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…
college application essays
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Will Your Common Application Essays Stand Out?
The Common Application has made it easier to apply to college – but one impact has been ever-falling admission rates…
How to Add Detail to Your Social Enterprise/Community Service Goals
Whether you’re applying for an MBA, a PhD in Public Policy (or many other doctoral fields), or a Masters in…
Your 5-Item Checklist for Submitting Your Applications
Whether you’re applying to b-school, law school, med school, grad school, or college, this checklist will be the same. Don’t…
Application Essay Tip: The Devil is in the Details
You can argue about the devil, but certainly the substance, distinctiveness, and success of your essays depends on the details.…
Personal Statement Tip: Less is More
Most of us have heard the saying “less is more,” but how many of us put it into practice when…
Write Superior Common Application Supplemental Essays
The best way to impress the college admissions board is to write impressive supplemental essays. What should your supplementals accomplish?…
Ten Do’s and Don’ts for Your Application Essay
The Application Essay Do's: Unite your essay and give it direction with a theme or thesis. The thesis is the…
What Should I Write About? Making a Difference
In my non-admissions life, I once went to a lecture given by a biographer whose work I admire. In the…
How to Demonstrate Leadership When You Don’t Have Leadership Experience [Short Video]
Most admissions committees are looking for applicants who can demonstrate leadership. If you don't have any formal leadership positions to…
Stand Out! A Critical Goal for Your Application [Episode 181]
I covered the importance of showing fit in Episode 162 "Focus on Fit," the second most popular show of 2016…
Encore: Your Past Doesn’t Define You [Episode 228]
This week we are airing an encore of one of the most populars shows of 2017. Many applicants focus on…
Writing the Diversity Personal Statement
One of the many challenges of applying to college or graduate school is showing the admissions committee how you’ll fit…
Stand Out or Fit In? 4 Application Strategies to Help You Do Both
It can be confusing: Half of the advice you read urges you to stand out in your application, while the…