So, you’ve done it! You just decided to apply to graduate school, great. But what now? Applying to grad school can be exciting, but also potentially discouraging, challenging and lonely — there is no way around this truth. With deadlines spread across the fall and spring semesters, application season can seem endless and exhausting. On top of the number and intensity of applications, the often vastly different entry requirements and application components across fields and regions can add to the confusion. Over the next two weeks, starting today, we will try to guide you through the process, from differing qualifications and how to choose a program, through standardized testing, to application tips and confidence boosts. We cannot guarantee that you’ll get admitted, but we will try to make the process easier, beginning with distinguishing between admission for master’s and doctoral programs.

If you are pursuing a subject outside medicine or law, you might be hesitating between applying for a Ph.D. program right off the bat or completing a master’s program first. This decision should depend on several factors. First of all, will you need or want a Ph.D. as the end-goal of your education? Is it required for the job you are aiming to secure (for example a professorial position)? Does it fit into your current or potential future interests? If the answer is “yes”, the next step will be considering whether you would prefer to get more experience within your field (by pursuing a master’s degree or a research fellowship) prior to applying for your Ph.D. If the answer is “no”, you will have to consider your options — which countries and universities allow you to apply for Ph.D. admission directly out of your undergraduate studies? Usually (with several notable exceptions), in the U.S., you would be able to apply with a bachelor’s degree, while many European universities will require a master’s degree first.

Another aspect to consider is that some Ph.D. programs, especially in the U.K., require that you submit a research proposal for what kind of project you hope to pursue during your doctoral studies. Other times, you will be able to join an existing project, in which case your application would still have to focus strongly on why you are interested in and qualified for conducting that particular research. Due to its focus on specific research, Ph.D. programs will sometimes encourage or even require candidates to reach out to faculty members and consult with them on a variety of topics. This could include asking whether they are accepting graduate students in that particular year (if that information is not available on the course website), as well as how the candidate’s research interests may fit into the principal investigator’s work. This step is important both for you to gain a better understanding of the professor’s research and lab, as well as for the professor to get to know you. There are some ground rules for how to contact professors, so consulting the websites of individual programs or universities when doing so is advised.

When it comes to applying for master’s programs, while they are often less specific than Ph.D. programs (as you would not be applying directly to work with one or two faculty members), there may be a wide variety of specialized programs for you to choose from. For example, if you are graduating with a degree in psychology, you may pursue a master’s program by the same name, which is a more general program. Usually, such programs will let you specialize toward the end for a master’s thesis, but do not force you to choose a track at the stage of applying. Other programs however, suggest a certain degree of specialization from the beginning. These programs may focus on a very narrow area and sometimes require specific previous experience in that particular specialization. For example, master’s programs available to psychology graduates may include M.A. or M.Sc. programs in clinical, developmental, social, organizational, cognitive, or forensic psychology. Evaluating one’s options, especially when a broad range of master’s choices is available, is in an applicant’s best interest.

Finally, it is also important to consider the breadth of one’s options, although it seems obvious that the most straightforward progression is from a bachelor’s to a master’s degree in the same field. However, this isn’t always the only option. Many master’s programs accept candidates from the same field, as well as so-called “related” fields. Some institutions see the relatedness of fields more strictly than others and are quite restrictive in what academic background applicants should have, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Learning which programs you can apply to comes down to reading various programs’ “admission requirements” pages and will vary between departments and individual subjects.

Overall, the most important thing to remember is that it is very important to start early and take the application process one step at a time. It is exciting to feel that you are planning your future and taking steps toward making your dreams happen, but it can also be stressful, which is important to acknowledge. Be kind to yourself in this process, and trust that even though the application cycle itself is overwhelming and may not immediately yield the desired or expected outcomes, you will eventually end up where you are supposed to be. Next week, we will cover standardized testing — how to choose the right exam and how best to prepare, mentally and emotionally.