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| Office of Minority Affairs |
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The Application Process
Guidelines
There are several general principles and guidelines which should be followed to ensure that your application receives full consideration. All those applying to GSAS must have a baccalaureate granted by an accredited college or university by the time they plan to matriculate. The graduate school requires the submission of scores from the
Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE)
. In addition, students must also meet any special admission requirements individual GSAS departments may have, such as the GRE advanced test. Please refer to the
application
for specific departmental requirements.
How to Apply
You may request information from several departments, but you may only apply to one. Promptness is very important in making a successful application for graduate study. Applications should be prepared as early as possible in the fall term of the academic year preceding the one in which you propose to enroll. Register to take the GRE in the junior year and, if required, a subject test no later than October of the senior year. Registration forms and complete information on how to register may be available at your school, or can be obtained by writing to:
Graduate Record Examinations; Educational Testing Service; P.O. Box 6006; Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6006; telephone: (609)771-7670.
In addition to GRE Scores, a critical part of your graduate application is the Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement should be precise, well-organized, and illustrate a strong interest and knowledge of your proposed area of study as well as the faculty and resources that are available at Columbia to assist you in this work. The Personal Statement gives the faculty assessing your application their most significant impression of you as an individual. What are your motivations? Do you write clearly? Do your interests really fit those of the department or school? Can you communicate your ideas effectively? Are there special characteristics about you that set you apart from other applicants and make you particularly desirable as a student?
Before writing your Personal Statement you should probably write a general statement of purpose as the first step in even considering graduate school. Setting your ideas and goals down on paper should help you clarify your thinking. If you can get things down in no more than three double-spaced typed pages, you probably have a good idea of what you really want to do. The statement should reflect your own intellectual development. One way to show that is to discuss the points in your life when you made decisions and what influenced them -- the decision on a college major, the decision on a career goal, the family members and role models who inspired you. Many successful applicants to graduate programs focus on an undergraduate project or relevant research project that highlights their research skills, relevant background, and work experiences that are comparable to the work expected of professionals in your proposed field of study.
Once you have a general statement, you can tailor it to specific programs to which you are applying by talking about the reasons you chose the program -- how it fits your background and interests. (Do not use an "all-purpose" statement for the various graduate schools to which you are applying for admission.) The application materials may give you a specific format for the personal statement, or ask you to respond to specific questions, but in all cases, faculty members are interested in your motivation, your intellectual skills, and your suitability for their particular program. Your tone should sound professional, honest, and straightforward.
The general statement of purpose is also a good vehicle to use to approach faculty members for recommendations. Make an appointment with a faculty member to discuss your statement and ask for comments before you put it into final form. Also ask for a letter of recommendation after you have had the discussion. You will have valuable feedback on your statement, and you will be demonstrating your seriousness and interest in graduate school.
The final statement should be brief, concise, and specific. Observe strictly any word or page limits. Personal statements are usually short, from one to three pages long. Keep in mind that faculty members have hundreds of applications to review. A long-winded statement or a personal statement containing general statements, applicable to any graduate program may lessen your chance of admission.
Finally, keep in mind that graduate schools are primarily interested in preparing teachers and researchers. Good personal statements give evidence that you have thought carefully about your strengths as a student and your professional interests. Faculty members making decisions do not rely solely on test scores; your personal statement can strongly influence the ultimate admission decision. Remember to review your statement with your current faculty advisor or a professor whose advice you trust.
Official transcripts must be submitted for all college-level work with your application. Transcripts are reviewed carefully with respect to the courses you have taken relevant to your prospective field of study, particularly the more advanced courses.
The latest grades received bear the most weight, as they demonstrate the quality of your most recent academic work. A great deal of consideration is given to letters of evaluation. Strong letters of recommendation can make up for other deficiencies such as average test scores or a mediocre transcript. Letters of recommendation should be requested from faculty in your proposed area of study who are familiar with your work. Little importance is attached to letters from a university or other official who is not personally acquainted with your academic accomplishments. Confidential letters have greater credibility than non-confidential letters, so you should seriously consider waiving your right to see the letters.
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