Graduate Application Support

GRAD Center Resources

• Start your journey by exploring our Applying to Graduate School Playlist.
• Then, take your preparation further by attending the AGE Conference a comprehensive full-day event where students learn about applying to graduate school.

Consider reading the Electronic Guides and Articles below

• Purdue OWL offers an overview of the graduate application process.
• Read the widely-cited article by many graduate programs “Kisses of Death in the Graduate Application Process” written by Drew Appleby and Karen Appleby.
• Building A Solid Foundation: A Guide to Graduate School for Students at Minority Serving Institutions is a guide created by the Center for MSI.
• Applying to Graduate School: Tips, Timeline, and Tools of the Trade is a guide created by The Committee on Institutional Cooperation.

Campus Resources

• The Learning Resource Center have consultants that are available to review your information.
• The Career Center’s CareerLink has resources that can help students find the graduate program to obtain their career goals.

• Find information about graduate programs at CSUN by Exploring the Program Finder
• Search U.S. News and World Report rankings and data on graduate programs to find additional information about your program.
• Create a spreadsheet to organize the information you gather on graduate programs. Once you've compiled your list, meet with your advisor to review your options.
• Read the Northeastern University Graduate Program article “How to Organize Your Grad School Search” as a helpful guide.
• Grad Cafe is a platform that connects applicants so they can share information. This platform is not moderated by campus representatives.

Requesting Letters of Recommendation

• We recommend contacting a faculty member at least a month in advance to request a letter of recommendation. Students should share their resume and Statement of Purpose with their recommenders. The recommenders can use this information to refer to the student's experience and goals. We suggest reading Northeastern University Graduate Programs article "How to Request a Grad School Recommendation Letter.”
• We also suggest that students should open their graduate applications as early as possible and enter the names of their recommenders. Recommenders will receive the link to upload their letters early in the process. In most cases, students can enter their name, address, and recommender names and hit “save” to complete the rest of the application later.
• Some programs require that students request letters of recommendation from tenure-track faculty. To find out whether your professor is a tenure-track faculty refer to the CSUN catalog for the following titles: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor. 

Statements of Purpose & Personal/Diversity Statement

Listed below are some general resources on the Statement of Purpose (sometimes called the Personal Statement). 
Conventions may vary amongst programs, please be sure to look for targeted information for your particular path, or ask your CSUN advisor for advice.

• The Purdue OWL guide to planning and writing your Statement of Purpose
• The College Essay Guy’s blog has some annotated examples
• Many graduate schools offer guides to writing the Statement of Purpose. Some examples include Northeastern, Cornell, and UC Berkeley. 

Listed below are some general resources on Personal/Diversity Statements. 

• The University of Chicago’s Guide to Diversity Statements
• The University of Minnesota’s Guide to Diversity Statements

Creating Your Resume or CV

• The Career Center offers a wealth of resources related to creating resumes. Students can visit them during their drop-in hours for feedback!

Gaining Experience for your Resume or CV

Please see below a list of tips to help students gain experience for their Resume and CV.

• Meet with a faculty member from your department to talk about your career goals.
• Join a club or organization related to your discipline. Select the Matador Involvement Center to view all the clubs and organizations at CSUN.
• Find community service opportunities by visiting the Matador Involvement Center and the Community Engagement websites.
• Visit the Office of Undergraduate Research to learn about research opportunities.
• Visit Big Ten Alliance SROP or UCLA program: Summer Programs for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) to learn more about Summer Research experience across the country that connects students with faculty.
• Present at a conferences. CSUN students have several options for securing funding: Associated Students (undergraduates and graduates), Graduate Studies (graduates only), Office of Undergraduate Research (undergraduates only), College and Department Offices (check with both areas to inquiry about funding opportunities). Visit Matty’s Closet if you need professional clothing for your conference.
• Learn about pre-graduate programs at CSUN. The California Pre-Doctoral Program is for students interested in obtaining a PhD and becoming a university professor. The U-RISE and Bridges to the PhD are training programs for students interested in biomedical careers.

GRE

• Students can find a variety of resources at the GRAD Center that will help them prepare for the GRE. Learn more about GRE Resources.

Transcripts

• Select Order Transcripts to find information on how to request your transcriptions.

Interviewing

We recommend the following:

• Many programs conduct interviews virtually. Practice ahead of time to ensure you are centered on the screen and can make eye contact with your camera. Read tips for Zoom interviews.
• Visit Matty’s Closet if you need professional clothing for your interview.
• Within 24 hours of your interview, please send a thank you email to your interview committee. Be sure to express gratitude for their time. Use the interviewer’s professional greeting (i.e., Professor X) when sending the email. Please select Thank You to view examples.

• Visit Financial Aid and Scholarships to learn more about the financial aid available to CSUN graduate students.
• The Office of Graduate Studies offers several scholarship opportunities. Please visit our Current Students Scholarships webpage for more information.
• Explore the UCLA GRAPES database to search for external funding sources.

• Students who are interested in a graduate program in the health field (including pharmacy, vet school, med school, etc.), should contact the CSUN advisor of these programs to seek advisement. Students will need to complete specific coursework before pursuing these fields.
• There are summer research opportunities for students interested in a career in medicine. Select Summer Undergraduate Research Programs to find a list of programs.
• CSUN’s Political Science department has information and advisement related to law school. Select Apply to Law School to find more information.

Applying to graduate school can be stressful! Listed below are some resources you may find helpful.

• The Oasis Wellness Center offers many different wellness services and resources.
• University Counseling Services offers CSUN students free one-on-one counseling, group therapy, and wellness workshops focused on stress management.
• The Klotz Student Health Center offers CSUN students a variety of health-related support services.
• The Student Recreation Center offers CSUN students a variety of resources, please visit their website to learn more about their programs and services.
• CSUN With a Heart provides services to support student’s basic needs. Please visit their website to learn more about their services.