Application Review

Your admissions file is assembled in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research where all official record-keeping for graduate students is maintained. Here are some things you can do to speed the processing of your application:

• Send all required supporting materials in one envelope. Be sure to determine if your intended program needs any additional requirements such as a resume, creative works portfolio, or teaching certificate.
• Do not send required application materials to the department to which you are applying, as doing so will delay the processing of your application.
• Be sure that your full legal name, as given on your application, appears on all documents submitted on your behalf, including the application fee check. Please call our attention to variations in your name that might appear on materials submitted.
• In any correspondence (letter, email, etc) you may have with the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, always indicate your full name and the program to which you have applied.
• Do not submit an overabundance of materials or any unnecessary documents, such as secondary school records. We do not need to see awards/certificates/commendations that are not strictly academic credentials as stated in our requirements. Three recommendations from well chosen evaluators should be adequate.
• Submit your application at least two weeks before the stated deadline to ensure that our office will have adequate time to assemble all items related to your application.
• All correspondence concerning your application should be sent directly to: Office of Graduate Studies and Research, Millersville University, PO Box 1002, Millersville, PA 17551.
  

The actual in-depth review of your application file is conducted in the department by an admissions committee, usually headed by the Graduate Program Coordinator. Attention is given to all aspects of an application, with an attempt made to evaluate past achievement as well as scholarly potential. Academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, graduate entrance exams scores (i.e., MAT, GRE, GMAT), as well as your own statement of professional goals, are all taken into consideration in the review process.

Remember that undergraduate grades and graduate exams are only two factors taken into consideration in the review for admission. Letters of evaluation and your own statements are equally important. While your concern obviously is to have evaluators who will make complimentary remarks, remember that the admissions committee is interested in evaluators who are in the best position to assess your true potential as a graduate student, particularly those who are in a relevant field of study. Take care, too, with your personal essay, as it serves as both a writing sample and an indication of your intentions. Be as specific as possible about your career.