From "Graduate School and You: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students," Council of Graduate Schools, Washington, D.C., 2004, www.cgsnet.org.

Begin at least a year before you plan to attend graduate school. Most students begin the process during August of their senior year.

Follow a timeline and always examine each application for deadlines. Writing down the steps on a calendar may help you gain some perspective on the process, and keep you on task.

• Write a draft statement of purpose/personal statement about why you want to go to graduate school.
• Start looking through guides to graduate programs, web sites and college catalogs, to select at least 3-5 programs in which you are interested.

• Meet with faculty and staff you know to discuss your personal statement and learn about possible programs in your area of interest.
• Ask for letters of recommendation from people who know your academic achievements. Faculty are the best to write about your academic strengths.
• Begin to develop your personal timeline for the application process.
• Sign up for required standardized tests (GRE, MAT, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, etc.) Check with the universities first to know what tests they accept.

• Take standardized tests . Many tests are available on the computer, and you can get results in 3-4 weeks.
• Decide which schools to which you plan to apply, and request application materials, or complete online.
• Finish your timeline based on each institution's application and financial aid deadlines.
• Complete your personal statement and adjust it to meet each institution's requirements.
• Order transcripts from all post secondary institutions.

• Complete application forms, after downloading the form from the university's web site and doing a draft.
• Give your references all the information that they will need to write a good recommendation for you for the schools you want. Give them a current resume, and talk with them about your strengths.

• Submit applications; better to get them earlier than later.

• Contact the university about making a visit, and make the trips if possible to visit the faculty. You can also email faculty. Keeping up on correspondence shows your level of interest.

• If you are applying for need-based financial aid programs, you may have to file a copy of your federal income tax return.