We’re currently focusing on getting into grad school. To recap, we can divide the different requirements of the admissions process into two main categories – what you can control and what you can’t. Last time, we got the easy stuff out of the way: The application and the official undergraduate transcript.
This time, we’re going to discuss two requirements that we can influence if not completely control.
Letters of Recommendation
My school required two letters of recommendation and thoughtfully provided its own form. While applying to grad school might make you think of past professors, don’t worry if you’ve lost touch. My school gladly accepted recommendations from employers and coworkers as well. Remember, the point of this requirement is that someone out there vouches for you, someone who knows your abilities and your work ethic.
While you likely can’t control what these letters say, you can control who writes them. Choose wisely.
A close friend graciously offered to write me a glowing recommendation. While I appreciated the sentiment, I turned her down. We’ve never worked together, so she really has no clue whether I’m a productive employee or a slacker. On the flip side, don’t ask a coworker to write a letter just because he sits in the cube next to yours.
Put some time into this decision, and think about it strategically. In the end, I asked my boss, who’s worked with me for four years and could definitely vouch for my work ethic and abilities.
I also asked that coworker I told you about, the one who just graduated from the program. Not only does he work on a different team – I wanted to show that I could work with people outside my own team – but he also knows the program, and, I hoped, had a name that they would recognize.
Do committees put this much thought into it when they’re reading your letters of recommendation? Honestly, I have no clue. But applying a little strategy never hurts.
Current Resume
You could argue that a resume could also fall under the controllable category, and you’d probably be right. But at the end of the day, while you can control the design and the words, you can’t really control the content.
In addition, I suspect most of us have a somewhat updated resume lying around anyway, so this shouldn’t be a time-consuming task item. Tweak it, check it, and send it on its way.
That wraps up the easy parts of the admissions process. Next time, we’ll start talking about those items you can control – the areas in which you really want to concentrate your efforts.
