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Graduate School Information

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Is graduate school right for me?

Graduate school is usually pursued by those wanting to teach at the college level. Graduate school provides specialized knowledge and training that opens up a broad range of professional possibilities in fields such as international business, economics, missiology, social work, international studies, foreign or domestic relations, translation and interpretation, law, teaching English as a second language, linguistics, and literature. Others attend graduate school because they desire greater fluency and insight into the language, literature, and culture they have come to love.

Graduate Schools for Modern Languages

The following graduate programs have been recommended by the faculty of the Department of Modern Languages at Grove City College . This list is not meant to be exhaustive but rather a starting place for exploration of graduate opportunities. See also the MLA Guide to Doctoral Programs in English and Other Modern Languages.

Literature
  • University of California, Berkeley
  • Indiana University
  • University of Kansas
  • Columbia University
  • University of Texas at Austin
  • Cornell University
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Duke University
  • The University of Virginia
  • New York University
  • Smith College
  • University of Wisconsin - Madison
  • WellesleyCollege
  • Princeton University
  • Yale University
  • Harvard University
Linguistics
  • Georgetown University
  • University of Kansas
  • Michigan State
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Middlebury College
  • The University of Texas at Austin
  • Wycliffe College
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Yale University
  • Harvard University
  • Duke University - The Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies)
  • University of Arizona
  • University of New Mexico
  • University of Texas at Austin

Graduate School Timeline

Sophomore Year
  1. Choose the right courses, and round out your program. Fill gaps in your language and related studies.
  2. Research areas of interest, graduate schools, and programs.
  3. Discuss your interests with your faculty advisor. Do this throughout the process!
Junior Year
  1. Repeat sophomore year steps.
  2. Investigate national scholarship opportunities.
  3. Register and prepare for the appropriate graduate admissions tests in spring.
Senior Year (Summer Before)
  1. Check on application deadlines and other required materials.
  2. Request catalogs and applications of five to 10 graduate schools.
  3. Prepare for and take required graduate admissions tests in summer and/or fall.
  4. Prepare your application essays.
  5. Revise to perfection your best academic paper to use as a writing sample.
  6. Prepare a statement of purpose/philosophy, including:
    1. Why you want to study the language at the graduate level
    2. Areas of special interest with clear statements of how and why these have become special to you
    3. Demonstrate evidence of being knowledgeable about your subject
    4. Write a compelling, perfectly edited, clearly developed statement of two to two and one half pages
Senior Year (Fall)
  1. Meet with faculty to request recommendations and review application letters and writing samples.
  2. Take the GRE by November at the latest. You will need this amount of lead time to ensure that your scores are available for the typical January 15 deadline for applications (note: some may be earlier!).
  3. Submit completed applications to at least six graduate schools to maximize opportunities for admission, financial aid, and other financial support:
    1. Two programs of excellent reputation but to which admission seems unlikely
    2. Two or more programs to which you feel some confidence in being admitted
    3. Two programs to which you consider your admission to be certain
Senior Year (Fall/Spring)
  1. Register for financial aid services if necessary.
  2. Check with all institutions before the deadline to make sure your file is complete.
  3. Inform Grove City College faculty of acceptances and rejections as you receive them.
  4. Consult with Grove City College faculty in making your final choice.
  5. Send a deposit to hold your institution of choice.
  6. Notify other institutions that accepted you of your decision so that they may admit students on their waiting list.

Graduate School Application

Keep in mind these application components that influence a graduate school's decision:

Transcript

Grades: Generally speaking, a GPA below 3.0 will hurt your chance for admission while one above 3.5 will increase your chances for acceptance into better schools.

Coursework: Be sure to round out your studies and take as many language courses as possible while you're still at Grove City College! Take additional literature courses and electives in your language. Increase your study of literature, history, religion, philosophy, psychology, and other fields that relate to your particular graduate interests. Consider taking a second foreign language, since many grad schools require reading competency in one or two foreign languages (not including the language of your major).

Standardized Tests

While not every school requires standardized test scores for admission, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) remains the most common measuring stick for comparing applicants. Use a GRE preparation manual.

Letters of Recommendation

Most graduate schools require three letters of recommendation from people who can speak to the quality of your work. Of these three references, at least two should be from professors in your major field of study. Ask professors who know you and your academic work well and who are able to write a positive letter on your behalf.

Always provide the recommendation writers with the necessary forms and contact information, a copy of your unofficial transcript (mark the courses that you took with each writer), your résumé, a copy of your application essay and/or statement of purpose, addressed and stamped envelope (unless the recommendation will be submitted online), and a list of papers/presentations/project titles that you completed for each of the professor's courses and the grades earned. Let your recommendation writers know whether to send your letter separately or give it to you in a signed envelope.

Provide your writers adequate time to compose and send off the recommendation letters. Give them a target date, and let them know when you have sent in your part of the application. Remind your recommendation writers as the target date approaches. It is your responsibility to follow up to ensure that the letters have been sent out on time. Check with your writers at least one week before the deadline.

Application Form

Most applications require a formal essay, and some request an audio recording of your reading a text in the foreign language. Give the entire application process the proper care, time, patience, and reflection. All your communication with the graduate program should demonstrate the professionalism and respect expected of an outstanding applicant.

Deadlines

Graduate schools strictly adhere to deadlines. Most applications, especially those for which financial aid is a factor, are due quite early. For September enrollment, expect deadlines in mid-January, the beginning of February, or earlier.

Application Strategies

Have realistic expectations. You must have top grades and GRE scores as well as a striking application to get into a top Ph.D. program. Keep in mind that it may be possible to advance from a good master’s program to a prestigious doctorate program.

Also, you may be able to get a teaching assistantship (full tuition scholarship for teaching, plus a modest cost-of-living stipend) from a second or third tier school that you can often use to move up a tier between the master's and doctorate programs.

Graduate School Resources