Admissions season is going strong and the application questions are pouring in. Listen in as Linda Abraham answers some of the most common questions of the season and shares her formula for giving your application the ultimate last check before you hit submit. 1:31 – MBA applicant dilemma: Round 1 advantage vs. improving credentials and…
Personal Statement Tips
The Biggest Application Essay Mistake [Video]
What is the very worst thing you could possibly do in your application essays? Watch Linda’s answer and add your own comments below: Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
Get a GRIP on Team Questions
I took away a lot of wonderful concepts, frameworks and strategies from my MBA education that led to a successful admission career. In fact, one of the most powerful lessons I learned at Michigan (now Ross) was how to lead and work effectively on teams. Professor Noel Tichy, one of the gurus of Organizational Behavior…
Two Ways to Reveal Leadership in Your Applications
Leadership is one of the of the most valued attributes in admissions. In this short video, Linda Abraham discusses two main ways you can show the adcom that you are a leader. For more tips on revealing leadership in your applications, check out: • Leadership in Admissions, a free special report. • 4 Ways to…
How to Edit Your Application Essays
In an exclusive interview with… well, herself, Linda Abraham shares some advice that she’s learned over the course of almost two decades of application essay editing. Listen to the full recording of this excellent episode to learn concrete steps you can take right now to ensure that your essays are working for –and not against…
5 Keys to Concreteness
I like to apply the principles established in Chip Heath and Dan Heath’s Made to Stick to personal statements and application essays. In this post I focus on concreteness. The third of Made to Stick‘s six key principles, concreteness, doesn’t seem to apply to intangibles like leadership, achievement, teamwork, or character – the topics you…
4 Do’s and Don’ts for Presenting Yourself in Your MBA Essays
Here are some helpful DO’s and DON’Ts that will help you create a distinctive MBA application essay: DON’T write an essay that simply discusses what you think the adcom wants to hear. INSTEAD… DO write about a topic that truly interests you, something that you’d genuinely like to share. *** DON’T pressure yourself to write…
4 Application Strategy Tips: Stand Out AND Fit In
It can be confusing: Half of the advice you read urges you to stand out in your application, while the other half advises you to explain how you’ll fit in. So which is it? Should you stand out or fit in? The answer, unsurprisingly, is BOTH. You need to show your distinction and demonstrate fit…
Personal Statement Tip: Story Time
The moment I found the lump, I suspected my life was about to change—in a big way. Good enough for an opening line? Want to read more? I hope it’s yes on both counts. Because I’m going to tell you a story. A short one. A true one. Not so much for the sake of…
Weakness, What Weakness?
I saw it. The question was looming in an essay and hiding behind a corner in the brain and/or instruction sheet of my interviewer. “So Natalie, tell me about your weaknesses and what you did to overcome them”? Gosh, there are so many, I don’t even know where to begin. Ding! What do you do…
UGH! THOSE @!#$* WORD LIMITS!!!
Now, now. Don’t get angry. Deal. Use writing techniques that convey your message and stay within the word limits. First and foremost, focus. Additionally, poor writing habits can make your writing wordy and flabby; good writing techniques make it powerful and concise. To give your writing a healthy diet and exercise routine incorporate these techniques:…
“I’m Smart, Really I Am!” How to Prove Character Traits in Essays
When you write an application essay or statement of purpose, you’re trying to accomplish several goals at once: You are trying to prove your worthiness to be accepted to your target school, while also trying to impress upon the adcom that you have desirable character traits that your program values. But how do you prove…
Residency Application Tip: Settling, and How To Avoid It
Have you ever “settled” in a relationship? You know what I mean – you’re with someone who’s not perfect, but they’re good enough. You might not feel much passion, but you’re comfortable, moderately happy, and that’s… well, that’s good enough. The thing is, the person on the other end of this deal (and that might…
What is an Accomplishment?
Accomplishments constitute the bread and butter of personal statements and application essays. Nothing too exciting in that statement. However, a fascinating brainstorming session on Accepted’s Editor Mailing List reveals that applicants don’t always know what an accomplishment is. What goes into this application staple? The bread: Impact. Your accomplishment must show you as a contributor who…
3 Tips for Showing Strengths in Your Application Essays
One of most important pieces of advice I can give you regarding your personal statements and application essays is this: Show, don’t tell. Here are three tips to help you achieve this must-have writing goal: Show the steps you’ve taken. If you are writing about a goal you achieved or a project you completed, providing…
I’m About to Make Your Day…
…by giving my essay a catchy opening line that doesn’t turn you away or bore you to tears. See, I could have started this tip post with “Today I am going to tell you how to create a compelling essay opening,” but you probably would have skipped over something as drab as that. How about…
5 Personal Statement Tips for Residency Applicants
1. Focus on what attracts you to this particular specialty. This isn’t the place to tell your full life story, or to rehash the story of why you decided to become a doctor. Instead, explain how you became interested in your specialty, and show you have the skills and personal qualities to succeed in the…
4 Statement of Purpose Must-Haves: What You Need to Start
You’re ready to sit down and write your Statement of Purpose. Maybe you have a full cup of coffee, some time to write… What do you need to get started? A clearly thought out goal. This is the most important thing. Your statement of purpose, whether for a Master’s or PhD, is a forward-looking statement—you…
Write Great College Application Essays and Stay Sane: Part 2
Thanks for joining us as we continue with Staying Sane through the College Essay Writing Process, an ongoing series that offers college applicants and their parents advice on how to stay on track for completing Ivy-worthy essays…without flying off the handle. Enjoy this next part of the series, and STAY SANE! Why students think the…
Write Great College Application Essays and Stay Sane: Part I
The college admissions process isn’t easy…for anyone. Parents look at their kids and think, “You think this is hard on you? Just imagine what we’re going through, thinking about application deadlines, our hopes and dreams for you, and paying for college,” while kids glare at their parents thinking, “I don’t know why you’re so stressed…
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