We are looking for applicants who are smart, who show initiative, who share research interests with us, and who have some experience in research. This is the most important question on the list. Unless you have very strong reasons for wanting to do graduate work, you should not contemplate it. If you are clear on your goals, then the following advice may help you attain them. The value of programs is that they have concentrations of faculty who are doing things which might interest you.
Some programs have funding that provides student stipends and various goodies.
However, plenty of good faculty in your field are not in programs. Use the library. Start by recalling undergraduate courses and topics that you enjoyed. Look up those materials. Most university libraries receive the major journals in every field that their faculty cover.