As I look forward to applying for graduate schools, applying for jobs, and the rest of my future, I tend to seek the advice of those who come before me. I realize that if I want to apply to graduate school, I need to be applying in the fall, and many of you will be, too.

I reached out to the best of the best (of people I know) from Grand Valley State University for advice to share with everyone on how to compile stellar graduate school applications. The first three students I talked with are current students at GVSU, getting ready to graduate and move on with their future: Lauren Berry, Andrew DiLernia and Diana Hoeksema.

Berry and DiLernia are both accepted at the University of Minnesota with full funding next year—DiLernia headed toward a Ph.D in statistics and Berry headed for one of the best quantitative psychology programs in the nation. Hoeksema has been accepted at George Washington University for the accelerated master’s of public Health–again, one of the best programs of its kind. The last student to whom I reached out was Abigail DeHart, a GVSU alumna who graduated with a degree in classics and philosophy last year, and is currently studying at the University of Cambridge.

Berry had a common thread through her advice: start early. Whether it’s studying for the GRE, taking the GRE, asking for letters of recommendation, or having a CV and personal statement ready, don’t wait until the last minute. As far as studying for the GRE, Berry recommends using the book from the people who make the test, ETS. She also suggested taking the two free practice tests online prior to taking the GRE. She advises studying during your junior year and then taking the test during the following summer to avoid doing these at the last minute.

Because many people stress over the weak parts of their applications, I think some of the best advice Berry shared with me was, “If you have one weak part of your application, it’s okay; just spend a lot of time with the things you can control like your personal statement.”

DiLernia also mentioned starting early and studying for the GRE, but seemed to put more emphasis on connecting with professors. “Professors know more about grad school than you do since they have been through this process themselves,” DiLernia said, “Finding the right professor who will help guide you through the process of applying to grad school is essential.”

He also emphasized professors as helpful in writing letters of recommendation, saying, “Find professors who have had you for a class that you have done exceptionally well in. They are someone you should have a good relationship with outside of the classroom as well, so get to know them in their office hours if you can.”

Hoeksema said her biggest recommendation is for students to use the resources that GV has to offer such as taking your personal statement to the Writing Center and your resume to the Career Center to help you perfect it. She also found it helpful to consult people who know her well to make sure her personal statement reflects who she truly is. “Hundreds or even thousands of students will be applying so focus on what you do well but also what makes you unique!”

Last, but far from least, DeHart focused on personal statements. Here’s the advice she had to share: “A good research statement–whether it’s MA, Ph.D, or beyond – gives a sense of trajectory. What have you been doing that is relevant and what kind of thoughts is it prompting? So, for example, if you have been working on a senior thesis, how did this experience lead you to think the next best step is a grad program? This way, you give the reader a richer sense of how you are thinking.

In these statements, don’t just tack on at the end the names of two academics you want to work with. Of course we all know you found them in a late-night Google search, and have convinced yourself that their interests are similar enough. But they don’t want to know that.”

So if you’re graduating at the end of next school year as I am, it looks like we have some work to do. From the GRE to letters of recommendation, I know this advice is appreciated and useful for me, and I hope it does the same for all of you.