What Are You Applying To Persuate Programs?
ARE YOU APPLYING TO TOO MANY GRADUATE PROGRAMS?
Amost anyone who puts in the necessary time and effort to explore the options for graduate studies in his or her discipline or field of interest will come to at least two conclusions: There are many programs and schools to choose from, and there is considerable variability among them in terms of their specific appeals.
You can only attend one graduate school at a time, so you want to end up in a place that’s right for you. Is it better to put all your effort into applying to only the program at the top of your list, or should you apply to as many programs as possible? How many is enough, and how many is too many?
You definitely want to place some reasonable limit on the number of graduate schools to which you will apply. Consider the costs of applying to a large number of schools. For each application, you will have to pay for transcripts, standardized test scores, postage, and probably a nonrefundable application fee. The application fees are astonishingly high for some programs. You will need to follow up on each of your applications to make sure that all the materials have arrived. This will involve a great deal of time—the more programs, the more time. …show more content…
As you first increase the number of applications, the odds of being accepted into a suitable program increase, accordingly. However, the law of diminishing returns begins to set in at some point. If you apply to too many programs, you may not be able to spend enough time on any of the applications, and you will probably end up with some that fall short of the quality that could have been
Amost anyone who puts in the necessary time and effort to explore the options for graduate studies in his or her discipline or field of interest will come to at least two conclusions: There are many programs and schools to choose from, and there is considerable variability among them in terms of their specific appeals.
You can only attend one graduate school at a time, so you want to end up in a place that’s right for you. Is it better to put all your effort into applying to only the program at the top of your list, or should you apply to as many programs as possible? How many is enough, and how many is too many?
You definitely want to place some reasonable limit on the number of graduate schools to which you will apply. Consider the costs of applying to a large number of schools. For each application, you will have to pay for transcripts, standardized test scores, postage, and probably a nonrefundable application fee. The application fees are astonishingly high for some programs. You will need to follow up on each of your applications to make sure that all the materials have arrived. This will involve a great deal of time—the more programs, the more time. …show more content…
As you first increase the number of applications, the odds of being accepted into a suitable program increase, accordingly. However, the law of diminishing returns begins to set in at some point. If you apply to too many programs, you may not be able to spend enough time on any of the applications, and you will probably end up with some that fall short of the quality that could have been