Dealing With The Stress From Applying

Posted August 3rd, 2010

Image Courtesy of allancleaver

It’s normal to feel some anxiety about applying to grad school. Considering all the requirements, including: meeting a number of deadlines, which vary from one school to another, having to ask for letters of recommendation from professors that may or may not oblige, preselection interviews that can be at the very least nerve-wrecking and finally the inevitable sense that you are constantly being evaluated; its completely normal to feel a little anxious about the whole process. However, this should not deter you from your goal of getting into the grad school and program of your choice. Here are a few tips that will help keep you on track and without feeling too much angst.

Get an early start

There’s nothing like realizing that a transcript request was not processed properly and that you don’t have time to rectify the situation and meet your application deadline to send you straight into a full panic attack! Starting early ensures that you are not rushing to get things together at the last moment and allows you the time necessary to deal with unforeseeable situations that can arise. In fact, simply aiming to meet the application deadline is both risky and stressful. Instead, you should try to submit your application a couple of weeks early so that you have the time to confirm that it and all other relevant material has been received.

Follow a schedule

Following a schedule that accounts for all of the application requirements and that allows enough time to produce quality material, will not only relieve your stress level significantly, but will increase your chances of being accepted to grad school. Selection committees have enough experience with applications to distinguish between those students that took the time and followed a schedule and those that were forced to rush through their application and are ultimately rejected because of this. Take a look at the schedule proposed here. Don’t panic, however, if you can’t follow this schedule exactly or if you are only discovering it and application deadlines are only weeks away. Rather, it should serve as a guideline and can be adjusted according to your specific situation. 

Have some perspective

Keep in mind that unlike a game show, you don’t have just one chance to succeed. In fact, many students will only get in on their second or third attempt. In the context of your entire life, spending an extra year in school to better prepare for grad school or taking a year to travel abroad or work while reapplying is not a long period of time, and can be spent just as productively as being in grad school. So, even though you might not get in on your first attempt, you should seriously consider trying again the following academic year.

Coping with stress in a healthy way

Lastly, it’s important to know how to cope with stressful situations, especially since you will be bound to deal with some stress while a graduate student. Some simple strategies that will help you cope include getting enough sleep and exercise. Having some support whether it be a friend or family member that you can talk to. If you are finding it difficult to cope with the stress of applying and don’t have someone to rely on, you may want to consider getting professional help. 

Here are a few other articles that you may also find helpful:

Application Season Stress

For more information and tips on applying successfully to graduate school, download the complete eBook: Graduate School: Winning Strategies for Getting In