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✅
Application Timeline & Checklist
12-18 months before applying:
- [ ] Research programs and identify 5-8 schools of interest
- [ ] Speak to academic and career advising at your institution, including faculty advisors in specific academic departments
- [ ] Connect with Bonner alumni at target schools
- [ ] Identify potential recommenders
8-12 months before:
- [ ] Register for required tests (GRE, LSAT, MCAT, etc.)
- [ ] Request letters of recommendation
- [ ] Draft personal statement highlighting Bonner experience
- [ ] Attend graduate school fairs in your discipline
4-8 months before:
- [ ] Contact graduate school partners to verify Bonner benefits
- [ ] Complete applications (noting Bonner affiliation)
- [ ] Follow up with recommenders
2-4 months before:
- [ ] Schedule interviews if required
- [ ] Compare financial aid packages
- [ ] Make final decision
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💡
Tips for Highlighting Your Bonner Experience
In your personal statement:
- Connect your community engagement to your academic and career goals
- Discuss how Bonner shaped your understanding of social issues
- Describe the depth of your commitment to community engagement
- Highlight specific projects, leadership roles, and measurable impact you had in those roles
In interviews:
- Be ready to discuss how Bonner prepared you for graduate-level work
- Share specific examples of problem-solving in community settings
- Articulate how graduate study will deepen your capacity for impact
Questions to ask during campus visits:
- How do current students experience the program and campus culture?
- What distinguishes this program from similar programs?
- How is community engagement incentivized at these schools / programs? Paid fellowships? Research grants? Academic credits?
- How does the program support first-generation or low-income students?
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