by Tülay Örücü, FLE 2012
That we take courses from Linguistics, ELT and Literature as part of our BA degree helps us explore our interests (well…to some extent), and after 4/5 years of education in FLE Department, some of us decide to get an MA in one of these fields. I was one of those who were interested in getting an MA degree in Applied Linguistics and had tough times going through the application process as there was not much information on the web about the steps I needed to follow to apply to schools in the U.S., or the information that was available was not tailored for my specific situation. Luckily, I had Sözen Özkan, also a graduate of our program who was doing her MA in Linguistics at Syracuse University at that time. She helped me through the application process, so special thanks goes to Sözen! And now I want to help those of you planning to get an MA in the U.S. with this post. Ok, here we go!
When to start working on the applications
Unlike Turkey, application due dates for graduate schools in the U.S. usually end before January or much earlier. It depends on the schools you are applying to. Therefore, I would recommend that you start the application process this August (2014) if you are planning to start an MA program in Fall 2015 semester.
1. Which schools to apply
Where to Look
Once you know in which area you want to get an MA degree (i.e., Linguistics, ELT and Literature), you will have to search for schools that offer the program you are interested in. You can search for universities filtered by the programs they offer using the following websites (there might be more of these websites out there, but I used only these two):
http://www.gradschools.com/
http://www.petersons.com/graduate-schools.aspx
How to Narrow Down Your Options
Tuition fees here in the U.S. are VERY high. I am talking about $39,000 a year (for international grad students at the University of Utah)! I think public and almost free education is one thing Turkey got right, huh? So, I would suggest looking into schools that offer some sort of funding. Types of funding that each university offers differ depending on the sources the department to which you are applying have; however, the funding the departments offer usually cover the tuition fees and comes with a stipend, which is not much but enough to get by. So, you don’t pay for school, receive a stipend and get your MA degree all at the same time, which is a pretty good deal!
Types of Funding
Universities might offer teaching assistantships (you are either the instructor of record or help a professor teach a course), research assistantships (you help conduct research in your field), or graduate fellowships (the sweetest funding type: you work on your own research and still get paid. Yay!). Programs’ websites usually have pages listing the types of funding they offer. Once you find the schools you want to apply to, you should go and check these pages on their websites. If there is not much information on their websites, I would suggest writing an email to the graduate advisors of the programs and ask them about the funding opportunities that the program offers. They usually get back to you very soon.
2. Registering for the TOEFL and GRE
TOEFL
You need to show proficiency in English before you can be admitted into a graduate program in the U.S, so you need to take the TOEFL as part of the application process. Grad schools usually require you to have a score of 100 out of 120 on this test. The TOEFL has four parts: reading, listening, speaking and writing, and I suggest that you do well especially on the speaking part to be considered for funding, especially for the types of funding that require you to teach. I suggest that you take several practice tests to familiarize yourself with the format of the exam before you take the TOEFL. I used Kaplan’s book to get ready for the test, and it was a good book that came with a CD. A Tip Based on Personal Experience: The TOEFL you will need to take, TOEFL IBT, is an internet based test, so you will use computers during the test. At the very beginning of the test, you adjust your microphone by reading a short text. Once you adjust your microphone, DO NOT start the reading section right away. Wait for others to adjust their microphones as well. Otherwise, you will not understand a thing you read as you will hear people reading the text, and the clock will be ticking!
GRE
You also need to register for the GRE if the program you are applying to requires it. Whether you need to take this test or not depends on which programs you are applying to. Some programs ask for it while some do not. You can find the application requirements on programs’ websites.
Register for the TOEFL and GRE at http://www.ets.org/
3. Application materials
Each program might ask for different documents, but all of them ask for the following:
Statement of Purpose
Do not beat around the bush. Be clear. Make sure you show how your interests match with those of the faculty members. If there is a professor whose interests match with yours, he/she will vote in favor of you. It is also a very good idea to have your statement of purpose proofread by someone. Dr. Sagin Simsek, Dr. Isik-Guler and Dr. Sonmez were kind enough to read my statement and give me feedback.
Three Recommendation Letters
Kindly ask your professors for recommendation letters, and inform them about how they will send the letters. Some schools use online application systems, so you enter the email addresses of the professors that will write you a letter, and they receive a link where they can upload their recommendation letters. Make sure you do not use Turkish characters while typing the name of professors. It caused some glitches in the system when I tried to do so. If you will be sending the recommendation letter by mail, make sure you bring the professor a letter in which she/he can put the letter.
Some Sort of Application Form
These forms usually ask for general information like your name, address and so on. Make sure the information you provide is up-to-date.
Transcripts
You need official transcripts from Registrar’s Office. If you will be using an online application system, you will scan the transcript. If you will be sending it by mail, make sure there are no signs of wear on the letter.
4. Financial Aid for Application Fees
The application process will cost you some money. You should be prepared for the following costs:
TOEFL: $ 185
GRE: $190
Sending official GRE and TOEFL scores: You can send your official scores to 4 universities for free, but if you want to send them to more universities, then you will have to pay an additional fee of $18 per report for your TOEFL scores and an additional fee of $27 per report for your GRE scores. You can add the name of the institutions you want your scores to be sent through your ets.org account. So, I would suggest that you decide on which schools to apply to before taking these two tests. It will save you some money. Also, if you know which schools you will apply to, you will also know if you need to take GRE or not.
University Application Fees: Depends on the university. The lowest I paid was $60, and the highest was $100. You should apply as many universities as possible to increase your chances of getting accepted.
Transcripts: It was 5 TL two years ago, but I think it is free now.
TOEFL and GRE Books: $50 (Estimated)
Mailing Costs: If you use PTT’s mailing service, you won’t pay a lot. I remember paying 12 TL, and it took like 10 days for the documents to arrive. If the university uses an online application system, you won’t have any mailing costs.
If you need help with these costs, you should apply to Fulbright’s Opportunity Funds (http://turkey.usembassy.gov/opportunity_grants.html). If you receive this grant, they will reimburse some or all of your expenses. If you are planning to apply to this grant, make sure you keep all of the original receipts and banking statements showing your application expenses because you will need to submit those to Fulbright as proof of payment. Hold on to them to save yourself some time in the future. You know how slow things can sometimes be at banks in Turkey!
I hope this post answered some of the questions you had. I know it is a long process, but it is totally doable, and I know you can do it! Let me know if you need further help.
Good luck!
Best,
Tülay Örücü
No comments:
Post a Comment