Results tagged “Applying” from Graduate Admission Blog

Our Friday Feature, "Ask a Grad Student," launches in full effect this week. The question? It's about presentation. How should you present your application materials? About Grad School says that presentation matters, which is totally true. However, there are some things asserted by About.com that we actually disagree with. Read on for our perspective on the grad school "authority."

Is there anything you've ever wondered about grad school: how to get in, where to go, where to live, how many classes to take, what to do afterward? Well, now's your chance to ask away. Email us at gradapp@emerson.edu with your burning questions about graduate studies. They don't have to be specific to Emerson, just ask us anything about the application process, a typical day for a grad student, and so on. We'll post our answers about life in (and after) graduate school on the blog each Friday. Email away!

There seems to be a lot of speculation surrounding what matters most in a graduate application. I usually try not to be swayed by other people's opinions when it comes to competitive situations. I know it sounds like some misplaced loftiness, but it's actually a way of keeping focused and getting on with the work. I try to keep in mind that other applicants' opinions are a reflection of their experience and their experience only. Things may turn out to be drastically different for me or any other applicant. Who knows how I compare to the rest of the pile? And then of course there are always those characters who try to generate rumors just to make other people nervous. They overgeneralize like it is their job, use far too many superlatives, and usually apply their negative experience to everyone else in their circle. I have had to nod and smile at a lot of those people during my academic career!

For many of you, the administrative process of applying to graduate schools (i.e. obtaining transcripts, recommendation letters) is incredibly simple. Most of it is out of your hands, actually: so much so that, after you contact your recommenders and request your transcripts, you can have a cup of coffee, sit back, and wait for everything to arrive.

If you are at all like me, then you took care of these administrative details right away, but procrastinated on the personal statement part of the process reasoning that "It'll be easy" or "I just need to think about it more" or "I work better off the cuff and will do it the night before." Okay, truth be told, I didn't tell myself any of these things. What I actually said to myself was "Ahhhhhhhh!!!!! How can I compose something with the right amount of wit, charm and confidence so as not to sound desperate, but rather intelligent, self aware and a necessary person to include in their master's program?"

Having been an undergraduate admission counselor and having read undergraduate applications, I come to the admission process with a unique perspective. While the graduate admission process is different and the people reading the applications are the faculty, I think that I can offer some advice from my own experience.

I have come to realize that what people get the most nervous about are the things they have little control over at this point. For instance, you are either good at taking standardized tests or not; other than studying and preparing as much as you can, there's little else you can do to influence those scores. Also, your GPA: while you were in undergrad, not knowing what you wanted to do as a career, you worried only about passing and didn't step it up until you figured out you should go to grad school your senior year. There's nothing you can do about that now.

But there are some things that you can change. And that's what you should focus on in your application.

You may be wondering what happened to Emerson's MA in Media Arts program, in which our blogger Rina is a current student. Well we're transitioning this program to an MFA in Media Art beginning in fall 2009. The MFA program will help students refine their creative voice and technical skills, as well as qualify graduates to teach media art at the college level.

In the words of the graduate program director, Jan Roberts-Breslin, "The MFA in Media Art will provide students with the opportunity to develop as creative artists and media professionals, working with image and sound to entertain, inform, persuade, and challenge, using both traditional and emergent media forms. Students will develop an understanding of the disciplines of film, video, audio, and interactive media production, and study the history, theory, and critical discourse that provide the foundation for their creative work. Students will have the opportunity to acquire specialized skills, collaborate with other talented media artists, and cultivate their individual creative voices."

The priority deadline for for fall 2009 admission to the MFA in Media Art program is January 5, 2009. Be sure to apply by this deadline if you wish to be considered for merit aid awards. Applicants will need to submit a portfolio of creative work.

If you have questions about the new MFA program, please consult our MFA Fact Sheet or email us with questions. We are excited to bring you this promising new program.

Emerson's Graduate Open House will be held tomorrow, Saturday, November 1, 2008, on campus at Emerson. If you're interested in our graduate programs, the Open House is an ideal opportunity to explore the campus, meet faculty and students, and generally get a better understanding of what Emerson is like--all well before applications are due. RSVP today--we'd love to see you tomorrow!

The application deadline for all programs that offer spring admission has been extended to November 15, 2008. All application materials must be postmarked by this date to be considered for spring admission. Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) and Communication Management are the only programs accepting spring applicants this year. If you are interested in these programs, please make sure to submit all of your application materials by the deadline. Keep in mind that testing companies (either the GRE or GMAT is acceptable for these programs) can take up to four weeks to send official scores to Emerson, so if you have not already taken your test, do so right away. For more information about the application requirements, please see our admission page.