Preparing for Grad School While Working Full-Time

Work experience isn't a weakness — it's your edge. But only if you translate it into academic language.

1. A 12-month backward plan

T-12: school list. T-10: first TOEFL. T-8: GRE if needed. T-6: SOP draft. T-4: LoR requests. T-2: finals. T-0: submit. PassPort breaks this into weekly chunks from your target deadlines.

2. A 1-hour weekday routine

Mon: write one SOP paragraph. Tue: 25-min TOEFL block. Wed: research one school. Thu: revise SOP. Fri: plan next week. Weekends off or mock exams.

3. Translate work into academic claims

'Feature development' → 'problem definition, experiment, measurement, attempt at generalization'. Reframe everything as question → hypothesis → data → result → next question.

4. You don't have to quit your job

Application season clusters around Nov-Dec; enrollment starts the following Aug-Sep. Time your resignation around admit letters and you'll minimize the risk.

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