The most common challenge that my clients face when writing a statement of research interests or statement of purpose (SOP) for a Master’s or PhD application is how to describe, in concrete terms, what their research interests and goals are. This is understandable—some people worry they’ll be held to their still-evolving ideas as if they…
Predoc & Premed Summer Undergraduate Research Programs
Often, top medical schools in the U.S. offer predoc and premed summer undergraduate research programs. We’ve compiled an all-you-need-to-know chart that includes school name, deadlines, and links to the specific predoc/premed programs for more information. Why do these undergraduate research programs exist? The purpose of these programs is to expose ambitious, talented college students to…
3 Things You Should Look for When Researching PhD Programs
Enrolling in a PhD program is a big commitment that requires you to invest a large amount of time, energy, and sometimes money. And, for many PhD applicants who are aware that the academic job market is highly competitive, exploring PhD programs can become an overwhelming and daunting task steeped in uncertainty. Choosing a program…
PhD Program Selection: Does School Ranking Matter?
Because tenure-track jobs are scarce, selecting the right PhD program is an extremely important decision that can have a dramatic impact on your future career. When it comes to making this important choice, many students often rely on school rankings to determine which PhD program is best for them, in hopes that banking on a…
How to Be a Competitive PhD Applicant and Apply to the Best Programs for You
4 Tips for Securing Effective Recommendation Letters for PhD Admissions at Top Programs
Letters of recommendation are one the most important components of your doctoral program application. In fact, they can often make or break your candidature; for example, an outstanding letter of recommendation can make up for a low GRE score, while a lukewarm letter that reads as a template can raise flags despite good grades and…
A Harvard PhD Student and Admissions Consultant Shares Her Story [Episode 328]
Interview with Rachel Slutsky, Accepted admissions consultant [Show summary] Want to know what makes for stupendous statements of purpose or impressive MBA essays? Our guest, and recent addition to Accepted’s team of consultants, is an expert at both. But, for some of you her main claim to fame may be her status as a Harvard…
The Myth of the Fully-Funded PhD: Using Scholarships to Mitigate the Financial Realities of Research Degrees
When you decide to go to graduate school of any kind, you are making a financial decision that will dramatically affect your earning capacity for the duration of the program and throughout your life. While the caliber of school, available mentorship opportunities, and research resources are important factors to consider when making a decision about…
STEM Graduate Applicants: Get the Scoop on the NSF and Hertz Fellowships
If you are thinking about putting together an application for a STEM Master’s or PhD program this Fall, you should not miss the opportunity to apply for large grants that will support your research and educational goals. Many of my students at the UCLA Scholarship Resource Center have worked with me throughout their undergraduate degrees,…
The Secret to MA/MS and PhD Admissions: Contacting Potential Advisors
As admissions consultants, we talk a lot about writing great statements of purpose, putting together an impressive curriculum vitae (CV), and approaching potential recommenders. However, we don’t always discuss what sort of contact applicants should try to make with potential advisors and professors at their desired schools. If you get one thing out of this…
Seeking Employment with Your New PhD
Congratulations! You’ve worked hard and are now the proud holder of a PhD. Now what? In today’s job market, PhDs are hired not only as professors, but also as: Researchers in STEM fields, plus many other academic and non-academic areas Directors of nonprofits or government agencies A wide array of positions within business and consulting…
Reapplying to PhD Programs
What if you did apply and were unsuccessful? How can you strengthen your candidacy for PhD reapplication? Step #1: Conduct an honest assessment of your candidacy. Did you apply to too few programs? To the wrong programs? (Applying only to Harvard is not a great strategy!) Consider broadening your list of schools. Were there weaknesses…
Everything Graduate Applicants Need to Know About the Curriculum Vitae (CV)
If you’re applying to an academic graduate program (MA, PhD), no doubt you’ll be asked to submit a CV or resume. While “resume” is the term most often used in common parlance, there is a huge difference between CVs and resumes, and there are important reasons for choosing the CV instead of the resume. Let’s…
Fully-Funded PhD Program at Harvard University: How I Got In
Harvard is one of those places that people often talk about with admiration but rarely as an aspiration. “Could I ever get into Harvard?” is usually a question asked with a great deal of doubt and trepidation. However, thousands have graduated from Harvard over its lengthy and illustrious history, and those people are real people….
Obtaining Graduate Assistantships
Assistantships are a way of funding your graduate education. They are more often awarded to PhD students than to master’s students (though a department may sometimes have funding available for exceptional master’s students). You may be awarded a Teaching Assistantship (meaning you help teach a class, teach a section of a larger class, teach a…
The Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Application Essay Tips
This post focuses on application strategies for pre-doctoral students and graduate student applicants to apply for three years of funding from the Ford Foundation through The National Academies of Sciences. What to Know About the Ford Foundation Fellowship Since 1936 The Ford Foundation, created by members of the Ford family, has turned what started as…
Awards! Grants! Scholarships! Oh My! [Episode 286]
Interview with Rebecca Lippman, Accepted Admissions Consultant [Show Summary] Accepted’s own Rebecca Lippman is a veritable fountain of knowledge when it comes to scholarships and grants, and in this podcast she shares tips on how to find scholarship opportunities and how to position yourself to win them. Everything You Need to Know About Grad School…
Acing Your PhD Interview
While not all PhD programs require interviews, some do (including many overseas). If you’re invited to a PhD interview, take full advantage of the opportunity you’ve been given by preparing effectively – review your research on the department, prepare to talk about your PhD research goals, etc. (P.S. A mock interview can be helpful!). PhD…
Deciding Who Should Write Your Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation are a key part of your application. Strong ones provide meaningful support, and a lukewarm one can really hurt you. In this post we’ll answer two questions: Who should write in support of your PhD application? And how can you make sure your letters are as good as they can be? How…
Minimizing Technical Jargon in Your SOP
Frequently, applicants in STEM fields are working on projects that are quite technical in nature. Field-specific jargon might show that you know the language of your field – which is important – but using too much of it can also make your SOP very hard to read. Aim for the middle road: you want to…
