Most higher education institutions now promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as core values attached to their institutional mission because doing so is crucial for ensuring a welcoming and inclusive campus environment for all students, faculty, and staff. Best practice recommends that DEI senior officers answer directly to a university or college’s president, thereby ensuring…
How Service To School Helps Veterans Get Accepted to Grad School [Episode 524]
In this episode, the CEO of Service to School and the Chief Programs Officer at Service to School explore the resources available to active duty service members and veterans through the nonprofit and give practical examples of translating military experience into public sector terms. [SHOW SUMMARY] Are you a veteran considering grad school? Are you…
Rejection and Reapplication: How to Respond [Episode 523]
Rejection and Reapplication: How to Respond [Show summary] Admissions guru Linda Abraham highlights four reasons that could cause a rejection and offers concrete, practical suggestions for moving forward. Rejection and Reapplication: How to Respond [Show notes] Some of you unfortunately are facing a fistful of dings. Some of you haven’t heard definitively. You are either…
Encore: What Does 2022 Mean for Applicants in 2023 [Episode 505]
Thanks for joining me for the 520th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. I am taking a week off for family time. As a result, I decided to air an encore of our most popular podcast so far in 2023. To my surprise it was the solo show I did in January on preparing to apply…
Why Should I Consider Allied Health Careers?
If the road to medical school seems too long, or you have financial constraints that prevent you from applying, you might want to consider a career that offers many of the same experiences a physician has but without the extensive (and expensive) schooling. Weighing your options: Pros & cons of allied health careers While the…
How to Get Into Dental School
So, you want to be a dentist. This post will guide you through the dental school admissions process and offer tips on how to get accepted. To become a dentist, you will need to obtain either a doctor of dental surgery or doctor of dental medicine degree. It’s the same curriculum. The school that you…
How to Get into Physician Assistant Programs [Episode 515]
Dr. Valerie Wherley, Accepted consultant and past Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Career Development at William Beaumont School of Medicine, and former Director of Pre-Health Advisement and Director of the Pre-Health Postbac Certificate Program at Sacred Heart University, speaks in depth about the path to becoming a physician assistant. [Show Summary] Healthcare is a…
Casper, A Situational Judgment Test: All You Need to Know [Episode 513]
Shortcuts to Key Insights from this Episode Do you have to take the CASPer for at least some of the programs you are applying to? Are you concerned about? This interview with the co-founder of Acuity Insights, the folks who provide the Casper, is for you! [Show Summary] Dr. Dore discusses everything applicants need to…
Writing Your PA School Personal Statement with Impact [Including a Bonus PA Personal Statement Example]
Becoming a physician assistant (PA) has become a hot career goal, and it’s getting hotter all the time. Over the past several years, applications have more than tripled at some of the most competitive programs, and acceptance rates have dipped to as low as about 30% – lower than the acceptance rate at many medical…
What Does 2022 Mean for Applicants in 2023 [Episode 505]
Reflecting on trends that impacted graduate admissions in 2022, Linda Abraham shares her predictions for 2023 and offers an action plan for those planning to apply in the new year. [Show Summary] Thanks for joining me for today’s solo show. I’m going to review a few trends from 2022 and also attempt to inspire you for…
The Questions You SHOULD Be Asking – ANSWERED! [Episode 500]
Invaluable insights into all aspects of the graduate admissions process [Show Summary] In celebration of Admissions Straight Talk’s 500th episode, Linda Abraham invites Accepted consultants to pose and answer the questions that students should be asking – and frequently don’t ask. This conversation is filled with invaluable insights that will benefit anybody preparing for graduate…
MD/PA/NP/DO/DDS/MPH: What Do They Require? [Episode 499]
Discover the differences between and how to get accepted to common healthcare admissions tracks [Show Summary] Accepted consultant Dr. Valerie Wherley has an impressive and extensive background in pre-health, having advised thousands of students to acceptance at their dream schools and programs. In this highly informative podcast interview, she distinguishes the differences between common healthcare…
Extra-Curricular Activities Can Help You Get Accepted to Graduate Therapy Programs
Your involvements outside of the classroom can be an important component of your graduate school application. Can you make a connection between your activities and the field you are entering? Did your participation in an activity influence your decision to pursue this career? For example, an applicant to clinical social work or counseling/marriage and family…
What was it like to be an ER doctor at the beginning of COVID? [Episode 493]
ER Physician, filmmaker, popular speaker and travel company founder. Here how it all comes together [Show Summary] Dr. Calvin Sun is an emergency room physician, known for his blog-turned-travel company. During the pandemic, his travel content quickly shifted to real-time COVID updates as he chronicled his experience as an emergency room doctor in Manhattan. He…
Empowering International Students with the Financing for Grad Ed [Episode 475]
How can an international student pay for grad school in the U.S. or Canadian graduate education? [Show Summary] MPOWER Financing has changed the graduate education financing industry by offering international students loans with no collateral or co-signer requirement. Sasha Ramani, the Associate Director of Corporate Strategy explains how they do this responsibly and shares his…
Writing About Your Experiences Abroad
You studied, worked, or volunteered abroad. Now you want to include part of this in your personal statement as part of an undergrad, AMCAS or other application. Maybe you want to show that you’ve experienced a different culture and expanded your perspective through your eye-opening experiences meeting new people, mountain-climbing, assisting in a rural community,…
How to Write a Great Statement of Purpose [Episode 473]
How to Write a Statement of Purpose That Gets You Accepted [Show Summary] Vanessa Febo is a PhD candidate in English Literature at UCLA and a writing instructor who has guided students to acceptance at top programs at Harvard, Stanford, and USC. In this episode, she shares her expert tips on mastering the writing required…
10 Tips for Better Essay Writing
Let’s take your writing up a notch–or two! Ready to up your game in the writing department? Since you’re probably eager to show the adcom that you’ve got the “write” stuff and can relate your significant experiences and insightful ideas eloquently, these 10 tips are for you: Think about writing as a conversation on paper….
When Should I Plan to Apply to Grad School? NOW!!!
Where we’re at: Right now, if I walk down the street almost anywhere in the United States, I will see “Help Wanted” signs in the windows, on Amazon trucks, and almost everywhere. The United States is experiencing a labour shortage and one of the tightest labour markets since records were kept. As a result of…
How to Write Essays That Will Get You Into Medical School: An Expert’s Take [Episode 472]
All you need to know about med school admissions [Show Summary] Madison Searle, a published writer, graduate application advisor, and former director of an undergraduate Honors Center at a leading Public Ivy, shares his tips and strategies for medical school applications that lead to acceptance. Madison Searle, Accepted medical school consultant, talks about how to…