1. What did applying to graduate school involve?
Applying involved a CV/Resume, 3 Letters of Recommendation, GRE scores, Personal Statement, Diversity Statement, and Transcripts.
2. Can you provide a general timeline of how the application process went?
I started researching schools about a year before applications were due. I compiled a list of schools that I was interested in applying and made a list of things that I was missing in order to complete my application. I created an outline for both of my statements and used Coffee with a Prof to take my writing professor out for coffee to have them help find a direction for my essay. She helped me creating a writing schedule where I would dedicate two hours of my weekend to working on my statements. I then bought a GRE book and began doing a small section every other night (5-6 problems ~20mins) until my test date in October 2017 (I started studying December 2016). In Spring Quarter of 2017 I began working on updating and editing my resume and evaluated if there was extra work I could do in the summer to add onto it. I continued my GRE studying and my writing hours through the summer.
In the Fall of 2018 (around the time a few of my applications were due) I asked my 3 recommenders to write me a letter (2 months in advance). My first wave of applications were due in November and then I took a break until January to finish my last application that was due in March. As I reviewed my materials and evaluated any changes I needed to make for my second wave of applications I decided to rework one of my statements and scheduled two meetings with my writing professor (who was kind enough to help me) to act as due dates. I updated my resume to reflect any changes that happened in the last quarter and submitted in February, a month early of the application deadline.
3. Were there any resources that you relied on that were especially helpful in the application process? Were there any persons that helped you especially?
I mainly used Google to help me figure out formatting issues with my CV/Resume. I did take my resume into the Career Center and they helped me with my word choices, I would highly recommend using them to review your resumes/cv's before submission. I bought the 5lb GRE book and Kaplan's GRE vocabulary card to study from. More importantly my old Muir Writing professor was kind enough to mentor me through the application process especially when it came to writing my statements.
4. Did you have to be interviewed, and if so, what were the interviews like?
No interview was needed.
5. Did you have to take any additional classes beyond those required for your major, in order to qualify for the programs you applied to?
None.
6. Are there any other tips that you would offer to students that are considering applying for the same programs that you applied (and were accepted) to?
Do not be afraid of reviewing your work and having others read them for you. It can be an intimidating task but letting others read your statements will lead to them being clear to admissions and it will also guarantee that you are coming across in your writing the way that you intend to.
7. What would you attribute your success in graduate applications to?
I attribute it to the help I received from my recommenders; they were all incredibly helpful at providing me with criticism that benefited my statements, but also support through an incredibly stressful experience. It was all worth it!