There are a number of benefits to taking on additional academic challenges during high school. Let’s explore some of these options and their pros and cons. What are AP classes? AP refers to Advanced Placement classes. These are high school classes taught with college-level curriculum and expectations. If completed successfully, AP courses can set you…
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
How to Make Your College Application Stand Out: Beyond Test Scores and GPA
Assuming your test scores and GPA are in the competitive range for your top choice schools, what else can make you stand out in a positive way? In my five years of reviewing undergraduate applications for admission to the University of Michigan, I considered a number of additional factors in determining overall fit. 4 ways…
How to Get Started on Your Personal Statement with One Easy Technique
Okay, you’ve calmed down after your initial essay-writing anxiety, and you still don’t know where to begin. How do you capture your whole life in the meager number of characters allotted? What is clustering? Whether you’re feeling stuck or feeling overwhelmed by all the ideas bouncing around in your head, a stellar technique to start…
ACT to Permit Retaking Single Sections of Exam
According to a report in the New York Times, students who wish to improve their scores could retake individual parts of the exam, instead of the entire ACT. This will take a lot of pressure off test-takers, enabling them to improve their scores on one section without risking getting lower scores on sections they…
Encore: Focus on Fit in Admissions [Episode 334]
I am taking time off for family this week, and as a result I decided to air an encore of one of our most popular shows ever, Focus on Fit. I chose it not only because of its popularity, but because the topic is relevant to so many, if not all, specialties. A solid understanding…
How to Use Powerful Details to Create Strong Essays
To really draw your readers into your goal-focused essay, you’re going to want to lay the scene for your future accomplishments. After all, what better way to convince the adcom of your ambitions than to illustrate them in your essay? First, identify your goal. When you begin your essay, try showing yourself having reached your…
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…
Generic-itis Prevention [Warning: If Untreated, Can Cause Rejection]
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…
Two Grad School Applicants Walk Into a Bar…
This might be a great opening line for a comedy night at a university student center, but can you use humor in a graduate school application essay? Should you even try? The answer is…maybe. If you have a funny bone, use it If you can use humor effectively, it will help you stand out from…
Accepted Admissions Almanac Adds Authors
As of today, the Accepted Admissions Almanac will start to present the posts of different Accepted editors. The first guest post on the Accepted Admissions Almanac will appear later this morning to be followed by the posts of other Accepted editors in the future. They will all post regularly going forward. And for my fans:…
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…
What You Can Do During Your Senior Year to Boost Your Chances of a College Acceptance
If you are beginning your senior year of high school, you might be worrying about how you can possibly increase your chances of getting accepted to your top college choices. You’ve worked earnestly for the last three years and that work has all been excellent preparation. Now it’s time for the next stage – the…
A Harvard PhD Student and Admissions Consultant Shares Her Story [Episode 328]
Interview with Rachel Slutsky, Accepted admissions consultant [Show summary] Want to know what makes for stupendous statements of purpose or impressive MBA essays? Our guest, and recent addition to Accepted’s team of consultants, is an expert at both. But, for some of you her main claim to fame may be her status as a Harvard…
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…
Academic De-Greening: Applying to College After Military Service
Having worked with numerous military veterans as they begin to transition to college, I know firsthand how challenging and daunting this shift can be. In particular, many veterans struggle to include their military experiences and accolades within the context of a personal statement, often assuming it is at worst a shot against them (proving they…
How to Stay Within Essay Word Limits by Reducing Verbal Verbosity
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,…
Quick FAFSA Facts
It’s January. The holidays are over, people are working on (or already breaking) their new year’s resolutions… and it’s time to file the FAFSA. Here are a few must-know facts and tips: • The FAFSA is the first step towards qualifying for federal and state financial aid (grants, student loans, work study, etc). Many universities…
3 Ways to Make Your Own Student Loan Luck
“Diligence is the mother of good luck.” – Benjamin Franklin If you’re one of the 37 million Americans with student loans, you know it’s going to take a lot more than a few four-leaf clovers to make your debt disappear. You wouldn’t rely on winning the lottery in order to pay your loans, would you? …
Apply to be a Tillman Military Scholar
This is a great funding opportunity for members of the military. The Tillman Military Scholar program was founded to honor the legacy of Pat Tillman, who “proudly put his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals on hold to serve his country” and died while serving with the U.S. army in Afghanistan in 2004. The scholarship…
Got Dinged? You Can Handle It!
It may or may not be fair, but many of you are going to get at least a few rejections. What are you going to do about them? First and foremost—if you’ve gotten dinged at your top choice school, that doesn’t mean that you’re never going to get in. It doesn’t even mean that you…
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