain application packets from the schools in which you are interested in applying to for the following year. You can obtain most applications from downloading them from the department or program’s web site. SENIOR YEAR You should take the GRE Subject test in the fall. The General test can be scheduled at one of the testing centers at your convenience, but there are specific times for the Subject test. Complete your statement of purpose for your applications. It is a very good idea to have a faculty member or the pre-Graduate school advisor proofread the letter. Decide who will write your letters of recommendation and ask for them well in advance of the due dates for the application. Please see the handout on rules and hints about asking for letters. Please check the application deadlines for each school that you are applying to for enrollment. Some schools have December or early January deadlines. Ideally, you will have submitted your packets before Christmas for all of your choices.