Is your accent in English holding you back professionally? [Show summary] Esther Bruhl is a speech pathologist and founder of Speak More Clearly, an accent reduction training program for non-native English speakers. In this episode she explains how accents are formed and how new ones can be learned. Increase your marketability or productivity, by reducing…
How to Eliminate Test Anxiety [Episode 427]
Ace any standardized admissions test, with top-tier academic coaching and effective tools to manage anxiety [Show summary] Bara Sapir has been providing test prep for over 20 years and is a pioneer in mindful test taking, implementing a holistic approach to the test prep process. She shares her best tips along with her comprehensive approach…
How to Respond to a Rejection [Episode 422]
How to Respond to a Rejection [Show summary] Admissions guru Linda Abraham highlights four reasons that could cause a rejection and offers concrete, practical suggestions for moving forward. How to Respond to a Rejection [Show notes] Some of you are unfortunately facing a fistful of dings at the moment. Some of you haven’t heard definitively….
Upskilling: 4 Steps to Choose your Next Learning Opportunity
In today’s ever changing professional world, the nature of each job, the skills it entails, and the tools it utilizes are changing more rapidly than ever. Thus, we are being forced to embrace “ongoing learning,” or “lifelong learning” (continuously learning beyond traditional schooling). The answer to this is “upskilling,” which is the act of developing…
All About Duke’s Top-Ranked PA Program [Episode 416]
What is Duke’s physician assistant program looking for in applicants? [Show summary] April Stouder, Associate Program Director and Chair of the Admissions Committee for Duke’s PA program, explores what’s unique about this top-ranked program and what applicants can do to be competitive. A focus on primary care makes Duke’s PA program unique [Show notes] Are…
An Inside Look at USC’s Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry [Episode 414]
Do you fit with USC’s Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry?[Show summary] Dr. Anita Tourah, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs at Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, offers an inside look at the dental student experience and admissions process. How an emphasis on research, education and patient care makes USC’s Herman Ostrow School…
Life as a Dental Student at UCLA [Episode 412]
Ellisa’s non-traditional path to dentistry [Show summary] Ellisa Soberon, a dental student at UCLA with a nontraditional path to dentistry, shares her insights on the dental school admissions process and life at UCLA. What makes UCLA School of Dentistry unique… and the perfect fit for this dental student! [Show notes] So, you want to go…
Encore: Application Trends to Watch in 2021, and a Look Back at 2020 [Episode 411]
Thanks for joining me for the 411th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. I am taking a week off for family time this week. As a result I decided to air an encore of our most popular podcast so far in 2021. It actually is a solo podcast that I did for our 400th episode back…
Application Trends to Watch in 2021, and a Look Back at 2020 [Episode 400]
Can the lessons of 2020 help us forge a better 2021? [Show summary] For Admissions Straight Talk’s 400th episode, Linda Abraham reflects on a turbulent year and identifies the most important trends in higher ed admissions to watch in 2021. Applying to graduate school: A journey of self-improvement [Show notes] We’ve reached Episode 400! I…
Encore: Writing a Compelling Personal Statement [Episode 397]
It’s a busy time of year now. We here at Accepted are busy helping applicants with the end-of-the-year application crunch and normally I would be enjoying the company of extended family at this joyous time of year. Thanks to COVID, however, our extended family is not gathering in person. I suspect that your celebrations are…
A Medical School Admissions Expert’s Guide to Postbacs and Med Schools [Episode 376]
Could a postbac program boost your chances of acceptance to medical school?[Show summary] Dr. Barry Rothman, an Accepted consultant with 19 years of experience in health professions advising, shares his expert guidance for applicants considering postbac programs and medical school. Learn how this admissions cycle will differ from other cycles, and how you can best…
Nursing School and Latino Community Advocacy [Student Interview]
Learn how real students navigate their way through the admissions process and school itself! Meet Maria, a patient-care assistant, entrepreneur, blogger, and nursing student, on a mission to promote higher education within the Latino community. Maria, thank you for sharing your story with us! Where do you attend nursing school? What year are you in?…
How to Prepare for a PA School Interview
Physician Assistant program interviews are similar to medical school interviews. There are three possible interview formats: traditional, MMI (multiple mini interview) or a hybrid of these two. Traditional interviews involve any combination of students and interviewers, with up to 3 students being interviewed by up to 3 interviewers. If a school uses a traditional one-on-one…
Which One is Right for Me? PA vs. NP vs. Medical School
Why do you want to become a Physician Assistant (PA)? Why not a nurse practitioner or physician? To help you answer this question, what follows is a direct comparison of these three educational and professional options, focusing on three specific programs. Using information from the top ranked programs from U.S. News and World Report for…
Writing a Compelling Personal Statement [Episode 368]
How can you write a stand-out personal statement? [Show summery] Dr. Mary Mahoney, Associate Professor of English at Elmira College and Accepted consultant, draws from her expertise in the medical humanities to deliver advice for writing a compelling personal statement. Listen to the show! A professor of English and Accepted admissions consultant shares top writing…
Why Should You Consider Becoming a PA?
Most of the clients I work with are dead set on becoming doctors. I believe this mindset exists because doctors have such a visible role in patient care historically, and are represented in the media as being at the very top of the healthcare hierarchy. The physician assistant (PAs) profession is a relatively new member…
What to Look for When Selecting a Physician Assistant (PA) Program
One of the keys to choosing the right physician assistant (PA) program for you is program data, including information on the programs’ matriculants. Unfortunately that’s more difficult to come by for PA applicants since the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) does not provide data on applicants or matriculants for individual PA programs, but…
5 Qualities to Highlight in Your Physician Assistant Program Application
In addition to identifying students with academic promise, physician assistant programs are looking for students who have a wide range of specific personal characteristics. Based on the criteria for the most competitive PA programs, there are five general areas in which students are evaluated. What character traits make for a stand-out physician assistant applicant? Academic…
How to Get Accepted to Physician Assistant (PA) Programs
Physician assistants (PAs) are similar to doctors in many ways and serve as important members of any healthcare team: They improve the ease and speed with which patients are able to see a healthcare provider; they take on most of the same activities as doctors in patient care; they see patients to diagnose, treat, and…
A Career-Changer Discusses Juggling Optometry School and Motherhood
Learn how real students navigate their way through the graduate school admissions process and grad school itself with our What is Graduate School Really Like? series. Meet Florence, a wife, mom, and student on-track to fulfill her dream of becoming an optometrist. Florence, thank you for sharing your story with us! What inspired you to…