By Ilona Plat  – Contributor

The deadlines, the different numbers of references and, let’s not forget, the different motivation letters are all significant parts of the master’s application process. Additionally, senior year is usually synonymous with a loaded schedule without mentioning the potential extracurriculars you added to your workload to increase your competitiveness. Thus, application for a master’s can seem very daunting. As scary as it can be, this article is here to support you in this crazy journey.

Being in the current process of applying to a psychology master’s,  I reassure you that I, too, feel that I will not be able to do it all. However, my friends who went through the same thing last year gave me a great piece of advice: treat applications as a course. That means preparing yourself to do it for a couple of hours during the week, ideally on a fixed day. Giving yourself “homework” is the best way to do it.

Organization, in general, is going to be your best friend. Understandably, being organized is something only some people have, but some software can help. Excel, for example, is an excellent way for you to set out all the different requirements by school and keep track of where you are at. Planners or calendar software can also help you keep track of what you must do next and give yourself fixed objectives to keep progressing. Another trick that seems small but can go a long way is to create one file per school on your computer to not mix up all your different application materials. It’s all about finding the systems that work best for you!

Completing all the different requirements alone can be very challenging, mainly if you aim for competitive programs and want to stand out. This is why reaching out to the career and transition services here at Bishop’s is one of the best things you can do. They offer help with writing your resume, cover letter, and even LinkedIn! They also provide a service for graduate school support, which is very useful. I have used these services already, and I strongly recommend them. Asking your friends for their opinion on your work helps, but having the opinion of professionals is what will make your application the best possible.

The most important thing, however, is to remind yourself of the long-term goal. In facing the stress from preparing for your application and meeting the deadlines, it’s easy to get unmotivated and forget the reason why you want to pursue a master’s, or any other post-undergraduate studies. For me, it’s the only way to my dream job, which I remind myself of every time. Keep your long-term goal in mind, it will inspire you to keep going. 

While organization, motivation, and reaching out to career and transition services are the main parts of applying for a master’s, it’s crucial not to neglect your well-being and sanity. Remember, taking time for yourself is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. It goes a long way in helping your productivity in the long run. Remind yourself, too, that many other students are probably going through the same stress and will get admitted! So do not worry; keep working on your applications slowly, and it will all be okay!