Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are the general requirements for application for graduate study?

First you need to have a bachelor degree. However it is important to note that many students apply when they are in the senior (final) year of undergraduate. If you apply in your senior year and get admitted you can begin your graduate work right after graduation, hence you save one year. That's also the way most US students do.

Depend on the schools and departments, you may be required to take some standardized test such as TOEFL, GRE, GMAT,...

You also need two to three letters of recommendation from someone who knows you well, preferably professors at your university.

Q. What are the main steps in the application process to a U.S university?

* Choose the schools to apply to.

* Take the required tests.

* Get recommendation letters.

You should begin to prepare at least half a year before the deadline (which is often in February of the next year).

Q. How about the ranking of departments?

If you have no idea what field you want to work in or have no acquaintance with any professor then you may want to begin by looking at some rankings of departments. This will give you some ideas about which groups of schools may suit you (i.e., the top 20 or top 50 or top 100...).

* One popular ranking is US News' http://www.usnews.com

* The ranking of the National Research Council: http://www.phds.org/ratings this ranking is more respected in the academic world.

* Carnegie Classification of Higher Institutions: http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/Classification/index.htm

It is important to note that the rankings are very relative. Many people have questioned the credibility of such rankings. Also the quality of a department in one particular field may differ greatly from its quality overall.

So you should not take those rankings as the only factor in your decision.

Another important fact is that many students go to lower ranking departments first, then after studying there for a few years (often after getting master degrees) they transfer to better schools.

Q. Aside from the ranking, what else could I do to choose the right schools?

It's very helpful to ask your professors about where the best places for you are. Their ideas may be very much different from rankings and other sources of information from the media. Also your friends who have already been abroad may have valuable ideas. Or post your questions on a forum like US Study Guide http://www.topica.com/lists/usguide .

Many students have already had at least some vague ideas about the fields they want to specialize in (e.g., a student want to study mathematics and thinking about working on algebra...). In that case you should spend more time finding departments that have good program in those fields. It is very good if you already knows some famous names in those fields, in that case check out their schools first. In general you should pay special attention to the schools where you know somebody there.

You need to visit the websites of the departments. A directory of universities in the U.S. is at http://www.clas.ufl.edu/CLAS/american-universities.html . From university's web page you can find the link to the department. Check the departmental web site throughoutly, try to get the following information while thinking about whether the department suit you or not:

* What is the requirement for admission?

* Who are working in the field(s)? (e.g. algebra)? Are they good and active in it? (see their list of publications)

* Who are the graduate students there? ...

After you have chosen the schools, write or send e-mail to them, ask for application forms.

Q. Do you think that it is a good idea to contact with a professor and win his support in order to get admitted and awarded financial aid?

If by any chances you happen to know a professor in the department (met him/her in a conference or just simply heard about his/her name) then it is a good idea to contact that professor. The application process seems to be just paper work, but in reality humane relation has great influence on it.

Q. Where can I find information about acceptance rate of the department?

http://www.petersons.com . You may be surprised to find out that many departments have high acceptance rate. You can also find other valuable information such as the number of assistantships awarded each year, number of international students in the departments,...

Q: How many schools should I apply to?

Some students only apply to one school, while some others apply to as many as ten schools, but usually people apply to several schools at the same time. After you have some ideas about your chance to get admitted, perhaps it's a good idea to apply to one school that above your range, one or two in your range and one under your range.

Q. Which are studying fields that relatively easier to get admitted and financial assistantship?

The chart below shows the sources of financial aid (grants or assistantships) awarded to graduate students for the 1995-96 academic year.

Type of aid by degree Degree Grants Assistantships Master of Business Administration 37% 5% Education master's degree 23% 4% Master of the Arts or Master of Science (excluding education) 31% 19% Doctor of Philosophy 40% 41% Doctor of Education 27% 10% Medicine 40% 7% Law 36% 3%

(Grants are from various sources: governments, international organizations, companies, loans,...)

Some disciplines have relatively more sources of financial aid: math, physics, chemistry, computer science, economics...(For example very few graduate students in the mathematical and computer sciences pay tuition, because of this, even the most expensive private schools are accessible to students who meet admission requirements.)

To our knowledge there are students from Vietnam who obtained financial aid in many disciplines: natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, arts, business..

Q. What am I supposed to do if I am awarded teaching assistantship (TA) or research assistantship (RA)?

The majority of graduate students work their way through school on assistantships, serving as teaching or research assistants. The typical work load is 20 hours per week, and the experience can be a valuable preparation for a career.

Teaching assistants may grade papers, teach laboratory or recitation sections, or be responsible for lecturing to a small section of a course. These assistants work under more or less close supervision by a faculty member.

The jobs of research assistants may be less structured. They are responsible for learning about the general orientation of their professor's research and may assist that professor by developing or maintaining research facilities, working in research projects , supervising other students, and presenting research results at meetings.

Students on assistantships have these extra duties, but they also have office space and tend to feel more at home in the department.

Q. How much will I be paid for my assistantship?

Typical stipends for fellowships and assistantships are $9,000-$15,000 annually plus free tuition (i.e. you don't pay for tuition). The department often has various forms of support for graduate students during the summer. Graduate students don't get rich, but they don't starve.

Q. Is it true that it's easier to get assistantship if you apply to Ph.D. program rather than to Master program?

Perhaps it's true. In many departments the assistantships usually go to Ph.D. students because they are generally better, will stay longer and are supposed to do research under the direction of faculty members.

Q. I'm wondering why the Americans award assistantships to foreign students?

Here are some reasons:

* Awarding assistantships is a very affective way to help graduate students finance for their study.

* U.S. universities need teaching assistants and research assistants for their undergraduate classes. And it is much cheaper to hire graduate students to do those jobs than to hire professors.

* They couldn't find enough qualified U.S. students. Some disciplines don't attract U.S. students because the disciplines are hard, take long time to get degree, salary is low, few jobs,... And a fact is that many foreign students are better than U.S. students.

To our knowledge, assistantship is the main financial source for foreign students to do graduate study in the U.S.

Q. What are the contents of an application package?

Transcript, test scores, filled-in application forms, application fee, statement of purpose and letters of recommendation.

Q. What are the most important components in the application package?

What is more important depends on personal situation. If famous professors write recommendation letters for you, then that's your most influent component. If your resume is great, or you already had publications, then you should stress that.

Q. From whom should I ask for letters of recommendation, how should the letters be written?

Admissions officers don't want to read letters that simply reiterate information they can get from your transcript. They want insight into your character, integrity, motivation, self-discipline, analytical abilities and creativity.

Think carefully before you choose someone to write a letter for you. If you're still in school, ask a professor. If possible, they should be familiar with each institution to which you are applying--ideally, they know someone currently affiliated with the program. If you're already out of school, contact a professor who remembers you--or ask a professional you've worked with.

Your recommenders should know you and your plans and goals well. They should also rate you in comparison to others with the same experience and training as you.

Ideally, your recommenders should be good or famous scientists. They should also have the reputation of being fair and responsible toward their students.

Q. How do I send letters of recommendation?

Some schools have form for letter of recommendation, others don't. In any case you should explain to your recommenders the contents of the letter so that they can write it properly.

Q. What is and how to write a good statement of purpose?

An essay that is well-written, that discusses previous accomplishments, shows motivation, and specifies some goals, even if they are somewhat vague. Members of the admission committee want to have a glimpse of how you think, how well your plans for graduate school are conceptualized and how strongly your interests and strengths mesh with their school's programs. See http://hello.to/usguide for more information.

Q. What is the admissions process in a U.S university?

* The Admissions Committee: Each department has its own admissions committee, which is principally responsible for the decision to admit or reject any applicant. Even when your application is submitted to a central graduate-admissions office, it's quickly routed to the department that administers the program you're applying to.

Basically, the admissions committee wants to know four things: what you want to study, why, what experience you have in your field, and what you plan to do with your degree. They look for clear, well-defined research or career interests that are based on academic or workplace experience in the field; and they want someone whose ambitions don't end with earning an advanced degree but include a related career afterward.

The application process provides a tremendous amount of data to a department admission's committee, but people who have served on such committees can tell you that there is still a large element of uncertainty in sorting out the strongest applicants.

Different departments put different weights on the various components of the application, but here is what an ``ideal'' application might look like:

* A strong undergraduate record, with a substantial number of advanced courses in your major subject, and a good number of high grades in these courses.

* Letters of recommendation by trusted colleagues. (It is only human for an admissions committee member to say, ``Prof. X wrote a strong letter for Z last year, and Z is doing well here. I can trust what X says about students this year,'' or ``Prof. X is a leader in the field, so I can trust X's assessment of whether this student can succeed in our graduate program.'')

* Statement of purpose.

* Test scores.

* At least a modest number of outside activities and interests that indicate a well-balanced individual.

* Your Unwritten Application: A large part of your application is never put down on paper. The contacts you made with faculty and the impressions you made on them are key in gaining admission. With all the piles of paper involved in applying to graduate school, it's easy to conclude that paperwork is what it's all about. But in the graduate-admissions game, you have a big advantage if you talk to people.

Q. How can I pay for the application fee?

Q. Could you give me some ideas on the living expenses in U.S? Do you think that the full teaching assistantship or research assistantship can cover these expenses?

Living expense varies from place to place, one figure is about 6000-7000$/year. In most of the cases your assistantship will be enough for you to cover it. And if you live in a simple style (the Vietnamese way!) then you may be able to save a small amount of money.

Q. Should I go to graduate school immediately after receiving bachelor degree or should I wait to gain some working knowledge?

Some students go on to graduate school directly after completing their undergraduate degrees; others gain some work experience before returning to school. There are arguments for and against each choice, but if your motivation is high, generally sooner is better, especially if your goal is a Ph.D.

Q. I'm still an undergraduate, but I'm thinking about going to graduate school someday. How should I prepare for that?

There are several things you can do (beginning in your freshman year!) that will make admission to graduate school and future success easier. Luckily, they are also good preparation for the business world, so you do not need to sacrifice any of your options.

* Work hard in your courses, especially courses in your major. Try to get high grades.

* Take senior-level core courses in your major as early as you can. If you postpone most of them to your last semester, graduate schools will not have as much information about you.

* Get to know a handful of faculty members well enough that they can give you advice and write knowledgeable letters about your talent, performance, and motivation. Don't try to go through school anonymously. If possible, choose teachers who are well known in their fields; their opinions mean a lot to graduate admissions committees.

* Join a departmental honors program. Working on a project or a senior thesis is an excellent way to get to know a faculty member, to receive individualized instruction, and to get an introduction to research.

* Participate in other outside career-related activities. Join professional societies, participate in the Olympiads,... Don't get over-committed, but one or two activities are worthwhile.

* Start learning about various graduate schools early, preferably in your junior year. Visit libraries to see some catalogs. Write to some schools and skim some journal publications by their faculty members.

Start working on the application process early in Fall for admission the following Fall.

* Watch for deadlines to take the TOEFL, GRE,.. Exams. Plan to take the exams in October or December.

* Explore fellowship opportunities.

Don't sell yourself short: if you are a high-achieving undergraduate, then you have the potential to be a very successful graduate student. Be prepared to work hard, but don't be afraid to accept the challenge. -----------------------------------------------------------------
Edited from various sources by Vu Quang Huynh, September 2000, for USGUIDE.