The personal statement is a terrific opportunity to share an intriguing and unique aspect of your life with the admissions committees. How much should you tell? At what point are you crossing the line into TMI? When I applied to college, I wrote a personal statement describing some challenging family circumstances I’d had while growing up….
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
7 Simple Steps to Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay
What is the diversity question in a school application, and more importantly, why does it matter when applying to leading programs and universities? A diversity essay is an essay that encourages applicants with minority backgrounds, unusual education, distinctive experience, or unique family histories to write about how these elements will contribute to the diversity of…
Admissions Tip: BE YOURSELF!
One of the things admissions committee members tell us again and again is that they wish – really, truly wish – that applicants would not try to write what they imagine the adcom wants to hear, but would just be themselves instead. Time and time again, admissions committee members tell us they wish applicants would…
Writing a Lead That Pops
How many times have you wandered through a bookstore or library, opening up a book to read the first few lines only to quickly close it again? How often have you tested a free sample on your Kindle only to decide after a paragraph that you’re glad you didn’t buy it? How often have you…
Revise and Polish Your Application Essays
You’ve got your first draft ready – this is a great milestone! Now it’s time to revise and edit. Outstanding essays are not sprung into the world on the first draft. Here’s how to edit and polish until your essay shines: 1. Let your essay rest for a day or two, particularly after an intensive…
How to Create the First Draft of Your Application Essay
You now have a clear sense of what makes an essay effective. You have reflected on the questions that helped you identify and develop your theme. Now it’s time to start writing. Before you begin, draft an outline, even if it’s only a very informal list of the main points you want to cover. Based…
Writing Your Career Goals Essay
The career goals essay–a close cousin to the graduate school statement of purpose–also demands a laser-like focus. Unlike personal statements that may discuss career goals but also allow for more flexibility in content, the career goals essay has a specific and packed agenda. In fact, a career goals essay questions may contain several questions in…
Finding a Theme for Your Statement of Purpose
All effective essays have a distinctive theme. Referring back to the essays we read in the previous post, we might say that our MPH candidate’s theme was her passion for finding answers to significant public health issues. Our law school applicant’s theme was his yearning for greater intellectual challenges while remaining in the healthcare field….
Identifying the Ingredients of a Winning Essay
As you gear up to write your application essays, you may have looked at sample “winning” essays published in books or on websites, only to ask yourself afterward, “Sure, these are great, but what do these essays have to do with me?” This blog series will show you how to plan for, draft, and edit…
This Is the 11th Grade College Planning Timeline That You Need to Get Accepted
This Is the 11th Grade College Planning Timeline That You Need to Get Accepted
Your Guide to Getting off the Waitlist in 2022
Landing on a waitlist can be a nerve-wracking experience. As a result, sometimes waitlisted applicants let their anxiety or disappointment get the better of them. But the application process is not over for waitlisted applicants! “Waitlisted” is not “rejected.” If you play your cards right, you still have a fighting chance of getting into your…
Ivies: Number of Early-Admission Applications Near Historic High
A number of the most selective colleges in the US are reporting near-record numbers of students applying for early admission, the Wall Street Journal recently stated. Applications for both binding early-decision, and the more flexible early-action option increased last year at elite schools including Harvard University and Brown University. Many schools have canceled their testing…
No Standardized Test Requirement at Harvard through 2026
Students will be able to apply to Harvard University without taking the SAT or ACT for at least the next four years, according to a report from the PBS NewsHour. Harvard announced last year that standardized tests would be optional for a year due to the lack of available or accessible testing sites during the…
Tips for Answering the Cornell University Supplemental Essay Prompts [2021 – 2022]
While Ivy League schools require the Common Application or Coalition Application essay, they also require supplemental essay responses. These help you to convey in greater detail how the specific school and program of study to which you are applying are a good fit for you and how you can contribute to the collegiate environment. This,…
Tips for Answering the NYU Supplemental Essay Prompt [2021 – 2022]
Located in the middle of bustling lower Manhattan, New York, NYU’s campus is intertwined with the city. It is not a campus in a traditional sense – its buildings and lifestyle are organized around Washington Square Park, enabling students and faculty alike to take advantage of everything offered by this energetic area. NYU grants degrees…
3 Reasons Why Writing About Overcoming Obstacles Strengthens Your Application Essays
Why do obstacles matter to the adcoms? Applicants love to write about their accomplishments, whether in personal statements for graduate school or in b-school essays that ask for greatest achievements, challenges, and the like. And when they do, they are not shy about coming up with tangible accomplishments: driving innovations that led to revenue boosts…
Tips for Answering Brown University Supplemental Essay Prompts [2021 – 2022]
Along with the basic Common Application essay, the Ivy League schools require supplemental essay responses. These additional essays help these elite schools gain a deeper understanding of you as an applicant. It’s also your chance to explain how the school is a good match for you and how you can enhance their unique college community….
Tips for Answering the Dartmouth College Supplemental Essay Prompts [2021 – 2022]
Dartmouth College, like the other Ivy League schools, accepts both the Common Application and the Coalition Application. Regardless of the application you use, you will be asked to respond to the same essay prompts. In addition, Dartmouth also requires supplemental essay responses. The additional essays help to round out your overall picture as a prospective…
Tips for Answering the University of Michigan Supplemental Essay Prompts [2021 – 2022]
The University of Michigan is a large (over 40,000 students), predominantly residential campus located in the small city of Ann Arbor. This well known school has an outstanding reputation for research, academic rigor and athletic spirit—it is often referred to as a public-Ivy. It offers a non-binding Early Action option with an application deadline of…
Tips for Answering the Princeton University Supplemental Essay Prompts [2021 – 2022]
It will come as no surprise that Princeton University is among the top schools in the nation and is recognized globally for academic excellence. This Ivy League school is renowned as a major research university as well as an outstanding liberal arts college. In addition to the Common Application, Universal College Application or Coalition Application…
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