The Graduate School Implements a New Application Process

Effective March 17, 2008, The Graduate School implemented a new application process.Previously, students submitted supplementary materials such as resumes, personal statements, and letters of recommendation directly to the department to which they applied.Applicants now submit all of these materials online in conjunction with the Application for Graduate Admission.The new process uses Blackboard with the feature of designated groups that may view applications for specified graduate programs.This change streamlines and simplifies the application process, not only for applicants, but faculty and staff of graduate programs as well.

The Old Process
The previous application process involved two parts:The Application for Graduate Admission, submitted to The Graduate School, and program-specific supplementary materials, submitted to the programs.Many programs required an additional application for admission that confused applicants who did not know these were two separate applications or thought that they only needed to complete one of the applications.Applicants also had difficulty determining what program-specific supplementary materials were required before their applications could be reviewed.

Another issue encountered in the previous application process related to the review of applications.Applicants sent supplemental materials directly to the program through postal mail.Graduate program departments then held these items until receiving the completed application packet for the applicant from the Graduate School.Many graduate programs have graduate application-reviewing faculty in offices located in different buildings on campus, and some have members of the reviewing committee in locations throughout the U.S. or overseas. This tedious and time consuming process often delayed graduate review committees from making timely decisions.

The New Process
The new process allows an applicant to review required program-specific admission materials as part of the application process, and to submit all materials online at the same time.An individual's application enters the program review process as a "package", streamlining the process for all involved.

Applicants will also be able to indicate from whom they are requesting letters of recommendation, send their requests to their recommenders, and track this process until all recommendations are submitted. Recommenders receive an email giving them easy-to-follow instructions for submitting the recommendation form and letter online.The process allows communication between applicant and recommender and eliminates the time consuming and costly practice of sending materials through postal mail.

The use of Blackboard provides a secure, centralized location for application materials to be held until they are reviewed by committee members. This process eliminates duplication of supplementary materials, misplacement of materials, or transport and faxing of applicant files across campus or to other locations.

How It Works
Each graduate program is assigned a folder in Blackboard and security is given to application-review members.Each applicant's materials are placed in a sub-folder within the graduate program folder to which the applicant is applying.Graduate School staff members download the applications and supplemental materials from CollegeNet (the online application vendor)and then upload them into Blackboard.Assigned committee members receive an email notifying them whenever application materials have been uploaded into the program file. Committee members can then review these application materials anytime and anywhere they can access the internet.The applicant files remain within the program file until an Admission Approval Form is returned to The Graduate School and processed, at which time the applicant's file is removed from Blackboard.

This new process provides safer, faster and more efficient service for applicants, recommenders and graduate application reviewers!

Future enhancement plans are to upload scanned transcripts and the Admission Approval Form with test score (GRE, GMAT, etc.) information for each applicant into Blackboard, providing graduate application reviewers everything they need to make admission decisions.

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