References
References are an important supplement to your academic background, so make sure to carefully manage references. Salem State accepts professional (supervisors, etc.) or academic (professors, etc.) references; family/friends are not appropriate sources of references.
Depending on the program, 1 to 3 references are required. Please check program specific requirements for the exact number required.
Managing your references
- Give your references adequate time to complete the reference, especially if your program has a firm deadline or you are applying within a few weeks of a semester beginning.
- As soon as you have confirmed someone can serve as a reference, enter their name and correct email address into the online application. This immediately triggers the request email to the reference, where they receive instructions on how to submit the reference online.
- Enter the reference information into your online application first, so they can work on the reference while you are filling out the other sections of the online application.
- You can submit your application even if your references have not yet been submitted.
- If time lapses and your reference has not completed the online reference, send a reminder email by logging into your online application and clicking the "reminder" button next to the name.
- School-related email addresses, especially K-12, should not be used for reference communication given the firewalls at educational institutions.
- If your reference does not receive the request email, have them check their spam folder as it may have landed there. If it did, they will need to mark the email as "not spam" and move it into their main inbox.
- If your reference is having issues with submitting their form, they can contact us directly at gradadmissions@salemstate.edu.
Personal Statements
Your personal statement is an important component of your graduate application. Pay attention to content, grammar and style, as your personal statement can serve as a writing sample to reviewers. You must upload your personal statement into the online application.
General Guidelines
- Appropriate length is about 500- to 1,000-words or two to three pages, double-spaced.
- Address what factors in your personal and professional history have influenced you in the past and now lead you to seek admission to this program at Salem State.
- Write about long-term professional goals, and how this program will help you meet them.
- Discuss any other information that you think would help the admissions committee to evaluate your application.
Program Specific Content
Some programs require you to address specific content in your personal statement and others may ask you to submit additional writing samples. Please visit the program specific page to ensure you meet the requirements of the personal statement.
- MA English
- MA/MAT English Dual Degree
- MAT English
- MAT Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
- MAT Spanish
- M.Ed. Higher Education Student Affairs
- M.Ed. Special Education
- MS - Occupational Therapy Direct Entry Program
- MS - Industrial/Organizational Psychology
- MSN - Master of Science in Nursing
- MSW - Master of Social Work