The transition from high school to college is stressful. Once you have college down though, it’s a little easier to keep moving forward in academia, but not by much. The next logical step is graduate school. If you want to eventually make that jump, then pay heed to these basic but effective graduate school prep tips.

Don’t freak out over how to get into graduate school. It’s a straightforward process as long as you put in the work. Here then are some basic graduate school prep tips to get the ball rolling.

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Join Extracurricular Clubs

Explore your interests and show your investment in social organizations.

Professional and social clubs are great avenues to join when pursuing your undergraduate degree. They not only provide a pleasant social environment, but they also do the following:

• Provide long-term leadership development potential
• Let you showcase your interests
• Demonstrate a willingness to contribute to the campus community

Graduate school officials are more prone to admit candidates who are ready to take the next step in their educational and professional development. Clubs are an easy way to check off those boxes.

Invest Time In Community Service

Spend time helping the community around you.

If you’re involved with Greek life, then you’ll likely be involved with charity events and other community service investments. If not, then there are many other avenues available to pursue.

Common service paths include:

• Food banks
• Tutoring students
• Food or Clothing drives
• Homeless shelter volunteer work

Community service is often overlooked by graduate student candidates, but it will help your application by showing dedicated interest in helping people selflessly.

Pursue Internships

Internships are a great booster for graduate school consideration.

Internships provide candidates with the following benefits:

• Professional experience
• Resume building
• Academic credit
• Leadership growth

Moreover, you could easily garner an offer for full-time employment. If not, then, at a minimum, you can easily secure valuable letters of recommendation from your internship colleagues and superiors. These letters go a long way to help sway admission board opinions.

Look For Relevant Part-Time Work

Don’t be afraid to pursue work related to your graduate studies.

If you need extra money, try to handle two birds with one stone by getting a job that dovetails with your academic interests. For example, if you’re looking to pursue an arts program, then consider working at a local art gallery.

If you’re pursuing a pre-med path, then see if you can work at a local clinic. Not only will you be demonstrating your dedicated interest to admissions boards, but you’ll be making money too.

Stretch Yourself With Additional Courses

Don’t be afraid to broaden your horizons.

If you’re interested in a particular field of study or subject matter, then don’t be afraid to reach out to the undergraduate department to assist with research.

If it’s a field that you are looking to pursue graduate-wise, then this is a great method to get hands-on experience. You can also show your commitment to the subject itself. At a minimum, you can list it on your post-graduate resume.

Develop Relationships With Faculty

Build bridges with your undergraduate professors.

Remember that your undergraduate career is filled with professors you may take classes from multiple times. Don’t be afraid to develop relationships with them, especially if you help them research or bond over common interests.

When the time comes for recommendation letters, they’re the perfect people to ask. They can attest to your work ethic, enthusiasm, and academic development.

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Graduate School Prep Tips FAQ

What can I do to make my application for graduate school look better?

Internships are a great booster for graduate school consideration. Internships provide candidates with the following benefits – Professional experience, Resume building, Academic credit, Leadership growth.

Can professors help me get into graduate school?

Remember that your undergraduate career is filled with professors you may take classes from multiple times. Don’t be afraid to develop relationships with them, especially if you help them research or bond over common interests. When the time comes for recommendation letters, they’re the perfect people to ask. They can attest to your work ethic, enthusiasm, and academic development.

Can community service improve my chances?

Community service is often overlooked by graduate student candidates, but it will help your application by showing dedicated interest in helping people selflessly.

Can part-time work help improve my graduate school chances?

Don’t be afraid to pursue work related to your graduate studies. If you need extra money, try to handle two birds with one stone by getting a job that dovetails with your academic interests. For example, if you’re looking to pursue an arts program, then consider working at a local art gallery. Not only will you be demonstrating your dedicated interest to admissions boards, but you’ll be making money too.

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