What would make my life easier in the fall?

If you’re actually reading the Admissions Blog in the middle of summer, it may be because you’re a well-organized applicant.  Or you may be a less-well-organized applicant who’s wondering what a well-organized applicant would be thinking about.  Either way, I should reward your loyalty with a few suggestions for how you can ease your application season workload.

Start with your calendar, and consider if you’ll be able to meet up with Fletcher staffers on the road, or if you may want to visit Fletcher.  Our interview and Information Session schedule for the fall is ready and waiting for applicants to grab the slots.  You can sign up for an Information Session online, or you can email or phone us to arrange an interview.  Note that we accommodate everyone who wants to attend an Information Session, but the interview schedule will fill up midway through the fall.  If you have constraints on your time, I recommend you book your interview as soon as possible.

What else could you do?  Register for the GRE/GMAT, or TOEFL/IELTS, or even take the exam now.  There’s no special reason to leave it to November, and you’ll be relieved to have it out of the way.

Do you have your recommenders lined up?  While summer may not be the best time to connect with your professors, it could be a good time to reach a former supervisor from your professional life.  You’ll want to update anyone who’s writing on your behalf — send a résumé, and even your personal statement, so that your recommendation letters will reflect your current objectives, not your previous plan to go to locksmith school.

How about funding your education?  If you know that you have the funds in the bank to pay for your studies, then you can check this one off your to-do list.  For everyone else, now’s the time to start searching for scholarships.  You should also be sure you understand the financial aid policies of the graduate schools to which you’ll apply.

Why not give yourself extra time to think about your application essays by starting on them now?  Though you shouldn’t start to fill out Fletcher’s application form until the new version is ready next month, I can tell you that our basic essays aren’t going to change this year.  The two essays shared by applicants to all degree programs are:

Essay 1 (Personal Statement): Fletcher’s Committee on Admissions seeks to ensure that there is a good match between each admitted student and the School.  Please tell us your goals for graduate study at Fletcher and for your career. Why is The Fletcher School the right place to pursue your academic objectives and to prepare you to meet your professional goals? Why have you selected the degree program to which you are applying?  If you are planning to pursue a joint degree, please be sure to address this interest in your personal statement.

Essay 2: Choose one of the following essay topics to tell the Admissions Committee something about you that does not fit elsewhere in the application:
• Share something about yourself to help the Admissions Committee develop a more complete picture of who you are.
• Tell us more about how you first became interested in international affairs, or in pursuing an international career.
• Describe the elements of your personal, professional, and/or academic background that have prepared you for your chosen career path.

We like to think that the essays are pretty straightforward.  Use the Personal Statement to discuss your goals, and use the second essay to tell us more about you (which may include things you’ve done in the past).

So those are just a few basic suggestions of what you could get started on.  Naturally, I also want you to enjoy the summer!  But you can smooth the way for a stress-reduced application process if you get an early start on it.

2 thoughts on “What would make my life easier in the fall?

  • July 26, 2011 at 7:39 am
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    Hi Nachiket — Yes, there are word guidelines. 600-800 words for Essay 1 (Personal Statement) and a maximum of 500 words for Essay 2. Good luck!

  • July 26, 2011 at 2:11 am
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    Hi Jessica,

    Thanks for publishing this beforehand.

    One question though- Is there a word limit for both these statements?

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