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The Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) is the primary application service for graduate physician assistant (PA) programs. The CASPA application contains four primary categories: Personal Information, Academic History, Supporting Information, and Program Materials. You will need to gather, organize, and write lots of documents to complete the application, but the Experiences section (within …
The Georgetown University School of Medicine (GUSOM) has a rich history, opening in 1851 as the first Catholic medical school in the United States. The guiding principles of education and service at GUSOM are influenced by the Jesuit principles of cura personalis or “care of the whole person.” Through the Journeys Curriculum, GUSOM trains its …
by Cydney Foote
The 2026 Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application asks you to choose ten Selected Experiences that communicate who you are and what’s most important to you. You’re then asked to highlight three of those experiences as “most meaningful,” with a short description of why, and you’ll have the opportunity to submit an optional essay on …
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, located in the Bronx, is a mission-driven institution committed to advancing health through scientific discovery, educational innovation, and deep community engagement. With a longstanding reputation for excellence in medical education, clinical care, and groundbreaking research, Einstein is dedicated to training compassionate, collaborative physician-leaders who are as committed to equity and …
by Marie Todd
We understand that getting started actually writing your college essays can be difficult. Even if you’ve gone through all the steps of thinking, brainstorming, and maybe even the “clustering” and “circling” of interconnected ideas, you might still feel intimidated by the writing process. And after all, there’s a lot on the line with your college …
by Steven Tagle
Stanford University is one of the most prestigious and fiercely selective universities in the United States, with an acceptance rate of under 4%. One former admissions officer revealed that during the initial sorting, with occasional exceptions, applications with “more than two Bs, SAT section scores below 700, a disciplinary infraction, or unremarkable extracurriculars” were relegated …
Jordan noticed that a colleague was struggling to contribute during team strategy sessions. Throughout the quarter, he offered support, provided regular feedback, and encouraged her to lead part of the final project presentation — which she delivered with confidence. Nina worked throughout college to support her family but still made time to volunteer as a …
The personal statement is your opportunity to stand out and make a lasting impression on your target school’s adcom. How can you make your essay original? How much should you tell? And at what point are you crossing the line into TMI? When I applied to college, I wrote a personal statement describing some challenging …
by Marie Todd
Making an outline for your essay before you begin writing can be extremely helpful in keeping you focused on the details of your story and its most vital elements. Outlines also keep you mindful of the architecture of the story you’re trying to tell: What comes first? What needs to follow? Schools tend to have …
Asking someone to write you a letter of recommendation can feel awkward – you’re essentially requesting that a busy professor, supervisor, or mentor take time out of their schedule to advocate for you and your future. It’s a big ask. But here’s the good news: you can make it much easier for your recommender to …
by Marie Todd
The central theme of your essay doesn’t have to be something earth-shattering or particularly amazing, but it does need to be something that genuinely matters to you and will therefore convey key aspects of your character. Your theme might be something that engages you, something you’re interested in describing, or something you want to explore …
by Marie Todd
In our post “A Stress-Free Brainstorming Plan for Your College Essays,” we outline the basic process of brainstorming to prepare for writing your college essays. In this post, we offer a more-detailed, “circular” method that can help you uncover additional ideas and stories. This circular method is also called “clustering.” To begin, write the essay …
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