Graduate School Timeline

Graduate school is not something to take lightly. It’s a major investment—personally, intellectually, socially, emotionally, and financially. By far, the biggest mistake prospective graduate students make is not doing adequate research and preparation before submitting their applications. You need to give yourself enough time to do your due diligence and get all the information you want and need. Usually “enough time” is about a year. This timeline corresponds to a December application deadline.

If you follow this timeline, you should be ready to submit your grad school applications in advance of your deadlines. And the bigger the buffer you can give yourself, the better, because you want to have plenty of time to follow up on your materials (whether via an online portal or by phone or email). You’ll also have time to resubmit things if something goes awry—not that it will, since you’ve put a year’s worth of time and effort into this process!

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