Pulling together an application for graduate study can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you are applying to a number of schools or are applying from outside the United States. Each school has a checklist of requirements, and while there are key differences from school to school, with a little bit of planning you can ensure you have submitted a competitive application for your chosen program.

Here is an overview of the standard parts of an application with tips to help you. We have added extra notes and sections for international applicants.

The Application Form
While not the most important part of the application for admissions considerations, the application form is vital for proper identification and tracking of the rest of your application. Here you supply contact information, birth data, citizenship and visa status, as well as a summary of your qualifications. Taking the time to ensure that the application form is correctly and clearly completed smoothes the administrative aspects of your candidacy and enrollment at the university.

Application fee
Most schools require an application fee. Some specify amounts for international and domestic students separately. Ensure that you have filled out the correct amount and that the name of the school has been written as per the application guidelines. No school will process your application until the fee has been received. International students paying by banker's check or demand draft should write their name on the document. Never address the check to an individual; when in doubt use the name of the university to which you are applying.

Undergraduate transcripts and Grades
Most graduate design programs specify a minimum GPA of 3.0 in undergraduate coursework before considering your application. If you feel the need to strengthen your candidacy to an extremely competitive program, consider additional qualifications. This can include asking the Admissions Coordinator whether the school would consider scores from a standardized test such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) to demonstrate your readiness for graduate study, or additional recommendations from professors familiar with your ability to do research, among other things.

Reviewers also scan your transcripts to evaluate the number of relevant courses you have taken for a particular program or area of study. If you feel your transcripts do not sufficiently reflect your area of expertise, this is where planning your portfolio properly can help you to demonstrate your skills.

If you are applying to multiple schools, it is often helpful to note which departments require transcripts to be sent directly to the program and which schools require the transcripts to be sent to the Graduate College at the university. Listing all the different addresses on one sheet will make transcript requests easier to fulfill and ensure your documents reach the correct departments on time.

The Portfolio
The portfolio is the most important part of your application for graduate study in design. At the graduate level, a professional portfolio is one that speaks for itself. For tips on creating a strong design portfolio, visit http://www.core77.com/design.edu/portfolio_tips.asp

Digital or Hard Copy?
Each school has requirements for what should be included in your portfolio submission. Some specify maximum and minimum sizes, some specify the exact size and some leave it up to you. If you are considering applying to a number of schools, take a look at all the specifications. Often, it may be easier for you to take the most rigorous specification as the criteria for creating your portfolio unless you wish to use different formats for different schools.

Do keep in mind:

A CD that requires special software to run, or will work on only one platform will not be evaluated as rigorously as one that is user-friendly and easily accessible to all reviewers. Test it on different machines to see if it runs. Have a friend check it out for you to see if the navigation features are easily understood. Keep it simple and, unless absolutely required, keep music to a minimum. If in doubt, see if you can upload your work to a URL as well. Write your name on the CD and the program to which you are applying. A little bit of common sense and planning goes a long way in making the admissions process easier.

Some programs recommend that a CD only be supplied as an addition to the hard copy portfolio. Not only do CDs run into compatibility problems, but a computer may not be available at a critical moment in the review process.

If a school does not specify a size for your portfolio, do get creative but keep in mind that the more parts a portfolio has—sample packaging, 3D models, slides—the more difficult it gets to keep it all together during the review process. Often the easiest and most convenient method is to take photographs of all your 3D samples and bind them together. Try not to get carried away with size. Oversize portfolios, while dramatic and outstanding, can be difficult to process and keep from damage.

The portfolio is a design opportunity in itself. Content that is concise and well presented will always make a better impression then covering your portfolio with fur. A colleague reported receiving a bowling ball sawn in half with a CD imbedded in it. It made a good door stop but didn't get the applicant into the program.

Ultimately, apply some basic common sense when creating your portfolio. It will be handled many many times during the entire application process, not just by faculty members and the Admissions Review Committee, but also by admissions personnel, temporary staff members and the US Postal Service. A simple sturdy binder or slide pockets will survive and reflect your creativity far better than beautiful-yet-fragile pieces that are partially damaged or lost during the process.

Essay/Personal Statement/Letter of Intent/Statement of Interest/Autobiographical Statement
What is usually being requested is: 1) a statement of your interests in design and how you came to have those interests, 2) what your goals and ambitions in the field of design are, and 3) how the program to which you are applying can help you to achieve those goals.

In describing your interests in an area of study and how you came to have them, try to focus on particular educational and occupational experiences you have had that could account for your interests, rather than just personal experiences. Try to share experiences that reflect on that part of your reasons for seeking graduate level training. If you cannot find such reasons, perhaps now is a good time to think about whether advanced design education is for you.

As for your goals and ambitions, you should try to be as specific as possible. When candidates are asked: why do you want to go to graduate school or what are you interested in doing in this program? A common reply is "I just want to learn—I'm open minded—I want to study a bit of everything—and then I'll decide on my career." This can be taken to mean that you don't know why you want to go to graduate school, and that you have no idea what you are interested in studying. You should try to be more specific, while at the same time showing openness to learning new things.

It is wise to apply to schools that fit with your own interests. Do your homework. Decide whether this is the kind of specialization you want to do. Some schools are heavily research oriented, requiring a master's thesis in order to graduate. Others focus on individual creative expression and the arts. Still others are business oriented with a focus on design research and methodology. It is at this point that you should have a clear idea of the reasons why you are choosing graduate study in design. In this case, the goodness of fit between your interests and the schools you apply to is crucial.

Many schools look at their graduate programs as a collaborative experience. The students come in with a wide variety of expertise. It is important for the school to know what it is that the applicant will have to offer their peers and the program itself.

Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation are extremely important. They can help you and they can hurt you. The most helpful letters come from teachers who have had considerable contact with you, especially in non-classroom settings such as Design Studio or Design workshop.

If you have been out of school for some time and worked professionally, letters from employers attesting to your professional design skills are some of the best letters you can send. This demonstrates your ability to solve complex problems in real world settings for actual clients. It is better to send letters from employers, clients and coworkers who have observed your creative problem solving skills, team work and communication skills, than professors who may not remember you from more than six years ago. Also, don't include letters from public officials or professionals with whom your contacts have not been of a professional sort.

Some schools provide a pre-printed recommendation form to be filled in. It is good idea to supply an additional letter that gives the writer a chance to reveal more about the applicant. It's a pretty good bet that they will check off only excellent and outstanding on the form.

Presenting Your Materials Appropriately
All of your communications should be typed. Don't send anything hand written. You should be certain that your letters are grammatically correct and that they contain no misspelled words and no colloquialisms. Have someone else read your letters to proof them. Most correspondence is by email these days. Do use proper English as far as possible; while we understand that English is not the first language for many international applicants, neither is "netspeak."

International Applicants
Since mailing parts of your application to the United States can be expensive and/or time consuming from many parts of the world, you may consider placing your entire application in one large envelope for each of the schools you wish to apply to. To ensure validity, you can request your professors or employers to place their letters of recommendation in a separate envelope, sealing it, and signing across the back. The same can be done for your transcripts. A checklist of all the items enclosed will assist Admissions staff with processing your application quickly and accurately. If you pay the application fees online by credit card, enclose a printout of the receipt email or make a note of the date of the payment and enclose with the rest of your application. This will cut down on valuable time spent contacting each applicant to ensure his or her application materials are complete.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and other Admission Tests
Most graduate admissions committees require the TOEFL for international applicants, and a few require the GRE. Every school specifies the TOEFL cut off score—check to see which has the highest and obtain the best scores you possibly can.

Take the test early so that your scores are available by the admission deadline. Incomplete applications are not usually considered, and when they are, the fact that they are incomplete reflects poorly on the candidate. If you can, take the tests in October. If you take the December test you could be cutting it close. If you have to take the December test, follow up with the graduate schools right before their deadline and make they have received it. Many countries offer the TOEFL or the GRE only in specific months. Planning can thus be very important. Ensure that original scores from ETS are sent directly to the program. You can also insert a photocopy of your student score with your application to ease the application processing.

What do you do if after all of this, no one admits you? If you are committed to further training, it makes sense to try again. Examine the reasons why you were not competitive. Was it a bad letter? Poor grades? Lack of experience? Did you apply to too few programs? Try to correct these problems. Many schools are willing to discuss with unsuccessful candidates how they can strengthen their application for another try.

Good Luck!

Niti Bhan is a global nomad, neither fully immersed in the West nor entirely at home in the East. With background spanning engineering, business and design, Niti is most adept doing what no one does best. Her present incarnation is as Director of Admissions at the Institute of Design, IIT.