Check out all the blog posts in this series: Your career goals essay demands a laser-like focus. A personal statement, by contrast, allows for some flexibility in its content, though you can – and often should – discuss your career goals. But a career goals essay has a particular and packed agenda. In fact, the…
Statement of Purpose versus Personal Statement
Applicants to graduate school quickly become familiar with the request to provide a statement of purpose (SOP). The SOP for graduate schools, and especially for STEM programs, usually requests information on the applicant’s motivation and preparation for the graduate program. The SOP question can vary from school to school, but essentially, you’ll be asked to…
I Got Laid Off! Should I Apply to Graduate School?
If you lost your job because of layoffs in your field or any other reason, it could actually be a great opportunity to take stock of your career. In this post, we discuss three different unemployment scenarios and offer recommendations as to what you could do next. Three Scenarios for Unemployed Applicants 1. You loved…
The Importance of Researching Your MBA Goals and Being Authentic
Too many times, as an admissions officer, I read applications from candidates who shared career goals that didn’t quite make sense. Whether there was no connection between their target position and what they had been doing or no explanation of how they would successfully pivot to their desired role, I was left wondering how much…
How to Write a Goal Statement for Graduate School
Note: This article uses the terms “statement of goals,” “goal statement,” and “statement of purpose” interchangeably, to reflect the variable language used in graduate application prompts. Motivations matter Your statement of purpose is one of the best ways you can sell the admissions committee on you as a well-qualified, purposeful candidate. A strong goal statement…
How Does a New College Grad Find a First Job?
Searching for that first job after graduating college is hard work. In general, college grads tend to fall into two broad categories. One is the group that knows exactly what they are after, often heading toward a professional track such as engineering, accounting, law, medicine, or something else requiring a postgraduate degree or other training…
How to Pick an Undergraduate Major: 14 Important Considerations
Choosing your undergraduate major is a big decision. Before you settle on one, consider these suggestions to help you identify the right choice for your personality, skills, and aptitudes: Enroll in a variety of courses in different areas to see what really engages you–even courses in subject areas that you never considered as a possible…
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…
Considering Graduate School? First, Figure Out Your Ideal Career Path.
The coronavirus pandemic has created a tough job landscape, but it has also created an opportunity for career “rethinking” as well. Many people are considering pivots and turning towards skill development and learning opportunities like graduate school. But how do you decide what’s next? How do you think about what you want, and also, how…
Wake Up to Your Amazing Career Possibilities [Episode 354]
Woken awakes you to meaningful career opportunities [Show summary] Are you wondering what your career path should be? How to create it? Our guest today is an NYU Stern MBA and associate-certified coach who also serves as a consultant for the Career Design Lab at Columbia. In addition, she is the founder and CEO of Woken,…
Know Your Career Goals for Your Masters in Finance Application
Whether you’re applying to an early career Masters in Finance program (MFin or MSF) or one for experienced finance professionals, you’ll be writing a goals essay. It may be 100 words or 750, or anything in between – but I haven’t yet seen a Masters in Finance application that doesn’t ask for goals. Make your…
16 Grad School Application Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make [Episode 237]
The application cycle is in full swing in early December, when I’m recording this podcast. In reflecting on the many applications that my colleagues and I review here at Accepted and the problems we help our clients deal with, I thought it might be a good time to discuss things you shouldn’t do – mistakes…
Narrowing Down Your B-School Options – Part-1
This is the first post in our MBA Profile Series, in which we’ll explore the different criteria that factor into your decision of WHERE to apply to b-school. Where Should You Apply? You’ve decided that you are going to apply to b-school. Now you need to ask yourself the next critical question: WHERE? Where should…
Should You Apply to Grad School?
To apply or not apply. That is the question many of you are asking yourselves as admissions deadlines approach. Is it time to go for the MBA? The JD? MD? PhD? Here’s the answer: it depends. It depends on you, your circumstances, and your goals. You’re considering investing the next 1-8 years studying – this…
PayScale: How Much Can You Earn, and How to Earn It?
Trying to figure out if grad school will pay off? How much you’ll earn with your career of choice? Which graduate program will position you to for the best payoff? If so, tune in to our conversation with Lydia Frank of PayScale to find out how to get the stats and info that you need…
MBA Admissions Advice for Career Changers
MBA career switchers carry a burden that other applicants don’t: the need to demonstrate an understanding of and fit with a new industry or job function. For example, if you’re already an IT consultant and your post-MBA goals involve IT consulting, then you should have no trouble drafting an MBA goals essay that explains…
What Does It Mean to Write from the “Inside Out”?
After devoting many days and countless revisions to his 250-word Stanford GSB Reliance Fellowship essay, the blogger at MBAdreamz concludes: “The mantra for writing essays should be bringing one’s ‘INSIDE OUT.’ The more one knows and reveals (about himself) in the essays, the more comfortable and confident he would be with the essays.” Having worked…