10 Things to Do Before Applying for Grad School

So you’re planning on going to grad school… First off, congratulations! Attending graduate school is essentially a full time job. It’s a huge life achievement and time commitment, and earning an advanced degree or two will help you reach your career goals and increase your earning potential! If you’re in the sciences, like me, it’s almost a requirement to get an advanced degree with how competitive the job market is at this point.

Here are 10 things you need to do before you actually apply for graduate school, assuming that you’ve already made your decision to attend. Some of these things you need to do about two years before you plan to start grad school, so keep that in mind! This list is based off of my own personal experience as someone that went to grad school in the physical sciences (specifically atmospheric sciences; my background was in a related Earth sciences field).

I wish you the best of luck, and let me know in the comments if you have any questions about any of these 10 things in particular (or if you have any suggestions for other things to do)!

Things to Do Before Applying for Grad School

2 Years Before Grad School

1. Make a list of programs and schools that match your interests

At this point, consider programs in every one of your interests, even if it’s in a different/adjacent field. If you already know what field and degree you want to earn, great! Add a variety of different schools, and if you are considering more than one field as a possibility, think about/research post-grad career opportunities and earning potential.

2. Chat with your mentor or academic advisor about your goals and career aspirations

Since you have already decided on your major, and by this point you know that grad school is in your future and have made a list of programs that you’re considering, chat with your mentor, academic advisor, or other trusted adult about your goals and career aspirations to see what they recommend as far as programs and/or schools to consider. They know your strengths and weaknesses and can make recommendations accordingly. (You can also do this BEFORE making your list if you wish!)

3. Check program requirements and make sure you take all required undergraduate courses

You definitely want to avoid graduating when you haven’t met all of the class pre-requisites for the programs you’re going to apply for. It IS possible to completely switch majors/topics between undergrad and grad school (I know people that did this successfully in my grad program), but keep in mind you’ll likely add a year or two to get those extra pre-reqs in before starting the grad program.

Also, you may also discover a class requirement for one program that isn’t required for another. If you’re set on applying for a program that does have a specific class requirement, I would recommend taking the class if you’re able to fit it into your schedule. I took Partial Differential Equations because it was required of one of my programs, and it also met a degree requirement for my undergrad program so it worked out. (I don’t think I really needed that pre-req as it turned out; you can reach out to the program to see what really is required and what isn’t if you are having trouble fitting a specific class into your workload/schedule.)

4. Participate in research in your current program for at least a year

I definitely recommend reaching out to a professor in your current program to see if you can help out any of their grad students with research projects (and get paid!). I worked on two different projects in different areas of study as an undergrad, and it gave me a taste as to what to expect in grad school. It was also excellent experience to put on my resumé/CV and helped me stand out in my grad school application.

It seems like this used to be optional back when I was preparing for grad school, but more and more it seems like it’s becoming a requirement that you do research as an undergrad before heading to grad school, especially if you’re in the physical sciences! (And undergrads are being included as authors in journal articles more often—another resumé/CV booster!)

1 Year Before Grad School

5. Prepare for and take any standardized tests (e.g. GRE)

Taking the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) may just be the worst part about preparing for grad school. Luckily, it seems like more and more programs (at least in the Earth sciences) are not requiring GRE scores anymore because the test is expensive (around $200) and excludes students with financial hardships from pursuing grad school. Definitely make note of the program requirements—you may find that you don’t need to take the GRE!

If you do end up needing it for any of your programs, I would recommend preparing for it months in advance and investing in some test prep materials. Take as many practice tests as you can; I found that those helped me the most. You’ll want to take the test the summer prior to your final year of undergrad if you plan to start grad school right after graduating.

6. Narrow down programs/schools to your top programs based on research interests, types of degrees, financial aid, etc.

If you have a wide variety of interests, cull your list of programs/schools that you’re interested in to only the top programs. If you decided that you want to pursue a Master’s first but would like the option to continue for a PhD, consider cutting the programs that don’t offer PhDs (or at least make a note; creating a spreadsheet to track all of this information is helpful!).

7. Determine your needs related to university location, housing affordability/cost of living, climate, accessibility, nearby airports/other transportation, diversity, culture, political ideologies, post-grad job market, etc.

Obviously program type is important, but you need to also consider where you’d be living. How far do you want to be from home? Would you prefer living in an urban or rural setting? Does the grad student salary cover housing and overall cost of living in the area without taking out any loans? Do you want to live somewhere with winter, or would you prefer perpetual summer? Will you have a car, or will you need accessible public transportation? Is school accessible via public transportation? How far away is the airport, and can you fly home for a reasonable cost? Would you prefer somewhere that lands on a specific spot on the political spectrum, and/or somewhere culturally diverse? Can you get a job in your chosen field in that city post-graduation, or will you have to look elsewhere? Does the school have a gymnastics team? (That last question would be one of my questions haha!) Add all of this information to your spreadsheet if you have one!

8. Identify and contact professors you’re interested in working with

In the sciences, this is a very important step that I would not have considered had a grad student not told me to do this (another bonus to working on research projects!). Before sending in any sort of application, contact a professor or two that aligns with your research interests at each program you’re interested in to share more about yourself/your interests, let them know that you’re interested in the program, and to see if they have funding available for new grad students.

You may find that the professor isn’t accepting any new students that year, or you may find that they only having funding available for one year, or that they don’t have funding but will let you know of a colleague that does. If the professor does have funding and sounds interested, you’ll be top of mind when you send in your application and have a better chance of being accepted!

You can also make note of IF and HOW they respond to you: If you get no response, send a followup, but if they still aren’t responding, what does that tell you about how responsive they might be when you are in school? Maybe not as responsive as you need. If they respond with sort of a short/hostile tone, maybe you don’t want to work with them in the first place.

9. Contact current students in the programs

If the school makes grad student emails publicly available, reach out to current grad students in the program to learn more about the best professors to work with (or to ask more specifically about the professor you’re interested in working with), the average timeline of degree completion, class requirements, info about accessibility/inclusivity, how it is to live in that city, etc. If you can’t find contact information for grad students, try reaching out to an admin assistant in the program to see if they can pass along your questions.

10. Determine who to ask for letters of recommendation

Make a list of everyone you can ask for letters of recommendation; you’ll need around 2-3 letters for each grad school application. People you can reach out to include professors (especially if you interacted with them consistently), mentors, volunteer coordinators, and coaches.

Read next: Why I went to grad school + advice for prospective students, My NASA SARP summer internship experience, My Academic Journey (B.S., M.S., Ph.D.)