3 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Applying to a Master's Program

Between studying for the GRE, analyzing your financial situation, and making a decision regarding whether to keep working or not, applying to graduate school can be stressful. And in the midst of weighing several challenging choices, it's sometimes easy to overlook important steps in the graduate school admissions process.

But don't worry! The West Virginia University Admissions team is here to help.

Take a look at these three easily avoidable mistakes before you apply to grad school (and then don't make them!).

1. Rule out financial aid (you probably won't qualify anyway).

“It’s impossible to avoid colossal student debt. Besides, applying for financial aid is a hassle, and I didn’t qualify for undergraduate aid. I shouldn't bother this time, right?”

WRONG.

There are plenty of financial aid options for graduate students. Buckle down and concentrate on your options in financing graduate school. We recommend starting by filling out the FAFSA form.

As a graduate student, you’ll be treated as an independent, so instead of filling out your parents’ information, you’ll be filling out your own information. Too many students make the decision not to pursue financial aid rather than letting the FAFSA authorities decide. Idealist recommends that you don’t rule yourself out prematurely:

"If you are a working professional with income, do not assume that you won't qualify for financial aid. The same goes for being a homeowner—as long as you live in the home you own, the home will neither count as an asset nor affect your EFC [Estimated Family Contribution] and thus financial need.”

By the way, even if you don’t qualify for need-based financial aid, you very well might qualify for merit-based financial aid from the university. And to be considered for this, you still need to fill out the FAFSA paperwork.

Prioritize the time to fill out financial aid forms — you've got nothing to lose (except a little debt!).

2. Don't visit the campus. You saw pictures online, right?

You wouldn't buy a house before doing a walk through, right? Chances are, you’d visit the house several times rather than committing to a home you’ve never seen in person.

Why should your graduate education be any different? A campus will be your home for two or more years (and let's be honest, sometimes it seems like an education can cost as much as a house!). Reading about a university and its graduate programs online can pique your interest, but solely doing online research is insufficient when making a long-term decision on where to attend grad school.

Do yourself a favor and attend information sessions and open houses. Meet as many faculty and current graduate students in your prospective program to find out if that particular program and school is really the right fit for you.

3. Do everything yourself. Admissions professionals are too busy to talk to you.

Maybe you’re totally on top of everything when it comes to the admissions process.

Maybe your GPA is high, you’ve had a fascinating variety of international leadership experiences, you’re an excellent writer, and you have a variety of professional references who are more than delighted to write you recommendations.

But if you’re anything less than an expert, speaking with a graduate counselor can be extremely helpful. If nothing else, they can give you inside information on what admissions officers are really looking for in an applicant.

And even if you know what’s expected of you, admissions counselors can help you execute the impressive vision you have in mind but may need some help achieving.

Here at West Virginia University, we're excited to see if our graduate school is the right fit for you!

There are a lot of moving parts that come with applying to graduate school, and with those moving parts comes the possibility of making mistakes. But as you tackle the graduate school admissions process, remember that you're not alone! Here at West Virginia University, we're prepared and excited to help you in whatever way we can. 

Thinking of applying to West Virginia University? Download our resource: Everything You Need to Know About Applying to West Virginia University.