GRADUATE GUIDE

As an English M.A. student applying for Ph.D. programs in English, I conducted primary and secondary research into each facet of the graduate school application, leading me to write a strategy guide to help others through the process. Although the most relevant audience is prospective graduate students in the humanities (especially those applying to the University of California system, where much of this research was gathered), numerous points correlate with other graduate programs, including for medical or law school.

The strategy guide presented here is a product of mainly first-hand research, consisting of numerous in-person interviews with graduate advisers, Ph.D. directors, department chairs, faculty, and administrative assistants across several academic departments at USC, Claremont Colleges, UCI, UCR, and Cal Poly Pomona.

The research outlined in the guide has been presented at M.A. program orientations, Ph.D. application workshops, summer research seminars (such as Cal Poly Pomona's "Summer Research Seminar"), and in individual M.A. graduate courses upon request, especially in the Cal Poly Pomona English M.A. program.