Your application, and all your required application materials, make your case for admission. It’s like applying for a job: you need to convince us with every document that you’re the perfect candidate for the program you’re interested in; it’s also necessary to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of your program’s mission, and USF’s mission as a whole.
- Resume – Place information most relevant toward your program at the top of your resume, whether it’s volunteer work or academic qualifications. You may need to tweak your professional resume so it fits a degree program such as including academic accomplishments in addition to professional accomplishments and not limiting yourself to one page (you are welcome to include as many pages you need).
- Letters of recommendation should come from someone who knows you well and can speak to your readiness for a grad program. The person should come from a professional or academic setting, not a family member, therapist, or friend. Ask recommenders if they are willing, and if they feel they know you well enough, to write a good letter (remind them of your past term papers, work ethic etc.). If they seem unsure, ask someone else! And when you do get someone who agrees, let them know they’ll get a system-generated prompt from USF. It will arrive in their email after you submit your application.
- Statement of Intent – This is one of the most important parts of the application. It’s the only way we can actually get to know you and your aspirations. Please do your research before starting this!
- Transcripts – We review the application holistically. If your transcripts do not reflect your best work, let us know why. Then make the rest of your application as strong as possible.
- Test Scores – Make sure to check with the admissions office as many graduate schools no longer require tests scores for admission. In fact, applicants to USF School of Education programs can be offered admission without the CBEST, CSET, or GRE. We do require proof of English language proficiency if you are applying as an international student, so international students should contact us for more details.
Need more guidance? Feel free to contact me and we can setup time to speak!
University of San Francisco School of Education
(415) 422-5467
