Helpful Templates for When You’re Applying to Programs
In my most recent episode I stressed the importance of developing systems to help you remain organized as you navigate through this incredibly stressful process. I also promised that I would provide some templates you could use as a starting point and here I am, yet again delivering on that promise!
On this page, I will provide templates for:
A Grad School Comparison sheet
An email to a professor you’re interested in applying to
Application Year Tracker
1.Grad School Comparison Sheet
This is a blank version of the excel sheet I used when I was first researching programs. As you can see looking through it, I was trying to gather as much information about what living in the university’s city might look like, financial support I could expect from the department, and graduate student expectations. I also was sure to include lots of links to pages I found myself frequently returning to.
In addition to using this to hold information about the different programs I was interested in, I also had a second page where I listed the faculty I was most interested in, their area of research, and a few articles I wanted to make sure I read before contacting them.
Speaking of contacting a professor…how do you go about doing that. Fear not - this leads into the second template I have for you!
2. Emailing Professors
The main thing to remember here is that brevity is key! You are simply alerting the professor that you’re interested in their work, and would potentially like to join their lab if they accepting students. You should start thinking about sending these emails out around mid-to-late summer.
Below is a template based off of the emails that I sent to professors I was interested in working with.
Email Template
Dear Professor XXX ,
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to inquire whether you will be accepting graduate students in the upcoming application cycle. I am currently a [undergrad/research coordinator/enter what your position is here] in [Dr. XYZ’s lab at XXX where we study XYZ.]
(Spend no more than three to four sentences describing the work that you have done, what your current research interests and questions are, and that you are planning on applying to programs in this upcoming application cycle.)
I have gained invaluable experiences doing XXX and find that I am still interested in exploring XYZ. Specifically, I think there is incredible need for research that [enter your main research area of interest here]
It is with this interest that I wonder if you are potentially accepting graduate students. Thank you for your time for reading this email. I have attached my CV for additional background, should you desire it.
Best Regards,
Your Name
3. Application Tracker
This is a blank version of the excel sheet I used to track all the moving parts of my applications. It is way too much to keep track of in your head and having a single document that you can use to check the status of everything is key.
Well, that’s all I have for you all today! I hope you find these templates helpful and that they provide a decent starting point if you’re having difficulty figuring out how to approach beginning this process.
