Gaining admission to graduate school is competitive and requires careful planning. The graduate school application process is substantially more involved than applications to most undergraduate programs; masters and doctoral applicants must present themselves as polished scholars and often articulate a research project that they have barely begun to think about.

While application packages differ depending on the program and school, most programs require excellent grades, letters of reference and a statement of intent. Some will also request a writing sample, curriculum vitae and/or GRE scores. As you apply to various graduate schools, it is important to keep track of these application components – and their deadlines – and to tailor each document to the particular school and program at which you are seeking admission.

The document that is often most challenging for applicants is the statement of intent. In this short piece of writing (usually one to two pages long), the applicant must concisely and concretely sketch out his or her research interests and explain how these are ideally suited to the unique features of the desired graduate program. In the statement of intent, it is important to demonstrate focus and research potential, knowledge of your field, and, finally, an understanding of the faculty and resources available at your desired institution.  Since only a small percentage of applicants secure admission to graduate school, the application needs to be polished in order to stand out from other highly qualified candidates.

At Astroff, we have expertise in assisting graduate students from a variety of disciplines with the entire application process, from selecting programs to which to apply, to drafting the various application components, to CASPer®, to interview, and finally, to choosing a program to attend.

We assist students with:

• Planning prior to the application process to strengthen an applicant’s profile
• Review of statement of intent / application essays for Canadian, U.S. and overseas programs
• Review of Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• CASPer® Training
• Interview Preparation