An application for the city as well as a school.
Photo: Joshua. C. Robinson
Nov. 2014

Applying to grad school should be the easiest part of the grad school process, not the hardest.

Leading up to application deadline on January 15, you may be looking at your experiences and wondering how you measure up to the rest of the applicant pool. Here’s a few tips on applying to the Master’s of Arts Management program that I took to heart when I was applying. I’m not going to say that these tips will result in admission, because I can’t promise that.* But these are things that I did that worked well for me, and some basic steps to make the application process much smoother.Transcripts

If you haven’t requested your transcripts yet, do so immediately. Like, yesterday. Some undergrad institutions allow you to request transcripts at a moments notice, others have a more involved process. Your transcript is one of the proofs of entry points into grad school.

Create a Compelling Resume

Include experiences that lend themselves towards your graduate application. Make sure to highlight aspects of your application that relate to the graduate program that you are applying to. If you have professional or leadership experiences that might fill in potential holes in the classes shown on your transcript, make sure to emphasize them. Try to strike a balance between a fun and visually engaging resume and a very informative one, and consider creating a supplementary resume in the form of a website for added punch.

Don’t Stress About the GRE

Study for it, take it, be done with it. Don’t obsess over your score or continually retake the exam. For the Master’s of Arts Management program, it is recommended, but not required. It’s just a test, not an indication of your intelligence or your value as a person. Definitely take it seriously, but take it and turn it in.

I am the Financial Chair for TEDx Columbia College Chicago, which benefits Chicago, the school, and our cohort. Hooray!
Credit: TEDxColumbiaCollegeChicago Team

A Personal Statement of Service

My personal statement, included all the ways that I felt I might be an asset to the program, Columbia College Chicago, and the greater Chicago Community. I think it’s particularly important to include personal strengths and experiences that will serve not only you well as a student, but also will serve the school well in your role as a grad student at the college. In short, how can you be of service to your fellow students, the school and your program’s mission as an incoming grad student.

Send it Off And Relax

Once your application is submitted, don’t worry about it too much. By this point you have or soon will have an undergraduate degree, you probably have plenty of professional and academic experience which you can parlay into a successful career. If you don’t get in, that’s okay. If you do congratulations, you have a lot of work and learning ahead of you. But no matter what the simple fact that you have the guts and drive to apply for a graduate program indicates that you will do well in anything you endeavor. Relax, your career is created by you, and you are already totally succeeding.

*I cannot confirm that these tips will get you in. I’m not on the committee that admits students. These tips worked for me, and I am simply passing them along to you.