Spring Training In the Winter – The Pre-Application Phase to Grad School

If you’re a regular reader, you know that I’m a tiny bit of a Jay-Z fan. I’ve written before about how contrary to what you will hear in the media, there is positivity and motivation and inspiration to glean from hip hop music. Not only has the music been a soundtrack for my life, but hip hop helped me get into grad school, through it, and beyond.

I’m listening one of my favorite cuts from Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint” and I’m realizing how applicable these lyrics are to applying to grad school. It’s ironic, at best, because Jay-Z never attended college – much less graduate school, but applicable nonetheless.

Lyrical Exercise

Among the gems he drops between the beats on “Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)”:

I spring train in the winter
Round early December
Run suicide drills over and over

Spring training in the Winter? You better believe it! There are very few mistakes when it comes down to once in a lifetime opportunities. Getting into a great graduate program that perfectly fits your career interests is one of those lightning-doesn’t-strike-twice-in-the-same-spot moments. As fierce as the competition gets, you better be in the proverbial habit of spring training in early December – that is, if you want to seize the opportunity in the first place.

Get Started Today

Even (and especially) if grad school is still a few years away, NOW is the time to start preparing for tryouts (aka Application Season). I’ve shared stories of the many mistakes I’ve made that kept me out of Ph.D. programs in the past. Being underprepared tops the list as the biggest mistake that set me up squarely for grad school rejection. I don’t mean that you’ve studied for and taken your GREs or GMATs when I say be prepared. I mean doing the legwork to make sure that your application package is the standout in the pack.

Here are questions to consider in the pre-application phase to grad school:

• What are the top graduate programs in your field?
•  Are the top programs truly the best programs to take you where you want to go in your career? Or is your list just so because U.S. World and News Reports or some other rankings list said so?
• Are there faculty members, special initiatives, or centers that you’d give your left arm to learn from or work in?
• Are there summer programs can you apply to to give you a taste for the work you want to do?
• Which internships or volunteer experiences offer real-life experience and will look amazing on your academic resume?
• Would a semester study abroad give you extra “oomph” and interest to help you stand out from the rest of the pack?

Spring training starts now. Consider your answers your personal training schedule to follow for the next few months. Get out there and practice your heart out because Grad School Tryouts are just around the corner. Only the strongest and most prepared survive and make it to the team.