Gain insights on graduate school culture and application tips by attending in-person/virtual open houses.
Consider reaching out to current graduate students, program administrators, and faculty members to learn more about whether the graduate program is what you are looking forward to pursuing as your next steps.
Review all the admission requirements for your chosen program and required supporting documentation.
Create an Excel Sheet or Word Document to easily organize and track necessary information. See our Sample Grad School Planner.
Plan enough time to submit your application and all supporting documents before the deadline.
Most applications require 2 hours or more to complete based on program-specific needs and do not need to be completed in one sitting.
Official transcript requests can take 7-10 business days. Ensure you submit requests at least 3 weeks in advance.
Prerequisites
When reviewing prerequisites, ensure to check for course and grade equivalencies.
Most graduate programs will have course equivalencies lists for all post-secondary institutions in Canada.
Review the institution’s grading system and convert prerequisite grades when required to ensure that minimum grade requirements have been met.
Academic References
Most graduate school applications will require two or three letters of support.
These are often a combination of academic, professional, and personal references depending on the type of program.
These references are best to come from a professor who is familiar with you to best comment on your strengths and potential to be successful in your graduate program. For example, you have taken multiple classes with them and done well in their course or have been involved in their research.
Informing your references and requesting a reference letter should be planned out at least 2 months or more before the deadline. This will help manage your application timeline without rushing.
To make it easier for your references or if you have not been in contact with your reference in a while, always draft a reference letter that highlights how they know you, your personality, your academic achievements, your future academic/career goals, and why you are a strong candidate for the graduate school program. This helps them remember who you are and make changes to the letter as needed.
Supplemental Applications
Personal Statements
Almost all graduate programs require a Personal Statement or Letter of Intent outlining the reason why you wish to study at your chosen program, reflecting on the impact of your personal, professional, and educational experiences up to this point and how it relates to your chosen program.
Be sure to review statement requirements before beginning, some schools may provide a word/character count or prompt you to respond to questions while completing your statement. You will most likely revise your statements a couple of times before submitting your final statement.
CV/Resume
Always double check if your program has a requirement on whether they have a preference between a CV or a Resume with a minimum or maximum number of pages.
While CVs are most often preferred, resumes are standard 2 pages maximum career document that you may have used to apply for jobs. It is a snapshot of your lived experience relating to the job, or in this case, the graduate program. Typically resumes are used for professional graduate programs who are getting started or are already working professionals in the field.
On the other hand, CVs are longer than 2 pages providing an overview of all professional and academic experience up to this point in your career and cater towards research graduate programs. CVs are more in-depth information where there are additional sections than a resume, including academic projects and research experience.
Some professional and research graduate programs will require an interview as part of admissions requirements.
These interviews can take many forms, including one-on-one, group, or online via pre-recorded interview questions and scenarios.
Questions asked during the interview will often fall into four categories:
General - Questions regarding your personal interests, your achievements/accomplishments, your lived experience, and your short-/long-term academic/career goals.
Experience/Knowledge- Highlights previous education, relevant experience, research interests (if applicable), and what you know about field.
Personality - Focuses on your character and values.
Ethics/Current Issues: Explain and defend your perspective on current ethical issues and debates within the field.
Questions will often vary depending on the program that you are applying to
As mentioned in the first section above, Getting Started, find opportunities to talk to those that are in the program or attend information sessions about the programs, they can provide insights that will help you prepare for any interview components.
Search for common grad school interview questions online and prepare your responses in advance. To book a 1:1 appointment to practice your interview response, please visit UFV CECE’s Career Services website.
