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Requesting Application
Materials
When to Send Your Inquiry | Where
to Send Your Inquiry | What to Include
Because of the work, and the costs, involved in putting together
a good application, most students limit their applications
to between four and seven programs. However, you can request
information from as many universities as you like, keeping
in mind any postage costs and charges for university materials
that you may have to pay. You may have a clear idea of exactly
which schools you will be applying to and request information
only from those. Or you may prefer to request information
from 10 or more schools that you believe meet your needs,
and then narrow down your list once you have read through
the catalog, application form, and other information you receive.
If you have access to the Internet, you will find that many
U.S. universities put their catalogs on their Web sites, and
some have even stopped printing paper copies. Many also have
on-line application forms that can be completed on the computer
and sent back to the university electronically, or the forms
can be downloaded and printed. If there is an on-line application,
you should use it. This is the quickest method for submitting
your application. If you can download the application, appropriate
parts of the catalog, and other information from the Web sites,
you will not need to contact the university directly. Web
sites increasingly offer other features, such as video tours
of campuses.
If you do not have access to the Internet and need printed
copies of application materials and catalogs, contact each
university by writing a letter or by sending a fax or e-mail
request separately to each school. Include the information
detailed in the section below, "What
to Include," in your written request. Or, you may
prefer to submit a preliminary application form instead; contact
your nearest U.S. educational information or advising center
for copies of these forms.
Due to the cost of mailing to other countries, you may receive
a shortened version of course listings, and you may be asked
to pay if you require the entire catalog. Check to see if
your information or advising center has copies of catalogs
you need. If you do not receive, or cannot find, all the information
you require, write or e-mail the school again and ask the
specific questions you wish to have answered.
E-mail is an easy way to obtain an application and other
materials, and U.S. universities are usually quick to respond.
However, sometimes you may need to make a telephone call to
follow up on a particular item. In that case, send a fax or
e-mail ahead of time, telling the relevant person that you
will be telephoning, when you will call, and what you wish
to discuss.
When to Send Your
Inquiry
If you plan to apply to highly competitive institutions or
to seek financial assistance, send your first inquiry 18 months
before you plan to enroll. In other cases, send your first
inquiry 12 months before you plan to enroll. Give yourself
sufficient time for possible delays in international mail,
especially if you are posting applications or requesting information
in November or December when the high volume of holiday mail
will often double the length of time mail takes to reach its
destination. Be sure to send any letters by international
airmail because surface mail can take several months to arrive.
Where to Send Your
Inquiry
Address your inquiry to the Director of Graduate Admissions,
using the address for the university given in the reference
books. Send a separate inquiry to the Department Chair or
Departmental Graduate Admissions Committee Chair requesting
information about study and research in the department, and
advise the department that you have also been in touch with
the Graduate Admissions Office of that school. Make sure you
clearly write the name of the appropriate office or department
on the envelope. Also be sure to include the full zip (postal)
code for the institution on the envelope to ensure that your
letter reaches its destination as quickly as possible. You
may also send these inquiries by e-mail.
What to Include
If you wish to write or fax your request, carefully type or
print all items. Always keep a copy of everything you send.
Do not send any documents with the original inquiry; wait
until you file a formal application. A letter or e-mail message
should include the following:
- Your name, printed legibly or typed in exactly the same
form and spelling each time, clearly indicating which of
the names is the family name. In the United States, each
person is identified primarily by a single family name or
"last name," and it is customary to use only the
father's family name as the son or daughter's family name.
It is best to use your name as it appears on your passport.
- Your date of birth, printed or typed with the month first,
then the day and year as it corresponds to the Gregorian
calendar; for example, May 6, 1967, is 5/6/67. If a different
calendar is used in your country, convert it to the Gregorian
calendar. Be sure to always use the same birth date.
- Your mailing address. Make sure your return address is
written clearly on the letter and on the envelope.
- Your citizenship and the country that has issued your
passport.
- Your past and present education in chronological order,
including technical programs, colleges, and universities
or other institutions attended since secondary school, with
examination results, grades, and rank in class, if known.
- The program of study you wish to apply for, using the
exact wording that that institution uses for the program,
as well as the month or term (fall or spring) and year in
which you hope to begin studying in the United States.
- The total funds available to meet your educational and
living expenses during each year of study in the United
States, and the sources of these funds.
- Scores from English language proficiency tests and required
admissions tests, if available, or dates on which you are
registered to take these examinations.
- If you are not a native speaker of English, your number
of years of English language study and where you studied.
These items will enable admissions officers to judge whether
application at a particular level of study is suitable for
you and to indicate your chances for admission. Sometimes
schools or departments will require this, and possibly additional,
information to be submitted in a more formal way as a preliminary
application. Again, this allows the school to see if you are
a suitable candidate for the program before you go through
the whole application process.
If you have conducted thorough research to identify potentially
suitable departments and programs, most or all of the institutions
will respond by inviting you to submit a full, formal application
for admission. They will send all the forms and instructions,
and they may assign you a temporary, or processing, identification
(I.D.) number. Be sure to use that number in all future correspondence
with that institution.
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