What is the best font to use for an application (specifically grad school)?

Something sans-serif is your best bet, so that it’s easy to read. Ariel font or similar would work well.

A clean, sans serif font. Georgia is a nice one.

what are your recommendations for a good sans-serif font? what is the equivalent to a “times new roman” in the sans serif world. i don’t particularly like ariel

@loislane Did you like Georgia (from the example above)? It is available in word. I agree about Arial. I use only for headers usually.

Georgia is a serif font.

Generally, use sans serif for headlines or large display text; use a serif font for body text or smaller blocks of text. Studies indicate serif typefaces allow for greater readability as the serifs visually lead the eye from one letter to the next.

Georgia is a nice choice – sophisticated-looking and readable with attractive old-style numerals.

@PnT Hanging my head in shame. Still, I am the word person not the design person. I still like Georgia.

@Marina: ah well, we can’t all be design nerds. ;)

. . . or wordsmiths.

true dat

Aw, gee, Im doin’ it rong. I did a resume in Palatino once, because I thought it looked sophisticated. I was told that it was too fancy. ???

Palatino is OK, it’s just a little calligraphic.

Cambria, Georgia, or Times New Roman are really the only ones I would consider using for a grad school application. But it probably depends on the area of study.

ah, just make sure it says “made on a mac” in the watermark….

Modern Fonzie

It will guarantee you all Ayyy‘s when you are accepted.

again…sorry

What is all this with the arial. Blah, Arial is a “shameless impostor” http://www.ms-studio.com/articles.html You don’t need to use a sans serif either, Dave and fireside said it all.

I have always heard that sans serif fonts were not a good choice for body font because they are harder to read. The weight of the strokes and the serifs help the eye distinguish characters. I am not a student of typography myself, but this is the wisdom I’ve always been given when working with designers and production people. Personally, having read a lot of resumes, I would be turned off by a sans serif body font. Sans serif is good for heads if you want contrast..

If I were applying to graduate schools, I would choose a classic font like Times New Roman. Actually, Book Antiqua is my pet font for body copy, so that is what I would most likely use. And I’d combine it with Arial for heads.

Serif fonts are easier to read, they are easier on your eyes. Times New Roman is a good one.