Admission to graduate programs in the U.S. requires a strong academic background, good command of English, fine reasoning skills and strong writing abilities, together with a steady interest in your own field of study. How will you demonstrate all this?
Your application package is the answer. The application to U.S. grad schools is very comprehensive and is intended to offer a complex picture of the applicant, seen from a multitude of angles.
The application package is meant to allow a holistic evaluation of the applicant's potential for success in graduate school. Therefore admissions will depend on:
Official transcripts
Results in the standardized tests
Statement of purpose
Letters of recommendation
Official transcripts
You will need to submit official records documenting past education. Your official transcripts (foaie matricola) - together with your bachelor's degree (diploma de licenta), in case you have graduated already - will demonstrate that you are eligible for admission to a graduate program. In the U.S., an official transcript is a document issued by the university you have attended. As a result, it will bear the school stamp (stampila) and the dean's signature. That is why notarized copies (copii legalizate) may fail to meet this requirement.
The official transcript will show the courses taken and the grades obtained. The grades will appear in the Romanian format and will be interpreted by the U.S. admissions staff. You don't need to improvise equivalencies: a GPA (grade point average stands for media generala) of 8.6 will be the equivalent of 3.1 - according to www.princetonreview.com - and the admissions committee will know how to handle it. Many Romanian students were able to make English translations of their official transcripts and had them verified by the school secretariat, signed by the Dean and sealed by the Dean's secretary. Such a document that provides information on your academic performance, is written in English, shows the grades in the Romanian system and bears the Dean's signature as well as the school stamp serves as a perfect official transcript.
Many U.S. schools will prefer to have the transcripts sent directly by the school. Romanian schools are not used to the procedure, so Romanian applicants will commonly have the transcripts sealed in an envelope stamped by the school and proceed from there. If you feel this type of official transcript is impossible for you to obtain, you can always go through a notary public and submit two sets of documents: a notarized copy of your academic record, accompanied by a notarized English translation and a notarized copy of the bachelor's diploma, with English translation, if you have graduated and the diploma is available
Results in the standardized tests
As a non-native speaker of English, you'll have to prove that you can communicate effectively in a U.S. academic environment. The TOEFL test gauges precisely this ability. Take advantage of the opportunity to have your TOEFL score mailed to 4 schools free of charge and indicate their codes when registering for the test. You'll save time and money! Be prepared to take the TOEFL again if the validity period is coming to a close.
Graduate admissions tests like the GRE and the GMAT provide a standardized criterion for comparing the applicants' abilities. Most graduate programs require the GRE General and GRE Subject, if applicable, while MBA programs tend to prefer the GMAT. Both the GRE and the GMAT offer a number of free score reports, just like the TOEFL.
Statement of purpose
Both the GRE and the GMAT will require you to write essays. But you'll also have the opportunity to prove your writing abilities through the personal statement which is a must of any graduate application. The personal statement fares under many names, such as statement of purpose, graduate essay, etc. While in the essays that are part of the standardized tests you write under the pressure of the time limit imposed by the test conditions, with your personal statement you face no such constraints. Take all the time you need to write the best statement that you can! Use the personal statement to enhance your chances of admission: make it clear and to the point, persuasive and most revealing of your personality, aspirations and career goals. If you can make it memorable, so much the better!
Be selective with the information you include and answer the question posed by the department. A thorough knowledge of the department will help: you will be able to highlight the match with the department you are applying to and to tailor your personal statement to the specific program. The admissions committee will be delighted to see evidence of careful research about their program. You'll also demonstrate maturity and commitment, a clear vision, and much more.
The statement of purpose commonly addresses four main issues:
- your interest in pursuing a graduate education (the career goals you have in mind, reasons for your decision to do graduate study, past experience that supports it, etc.);
- your specific academic or research interests, coupled with intellectual maturity and knowledge of your field of study;
- reasons for your interest in a particular institution and degree program. Since you'll write the personal statement with a specific graduate program in mind, you'll be wise to mention research topics and professors you are interested in, courses you are planning to take, remarkable research or teaching facilities at the institution, unique features of the program, etc.
- your offer to the department: the specific contribution you can make in terms of your academic background, abilities, and other talents and interests you may have.
The personal statement is also a fine opportunity to explain any inconsistencies or weaknesses in your application. Even if a good essay won't be able to compensate for weak credentials, a bad essay can seriously hurt your admissions chances. Will you run this risk?
In terms of format, the following are more common:
open-ended biographical essay in which you explain whatever you think the admissions committee should know about you;
response to a specific question, for example "Why do you want a career in …?"
Whatever its format, look upon the graduate essay as a substitute for a personal interview with the admissions committee. Therefore show good judgment, maturity, and a professional attitude. Demonstrate focus and show that your area of interest and research is well defined. Be clear and realistic about your reasons for attending graduate school. Explain your future objectives in light of your past. Use past achievements to show that you have the academic skills, the maturity and the determination to make the most of the graduate experience.
See what a department chairman has to say on the graduate essay: "Admissions to our department is very competitive and essays make a big difference. After two days of deliberation we'll be trying to cut the top ninety applicants down to fifteen. They all have straight –A averages, high GREs, and all the recommendations say, "This is the best student I've had in twenty-five years'. All we've got left to go on is the statement of purpose and papers they've written. That's why the statement of purpose is SO important: it's where the student has a chance to establish a personal voice, to appear unique in a situation where everyone looks the same." (Getting what you came for. The smart student's guide to earning a Master's or Ph.D., by Robert Peters, p. 84. The book, together with a rich reference collection, is available for free in our study room.)
Letters of recommendation
The letters of recommendation are meant to shed new light on the applicant and add to the information offered by the other elements of the application. U.S. grad programs usually require at least two letters of recommendation which will describe your work and potential for success as a graduate student.
Who would make a good referee (also called recommender or reference) for you? In case you are a recent graduate or are still in college, you'll surely ask professors who have taught you in the past. If you graduated years ago or you're heading for a professional program, then you'll be wise to ask for references from your employers. Professor or employer, your referee will know you well, will appreciate you for the quality of your work and, hopefully, for your personality, and will be able to write convincingly about your achievements and potential for success in grad school.
You may also find eager referees who are willing to support your application but don't really know how to write a powerful letter of recommendation. And they may not be aware of the significant weight of recommendations in the admissions process in the US. What can you do? Read on...
Successful recommendations in four easy steps:
1. Ask your referees to write the recommendations on their own letterhead in English. If the U.S. university sends you recommendation forms with the application, ask your referee to fill that in (it's usually a table in which the referees will place ticks; it'll only take 2 minutes) and write a narrative about you on a separate sheet, with letterhead and everything. The space available on the recommendation form is usually very limited.
2. The first paragraph of the recommendation will include information on the referee and their professional status, followed by information on their relationship with the applicant. Only a professional relationship is relevant for recommendation purposes: the opening part of the reference will include information on the type and amount of experience the referee has with the applicant's academic work or employment.
3. The main part of the recommendation will be devoted to highlighting the applicant's strong points that recommend him/her for admission to the respective graduate program. Here we have a major cultural difference: in the U.S. the recommender is expected to provide evidence of the applicant's abilities in the form of an anecdote (the anecdote, in the American acceptation of the word, is "a short interesting story about a particular person or event", Longman Dictionary of American English). It is the story that will reveal to the admissions committee the applicant's strengths: they don't need to be told that the applicant is, say, talented and has team spirit, if the anecdote conveys precisely this message, and it does so in a much more compelling way.
4. The final part of the recommendation will ideally attempt to highlight the compatibility between the applicant and the graduate program. As such, it is wise to brief your referees about your graduate study plans, where you would like to apply, what makes the respective study programs appealing to you, etc. This information will help the referee emphasize the match between the department and the applicant. The match is the key to success and admission.
For more tips on successful recommendation letters join our Group Advising Sessions on graduate admissions scheduled every month.
Make sure your application also includes:
- the financial statement. Some universities will require you to document your ability to pay for your graduate education. You can indicate in this form that you'll need financial assistance, but you may prefer to deal with departments which consider your application first, and look at your financial need only after. Other departments make it clear in their website that all admitted students are funded through one form of financial aid or another. That's the type of school Romanian students usually want.
- the application form. Necessarily neat and clear! Most Romanian students can't provide a Social Security Number. You can leave the section blank, or write "none" or n/a ("not applicable").
- the application fee. This non-refundable fee that the university charges for processing your application needs to accompany your application. The fee usually ranges between $40-100 and needs to be paid in U.S. dollars. It can be paid by bank check or debit/credit card, in the same way you pay to register for a standardized test. If you are an exceptional candidate and the student profile shows that you are significantly above the average applicant to the program, you may like to elegantly negotiate an application fee waiver.
Deadlines and submission of documents
You need to check with every department because each department sets its own deadlines. Most Romanian students are interested in fall admissions given the increased funding opportunities available to students who start their graduate program in fall, commonly in late August or early September. For the fall semester, most programs have their application deadline in January-March. The deadline is indicated as, say, 2/10 which means that by February 10 your application needs to be in. This is different from 2/10 (postmarked) which means that the application needs to be posted not later than February 10. In case you are concerned that your application sent by registered mail ("recomandata cu confirmare de primire") may get in after the deadline, write to the department - usually to the application contact listed in Peterson's Graduate Programs or on the website of the department - and explain the situation.
In case the department you want to study in has rolling admission, then they'll accept applications until they fill their program. However, a late application may hurt your chances: if the program has been filled, not even the most compelling application package could push you in. Be wise and maximize your chances by submitting your application as early as possible.
Pay attention to all deadlines. Some programs may ask you to submit your financial aid application earlier than the application. Deadlines are firm and extensions unheard of. Plan well, send in a powerful application before the deadline and you may well make a fine impression: the admissions committee will perceive you as committed, mature, professional. This is the very image you want to convey!
Prepare your application with the admissions committee in mind. What can you do to make their burden lighter? They'll be reading SO many applications…
A few tips from the Romanian students currently on study programs in the U.S.:
1) Make it easier for the admissions staff to put together all the pieces in your application. Send all the required documents in one envelope, if the program doesn't ask for recommendations to be sent directly by the referees. Although your scores in the standardized tests will be released to the university by ETS, it's always helpful to include a photocopy of the test results in your application.
2) If your recommendations are sent separately, make sure they can be easily identified as belonging to your application.
3) Be consistent in the way you write your name. Wise people prefer to use the name on their passport.
4) In order to provide some background information on the Romanian school and program you are graduating/ you graduated from, suggest to your referee to include some relevant information in the recommendation.
5) If you're struggling with some procedure required by the US university, contact us at feac@fulbright.ro to identify a solution. Or you can write to the program and ask for their advice.
Many Romanian applicants are invited to have an interview. For practical reasons, most of the times this is a phone interview, a video conference, or a face-to-face interview with an alumnus of the university you are applying to.
The admissions decision is usually made in approx. 2 months after the application deadline. Rolling admission or not, most graduate programs in the U.S. will notify you of their decision by mid April. You'll have about 5 weeks to make up your mind, during which the universities which have admitted you will keep a place open for you. With most universities, in order to confirm your acceptance of their offer you'll have to send in a deposit. If you have been accepted by several programs, you need to write to the programs that you won't attend: thank them for acceptance and notify them of your decision to enroll somewhere else.
Once you are admitted you can defer your admission, if need be. Inform your department - the administrative person in charge - regarding your decision and the circumstances that lead to it and they will provide all the information you'll require.
We recommend that you allow at least one year and a half for selecting U.S. programs and preparing your application. The tentative schedule below draws on the reference literature, our advising experience and the feedback offered by the Romanian students admitted to graduate programs in the U.S. The schedule is designed for fall admission.
March - August: Time to consider, research and act.
Visit the Fulbright Educational Advising Center. Attend our group advising sessions. Read about U.S. higher education and the admissions process. You can start on this website, and then move on to the sites listed in our Useful Websitessection.
Consider your personal criteria for studying in the U.S.: what would you like the U.S. graduate program to provide? Decide on the criteria for selecting U.S. universities. Most Romanian students go for financial aid, quality of program, Romanian enrollments, etc.). Choose a number of universities that meet your requirements. Some people start with 15-20 universities, some with more. Investigate their admissions requirements and deadlines (This will affect the dates for taking the standardized tests: TOEFL and GRE or GMAT. )
Establish contact with the selected universities. Send the application contact an e-mail message with concise information on your study objectives, training and experience. Convey whatever is exceptional about you, academic, extracurricular or work-related. Use this opportunity to ask questions and clarify issues, but only after you have carefully read all information on the department/university website.
Learn about the standardized tests you need to take, about registration procedure and deadlines. Most universities set their admission deadlines between January and March. Plan well!
Prepare for the required standardized tests. The Fulbright Educational Advising Center offers free access to a wide range of paper and computer-based test preparation materials.
September - December:
To give yourself the best chance of being admitted, make a realistic assessment of an institution's admission standards against your own qualifications. How well do they match ?
You will have better chances of admission and funding if you are above the average applicant in the program. That's why the graduate student profile in the department you want to apply to is SO useful. If the information is not available on site, you can request it.Work on the application package.
request official transcripts from your university; arrange for original copies;
approach your recommenders and request letters of reference from them;
work on your personal statement or statement of purpose, if required;
take the necessary standardized tests (some people prefer to sit for them earlier, so that they can re-sit if need be);
You may like to contact one of the faculty members who appears to have research interests that appeal to you. You will demonstrate solid knowledge of the respective field of study, passion for his or her research topic, commitment and professionalism. You want to convey the message that you make a fine research assistant.
fill in application forms for admission and financial aid;
submit the application package after you pay the application fee. (Is there any way for you to have it waived? Check the site and/or enquire with the department.)
send all important documents by registered mail (cu confirmare de primire)
keep copies of all documents sent.
January - March:
Application deadlines with most universities. Applications deadlines must be met. No deadline extensions are granted usually.
Submit your applications if you haven't done so earlier.
April - June:
Universities announce acceptance/rejection.
Decide which university to attend, notify them of your decision, complete and return any forms that are sent to you.
Write to the schools that you reject and thank them for admission and financial aid. Inform them of your decision to enroll elsewhere.
Contact the Fulbright Educational Advising Center and sign up for an F1 visa session.
Arrange with the Fulbright Educational Advising Center to attend the Pre-Departure Orientation usually held in the first half of July.
Make housing arrangements.
Acquire as much pre-departure information as you can. It will pay off!
Apply for the F1 visa after you receive the I-20 form from your university. Don't forget to pay the SEVIS fee!
Make travel arrangements.
July - August:
Contact the university International Student Office with details of your arrival plan.
Obtain a copy of your medical record, regular prescriptions, etc.
Finalize travel arrangements. Plan to arrive on time for the university orientation session.
Attend the PRE-DEPARTURE ORIENTATION organized by the Fulbright Commission to facilitate your academic and cultural adjustment in the U.S. It's a full-day event usually held by mid-July that combines sessions and presentations with networking opportunities and fun.
It takes a lot of drive, resourcefulness and good management to get admission and funding for a graduate program in the U.S. Over 2160 Romanian students were successful in their attempt to conquer the New World. Most of them have got admission and funding by going through the stages above! Will you join them?
Good luck to you, too!
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