Three Steps to Take After Applying to Grad School

Posted: September 02, 2020 | Author: Heather Winkler | Read Time: 3 minutes

So, you want to go to graduate school. It is easy to apply, but what happens afterward? How fast can you get your admission decision? How do you increase your chances of getting accepted? Southern Utah University’s Graduate Admissions Team knows all about these concerns and shares the top three things to help you through the graduate application process below.  

Submit Your Official Transcripts

After applying, submit your transcripts as soon as possible. Oftentimes the Graduate Admissions Office needs to look at transcripts to analyze GPA, official degree, and previous courses. The best option is to send transcripts directly to the school, which guarantees the ‘official’ status of the transcripts. Applicants can do this by contacting previous institutions and asking them to send transcripts directly to SUU. School often provide a link on their webpage for students to order their transcripts. If you send them to/from yourself, then to SUU, it may grant you provisional admission to a program, but the transcripts will be considered “unofficial”.

The admissions team also recommends sending transcripts electronically if possible. This ensures the team receives the transcripts weeks faster than through the postal service. These transcripts also leave an easy to follow an electronic trail to follow-up with if there are any concerns.

If you have international transcripts, please send them to a third party source to get them evaluated. This allows admissions to understand your GPA and the difficulty of the classes taken overseas.

Stay Informed & Follow the Links

When applying to SUU, members of the Graduate Admissions team will send emails containing information about the required documents and the status of each application. Take the time to read these emails, they contain necessary information. If you don’t understand the email just reply and ask for clarification. The team works closely with many students and emails are not automated, so you’ll always be communicating with someone who works directly in the office.

More importantly, there will be words that are highlighted or underlined. If you need information about what is mentioned on that bullet point please follow the link. Links send you to a resource or clarify what is required. There are also secure links to send confidential information through.

Know Who Can Help You

Knowing about the departments that are involved with your application process can speed up the application process. Contact these specific offices directly will help to resolve concerns faster and more efficiently. Here are a list of people at SUU and their roles in helping students:

• Recruiters - Someone may have reached out to you about a graduate program. This individual is here to answer any questions you have about master’s programs and the application process.
• Advisors - Once you have received your master’s program acceptance letter, your advisor will be the one to update your courses and concentrations within your degree. They will build your class schedule with you and answer any questions.
• Graduate Admissions Office - The Graduate Admissions Office helps you know where you are with your application process. They will send you reminder emails about documentation that is required and they will process all documents (except international required documents).
• Program Directors - Each program has different levels of involvement with their directors for the application process. Normally the director will reach out to you if they need to contact you for your admission decision. Most inquiries will be answered by the Admissions Office, recruiters, or advisors.
• International Office - If you are an international student you will work both with the Admissions Office and the International Affairs Office. The International office will email you about necessary international documents for your program. They are better suited to answer questions about these matters.
• Financial Aid Office - The Admissions Office only handles your application fee. Everything else such as scholarships, grants, and loans are handled through the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office.

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Produced by SUU Graduate Studies

SUU's Graduate School draws from a prestigious heritage and allows students to pursue a quality education. The master's degree programs offer students the chance to further their professional and educational careers on campus or online. Contact the Graduate Admissions Office at gradapps@suu.edu or (435) 865-8297.