Application Process

Once you have decided that you want to apply to graduate school, you should begin the process of compiling your application. There are many different sections to the graduate school application, and each section is important, as your application will play a large part in your chances of being accepted into the program.

A graduate school application usually consists of an application that asks for all your basic information, such as name, address, parents, and highest education, and if you would be interested in a fellowship or assistantship. Each university’s application will have different requirements. At the end of every application you have to write a Statement of Purpose, which is an essay explaining what you want to do in the future for a career and how going to graduate school will help you with this. Along with the application and statement of purpose, you may have to take standardized tests. You must also take the GRE and depending on your intended major, specific subject tests. Letters of recommendation are also required. Letters of recommendation are an important part of the application, as they provide your references from mentors who have been successful in your field of study. Traditional students are usually required to submit three letters and international students usually are required to provide 4 letters. For some schools, there are additional requirements such as immunization records, proof of residency, and a cover sheet which will help with processing your application.

When should you start applying?
If a student is interested in graduate school they should start thinking about what they want to study and then do some research on schools their fall semester of junior year. A great place to start your research would be your advisor. They are usually the ones who know the most about what your specifically interested in and therefore will have the most information. Another place to look would be the career center if your advisor is not as helpful has you had hoped. Then if you are interested in the schools they suggest you can then go to the respective school's website and do further research.

Additionally, there are several deadlines that should be considered when applying to TU's graduate school programs. For most programs, the deadline to be considered for a graduate assistantship is February 1st. There are a few notable exceptions:
 * Clinical Psychology, December 1st
 * Industrial/Organizational Psychology, December 15th
 * Art, January 15th
 * English Language and Literature, January 15th

Application
You need to fill out a general application either online or on paper.

The content of this form includes personal information (Name, Address, Gender, Birth Date, SSN, Citizenship and etc), educational plans, college/university attended, crime history, academic honors, emergency contact, employer information and personal essay, which known as statement of purpose.

The application fee should be paid as the application be submitted, either by postal mail or through university's secure online payment form. The detailed description and the link to the form can be found at the beginning of the application page.

Transcript
You need to submit the OFFICIAL transcript from all the universities/colleges you have attended. If the transcripts are in the foreign language, the translation is needed as well as the certificate.

Standardize Test
The usual standardized test required by graduate schools is the GRE General Test. The GRE tests students on their basic math skills, reading comprehension, writing skills, and vocabulary. There are also specific tests and those depend on your major and are usually optional. The GRE should be taken your spring semester of junior year in case you need to take it again to improve your scores. The sign up is easy and there are no specific test dates like the SAT.

Statement of Purpose
The Statement of Purpose is one of the most important parts of the application. It is a document that basically explains why you want to go to graduate school, the specific topic a student would like to further study for their thesis, and what started your interest in the field you are studying. The statement of purpose should only be about a page long and at most two pages is usually written while also working on the application.

Here is the description of the statement of purpose you need to submit along with the application,

"Please outline in general terms your reasons, goals and other considerations relevant to undertaking graduate studies. This will greatly aid the selection committee in evaluating your application."

The applicants may feel uncomfortable about writing the statment of purpose. Below are several external sources which can help you with the writing.

[http://www.uni.edu/~gotera/gradapp/stmtpurpose.htm How to write a great statement of purpose? By Vince Gotera]

Statement of Purpose.com

Purdue Online Writing Lab

Letter of recommendation
Three letters of recommendation is usually required in an application. You should ask anyone who will give you good reviews of how are you as a student. A good example would be your advisor, a professor you have done research with, or a favorite professor. Getting letters of recommendation from a manager from your work does not benefit you as much because they will not know your study habits.

The person who will write you a recommendation letter can either use this form, or official letter head, sign it and seal it in an envelope.

Additional Requirements
Some specific programs have additional requirements(1).
 * English: 10-20 page academic writing sample and include foreign language proficiencies
 * History: 10-20 page academic writing sample (preferably from history class)
 * Clinical Psychology: Resume. Optional writing sample
 * Art: 20 image portfolio, max 3 images. GRE not required
 * Museum Science and Management. 10-15 page academic writing sample
 * Petroleum Engineering: Declaration of Research Interest form
 * Business: resume

International Students
The international students who studied in a university outside of US need to submit TOFEL score.