<aside> ✅

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 </aside>

<aside> 💡

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? </aside>