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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 …
by Sundas Ali
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 …
by Marie Todd
A valuable first step in devising a writing plan for your college essays is identifying the attributes that are most important to your target schools, which you can glean from their websites and promotional materials. If you have not already done so, download the current Common App essay questions, as well as any supplemental essay …
by Kelly Wilson
When I led business school admissions, I enjoyed reading applications. I looked forward to learning about individuals who might be joining our community each year. However, not every application submitted was perfect – after all, candidates are humans, and humans make mistakes. When I ran into a mistake in a person’s application, I would categorize …
by Sundas Ali
Teamwork – and its close cousin, leadership – are highly prized by graduate programs and universities. But if you haven’t worked in a team on any regular basis, don’t worry! You’ve probably got a number of examples of teamwork in your back pocket that you didn’t even realize were there. Consider the following four ideas when you …
by Mary Mahoney
In the medical school admissions process, your MCAT score and GPA carry significant weight. If the rest of your application is stellar, having less-than-perfect stats likely won’t prevent you from being accepted. However, having low stats might. A “low” GPA or MCAT score is one that falls significantly below the average or median at the …
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