Introduction
Today, applying for graduate programs is not an easy task. It takes time, commitment, and a lot of resources to be able to find graduate programs that fit your professional career. In this post, I will be sharing with you, the steps I took when I applied experience with you, in the hope that it will motivate you to keep fighting for something you believe in.
My Valuable Experince
In my case, it was extremely difficult. Initially, I would apply to any college that I saw in school magazines or brochures and including that appeared in my Yahoo email. I didn’t apply any technique during my formative days when I searched for community colleges that would offer me admission and scholarships.
In my quest to study abroad, I focused on undergraduate programs that fit my public service interest. My focus was on political science. I wanted to receive an undergraduate in political science so that in the near future I can engage in politics.
In the course of this journey, I met a man at the cyber café in Accra who encouraged me to research a wide range of programs, make a list, compare, and decide on the school that best fit my professional career. Not only did I find political science schools but also discovered new programs that interested me.
I heeded the advice of this good samaritan and my life has never been the same.
In this article, I am going to be sharing with you the experiences I have gathered when I applied for both undergraduate and graduate programs.
Define your public service interest
Before you apply for a program of your interest, it’s important to define your public service interest. It includes areas you want to develop your professional career path. For example, my public service includes political economy, community development, and philanthropism. After that, I cataloged my research based on the public service interests discussed above.
Base your research on your public service interest
Good things are not easy to come by. Neither is finding a program that fits your public service interest. Before I finally received admission, I used to apply to any program that comes my way without researching the program in question. If something is of interest to you then it’s crucial to have some knowledge about the program you intend to apply to.
You can only know if you research the program. By research, I mean gathering information about something that you have an interest in. During the research, you will discover intriguing facts about the school and program. It involves collecting, organizing, synthesizing information to make an informed decision.
I didn’t know anything about the Clinton School of Public Service. In fact, no one ever told me about their master’s degree in public service degree. I found out about the MPS program when I researched. In December 2016, I was researching master’s degree programs in public policy that do not need GRE scores but offer admission and scholarships to international students. Once I did that, I found the Clinton School of Public Service in Arkansas and the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy in Germany.
I conducted further research on these great schools. I realized that they fit into my future dreams. I reached out to the program coordinators for these programs to enquire more about the programs. In the process of exchanging emails with the program coordinator of these programs, I found out that not only do they require me not to have GRE scores to apply, they also offer unique financial packages for international students.
Also, I enquired further about the admission process including the program requirements, especially for international students. I discovered that I didn’t need English proficiency to apply.
Further research revealed that these schools are preferred places for international students. In fact, they have a vibrant international population in both students and faculty. For example, at the Clinton School of Public Service, there were current and past students from Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Ivory Coast.
Gather the documents required
Once I discovered that they both fit into my public service interest, do not require me to have both GRE scores and English proficiency test, offer scholarships for international students, and are preferred destinations for international students, I proceeded to collect and assemble the required documents to proceed on the application.
It’s imperative to note that you can only take the exam if you have prepared hard enough. After I defined my public service, conducted research about the programs of my interest, I was able to know exactly what I needed was required of me. Through research, I realize that I needed a resume, transcripts, recommendation letters. In the process, though the programs were similar they required unique essays or statements of intent. For example, the Clinton school asked me to tell them which elements of their MPS drew me to apply for admission
Develop your resume, statement of intent and sync them with all the facts
To proceed with the admission process, I developed a resume, statement of intent, requested academic and professional recommendation letters from one lecturer at the University of Cape Coast and another from the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection in Ghana. In particular, the Clinton School requested one professional and one academic reference letter.
Without research, I wouldn’t have known about the application and admission processes to these great schools. Research involves commitment. It’s tedious and time-consuming, and as a result, many of us do not want to research further on things we do or do not know.
For your resume, I recommend you include your academic achievement including awards, positions held, and internships. I learned that the graduate selection committees are not only interested in your CGPA but also extra-curricular activities and the leadership role you played while you study.
Develop a tracker to collect, organize, and store information researched
During the application process, I could not keep all the information about the programs and schools that were of interest to me. As a result, I developed a tracker to keep all the information in one place. I used a simple Excel spreadsheet to keep track of schools and programs that I was interested in. I developed sub-headings in rows to track the application process. For example, Date of application, deadlines, program requirements, feedback, and scholarships.
To that end, the graduate application is not an easy task. It’s a lot of things and it’s time-consuming. In order to prepare for this journey, you will need to define your public service interest, conduct research, gather and organize the documents required of each program.
