Blog

You are currently browsing the Admissions Consulting category.

Test-Taking Advice for People with Learning Disabilities or Test Anxiety

Test taking advice for people with learning disabilities or test anxiety

Nobody likes taking tests, right? Well, perhaps a few of you out there get psyched at the chance of showing how well you have boned up for your exams. But most people facing a timed test can’t wait to get it out of the way. Even those who are fairly confident of their abilities will …

Read More

5 Tips for Writing About Extracurricular Activities You Started at the Last Minute

5 tips for writing about extracurricular activities you started at the last minute

You are this close to finishing your application, but in the section that asks you about your extracurricular activities, you freeze up. I don’t really have any extracurricular activities, you think. What should I do now? How will I be able to stand out from the competition? We’re glad you asked. Team Accepted has worked …

Read More

‘Twas the Night Before Deadlines: A Cautionary Tale of Cliches

cautionary tale of cliches

‘Twas the night before deadlines, and all through the world, Our consultants sat cramming, coffee brewing, brows furrowed; Though the essays were written with effort and care, There were still a few things that were cause for despair! The clichés! Oh, forsake! Terrible, were they – That all our consultants could think was “oy vey!” …

Read More

6 Tips for Getting Started on Your Application Essays

6 tips for getting started on your application essays

Sometimes the hardest part of writing a personal statement or application essay for college or grad school is finding the discipline to sit down and focus. Often, once you accomplish that, the ideas begin to form and the words begin to flow.  The following 6 tips will help motivate you to start writing, and then …

Read More

The Art of Interviewing—Are You a “Can” or a “Cannot”?

The art of interviewing Are you a can or a cannot

“I am doomed… This is a disaster… I really never expected this… What am I going to do?” This from Daniel, a prospective PhD student. I couldn’t imagine what had happened to cause such a negative response, especially as Daniel is a very strong candidate with impeccable credentials. My shock was further compounded when he …

Read More

Generic-itis Prevention [Warning: If Untreated, Can Cause Rejection]

Generic itis Prevention

Each year, Accepted consultants are witnessing a recurring epidemic. And it’s worse than you can imagine: Generic-itis. What generic-itis looks like Here is an example of a severe case of generic-–itis that I drafted based on several different examples I recently read, along with 25 years of experience in this business: I find Top Choice’s …

Read More

What to Include in Your Admissions Resume

What to Include in Your Admissions Resume

I suggest that applicants begin assembling materials for their applications as early as possible in advance of admissions deadlines. One of the first items you should start working on is your resume, a document that all professionals should always have updated and at the ready. 6 tips for creating a rockin’ resume Here are some …

Read More

Review Your Essays Like an Admissions Consultant and Use the Editing Funnel

Review Your Essays Like an Admissions Consultant and Use the Editing Funnel

Most of you are now — or will be soon — editing your critical application essays and personal statements. When Accepted consultants review and edit your essays, they go through a process I call the editing funnel. When you edit your own essays, you should follow a similar process. How the editing funnel works Here’s …

Read More

How to Stay Within Essay Word Limits by Reducing Verbal Verbosity

Stay Within Essay Word Limits 1024x512

Most applicants – whether applying to med school, law school, business school, or any other grad school or college program – need to deal with rigid character or word limits when writing their application essays or personal statements. You may start out thinking that you have nothing to write, but generally, once applicants begin writing, …

Read More

Application Essay Tip: The Devil is in the Details

The Devil is in the Details

You can argue about the devil, but certainly the substance, distinctiveness, and success of your essays depends on the details. Bringing Out Your Uniqueness in the Details Many applicants tend to bury their uniqueness and success under vague assertions. You don’t want to hide your achievements; you want to trumpet them loudly and clearly. For …

Read More

Personal Statement Tip: Less is More

Personal Statement Tip  Less is More

Most of us have heard the saying “less is more,” but how many of us put it into practice when it counts? Your application essays are the perfect forum for reaping the benefits of this deceptively simple principle. What does “less is more” really mean? It’s the idea that we must resist our natural tendencies …

Read More

Your Free, 30-Minute Consultation

Sign up for a free consultation to ask your most pressing admissions and application-related questions, get a profile evaluation, and find out how our team of professional admissions consultants can help you get accepted.

Start Now!