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 so,…
Revise and Polish Your Application Essays
Check out all the blog posts in this series: You’ve completed your first essay draft – this is a great milestone! But outstanding essays are the result of multiple drafts, so now it’s time to revise and edit. Here’s how to get the job done: “Although I have been responsible for a lot of exciting…
Writing a Compelling Accomplishment Essay
Maybe you’re familiar with the concept of macros, which are the nutrients your body needs to function. Achieving the proper balance of macros in your diet leads to optimal health. When it comes to writing your MBA personal statements and application essays, it might be helpful to think of your accomplishments as the macros that can…
Writing An Effective MBA Career Goals Essay
For most people, career enhancement is the primary motivation for pursuing an MBA. If this is true for you, writing your career goals essay demands laser-like focus. The essay must demonstrate a clear understanding of how you plan to leverage the MBA to achieve your professional aspirations. Presenting a well-thought-out and realistic plan for your…
Finding a Theme for Your Statement of Purpose
Check out the other posts in this series: All original essays have a unique and distinctive theme, and it can take time and careful thought to identify what yours should be. If you go back to the essays we examined in the previous post in this series, you will see that the public health program applicant opened…
Inside Geisinger Med School Admissions with Dr. Michelle Schmude [Episode 600]
Show Summary Welcome to the 600th episode of Admissions Straight Talk! In this milestone episode, host Linda Abraham sits down with Dr. Michelle Schmude, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Professor of Medical Education at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, to explore the innovative and comprehensive Total Health Curriculum. Dr. Schmude shares how this evidence-based…
Three Ways Writing About Obstacles Strengthens Your Application Essays
When crafting application essays – whether for graduate school, business school, or any other competitive program – applicants often focus on highlighting their accomplishments. And it’s easy to understand why. Most candidates are eager to share their significant achievements, such as leading a groundbreaking project, making a meaningful impact through research, or spearheading a successful…
The Importance of Extracurricular Activities for Medical School Applications
You’ve probably read about the multifaceted requirements of medical school admission. If so, this post is an attempt to, first, demystify them a bit and, second, untangle one of the least understood ones. The price of admission begins with an excellent GPA and MCAT score. Most applicants have both. The definition of “excellent” varies from…
How to Project Confidence, Professionalism, and Positivity in Your Essays
So you’ve sat down and brainstormed, and you’re now ready to hit the ground running with your essays. Great! You might be wondering how to best convey your reasons for pursuing graduate school to the admissions committees. What kind of tone or approach should you use? A good rule of thumb is to project three…
First Drafts of Residency Personal Statements: Let Yourself Go
For many residency applicants, writing the first draft of their personal statement is the most difficult part of the entire application process. And the most difficult part of composing that first draft is often getting the first few words on the page. Don’t fret – even accomplished novelists and famous journalists struggle to get started…
How Personal Is Too Personal In Your Application Essays?
The personal statement is your chance to stand out and make an impression on the admissions committees. How can you make your essay original? How much should you tell? And at what point are you crossing the line into TMI? When I applied to college, I wrote a personal statement describing some challenging family circumstances…
The Diversity Essay: How to Write an Excellent Diversity Essay
What is a diversity essay in a school application? And why does it matter when applying to leading programs and universities? Most importantly, how should you go about writing such an essay? Diversity is of supreme value in higher education, and schools want to know how every student will contribute to the diversity on their…
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