Teamwork and its close cousin leadership are highly prized by graduate programs and universities. But if you haven’t worked in teams 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 are writing…
LAW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS
Making Friends with the GRE: How To Overcome Test Anxiety and Perform at Your Best
“I can’t stop trembling. I can’t eat. I cry for little or no reason. I am just so nervous.” All of this from Janelle, a prospective graduate student, in response to scheduling a GRE test date. I was not surprised that Janelle was nervous, given that almost all prospective graduate students are a bit anxious…
Can You Use the Same Personal Statement for Different Schools?
One of the questions we are asked most often by college and graduate school applicants is this: “I’m applying to six different schools, and each one requires two to seven essays/personal statements. That’s so much writing! Can I reuse the same essay for different schools? How can I keep up the quality and not burn…
Admissions Tip: Be Yourself!
Would you like to know one thing that admissions committee members really want from applicants? Here it is: they wish – really, truly wish – that applicants would not try to write what they imagine the adcom wants to hear but instead just be themselves. Time and time again, admissions committee members tell us they want applicants…
Seven Tips to Get You Off the Law School Waitlist
It’s the time of year for acceptances – and waitlists. What can you do if you are waitlisted at the law school of your dreams? Here, we offer seven tips to improve your chances of getting off the law school waitlist and ultimately accepted. While being waitlisted at the school of your dreams can be…
Four Tips for Highlighting Your Strengths in Your Application Essays
One of the most important pieces of advice you can receive regarding your personal statements and application essays is this: Show, don’t tell. But you might have been given this advice before and are wondering how to go about it. Let’s dive into how to show effectively. Here are four tips to help you achieve…
Whatever You Do, Do Not Leave the Law School Optional Essay Blank!
Many law schools invite applicants to share more about themselves through optional essays. For example, the University of Pennsylvania Law School provides the following optional essay prompts: Are these essays optional? Well, technically, they are; it says so right there in the name. In fact, however, the only truly optional essay here is the one…
Writing a Lead That Pops
How many times have you sampled the first few lines of a book and decided, “Nah, this isn’t for me.” Whether you picked up the book in a store or library, or tested the free sample on your e-reader, you probably made a pretty speedy decision about whether it would hold your interest. The human…
Welcoming Sadie Polen
The Accepted consultant team is thrilled to welcome Sadie Polen, who previously ran highly selective summer programs at Harvard University, where she reviewed more than 1,000 applications a year. Through these programs, Sadie worked with partner individuals and organizations across the public service and political spectrum, including economic development, journalism, elected officials, law, civic tech,…
So You Didn’t Get into Law School…
If you didn’t get into law school this year, it’s never too early to start planning a strategy for the next application cycle. First, take some time to lick your wounds, and then use these tips that could help you change your results. Related Resources:
Proving Character Traits in Your Essays
When you write an application essay or statement of purpose, you’re trying to accomplish two equally vital goals at once. First, you need to prove your worthiness for acceptance at your target school. Second, you need to show the adcom that you have the desirable character traits that their program values. But how do you prove…
Resilience: How Flaws and Failures Can Strengthen Your Application
A speaker recently told a story about traveling in Asia, where he saw a stunning emerald. Enchanted by the stone’s beauty, he decided to buy it – on the spot. He returned home and took the emerald to a jeweler for appraisal. The jeweler began examining the stone through his magnifier, and as he did…
Revise and Polish Your Application Essays
Check out all of the blog posts in this series: You’ve completed your first essay draft – this is a great milestone! Now it’s time to revise and edit that draft. Outstanding essays are not sprung into the world on the first try. Here’s how to edit and polish your essay until it shines: 1. Let…
How to Start Your First Draft of an Application Essay
Check out all of the blog posts in this series: Now that you have reflected on the questions that helped you identify and develop your theme, you have a clear sense of what will make your essay effective. Time to start writing! First, make an outline. An outline can be formal, with clearly delineated categories…
How to Get Accepted to Berkeley Law [Episode 504]
Kristin Theis-Alvarez, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at the UC Berkeley School of Law, shares her insider perspective on the recent decision to withdraw from US News Rankings and describes how students can demonstrate the Berkeley ethos to secure a spot in this prestigious program. [Show Summary] Thanks for joining me for the 504th…
Writing Your Career Goals Essay
Check out all of the blog posts in this series: The career goals essay demands a laser-like focus. Unlike personal statements that can cover one’s 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 prompt could actually involve…
Finding a Theme for Your Statement of Purpose
Check out all of the blog posts in this series: All effective essays have a distinctive theme. Referring back to the essays we examined in the previous post, we might say that 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…
LSAT and Law School News [509]
Test optionality seems to be coming to law school admissions. Top schools have withdrawn mostly from the US News rankings. What does it all mean? We ask a law school admissions expert for his input. [Show Summary] Welcome to the 509th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Before we meet our guests,…
Identifying the Ingredients of a Winning Essay
Check out all of the blog posts in this series: As you gear up to write your application essays, you might 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…
Bring Your Personal Statement to Life With Vivid, Active Verbs
Your personal statement is an essential element of your application and allows the adcom great insight into who you really are aside from your stats. However, no matter how extensive your experience or how accomplished you might be, all that can be lost in prose that does not do a good job of profiling who…
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