“Business schools only want to accept candidates who are perfect, so I am going to make sure I show myself in the best possible light. Crickey. One of the essay questions is to tell them about a failure. What do I do now?” While this is a conversation you might conceivably have with yourself, fear…
3 Tips for Handling a Low GMAT Verbal Score
Recently, I talked about overcoming the challenge of a low GMAT quant score. Today we’ll discuss how to handle a less-than-perfect verbal GMAT score (in the bottom of the 80% range or lower for your target programs). With such a strong emphasis on teamwork and communication in business school (and for the rest of your…
3 Tips for Handling a Low GMAT Quant Score
A low quant score on the GMAT (at the lower end of the school’s 80% range) is never good news, but it doesn’t equal immediate rejection. As I’ve mentioned in the past, no single score is scrutinized independently, but rather your entire profile is examined as a unified package. WWAS (What Would Adcom Say)? Interpret…
Low GMAT Score? Don’t Panic…Yet.
Look at your scores in the context of a bigger picture. A low GMAT score or a low GPA is not necessarily an MBA deal breaker. No adcom is going to admit or dismiss a candidate based solely on one semester’s poor GPA or a low verbal GMAT score without also reflecting on other numbers…
How to Improve Your Study Skills to Become a More Competitive Med School Applicant
As an aspiring doctor, you have a lot on your plate. Upgrading your study skills now can help you learn to be more efficient about how you study, save you time, help you improve your grades, and allow you to establish the skills that will see you through medical school. These strategies can make a…
What Eagles Quarterback Nick Foles Knows About MBA Applications
I often talk about the fact that MBA programs are essentially sifting through the applicant pool to find people whom post-MBA employers will want to hire. Employers love leaders who take risks, learn from and then brush off failures, and persevere with team spirit and camaraderie. Those people are the ones who time and again…
You Can Get Accepted Off the Waitlist! Here’s How
The application process is not over for waitlisted applicants. You’ve still got a chance of getting into your dream school, so now’s not the time to slack off, and it’s certainly not the time to give up. Continue fighting for that acceptance! Your waitlist updates (you write those) and letters of support (other people write…
Help! My LSAT is Low – Should I Still Apply to Law School?
The December LSAT scores are now in, and some of you may be reevaluating your law school choices or plans. What should you do if your LSAT is low? Below are 5 important things you should consider before making any decisions: 1. The LSAT matters. Law schools look to the LSAT and GPA to see…
How Does the Med School Adcom View Multiple MCAT Scores?
In 2007, the MCAT was first offered electronically. Prior to this technological shift, the MCAT was only offered a limited number of times a year – as a paper and pencil exam. There was also a restriction placed on the number of times you could take the exam in one year as well as in…
Help, I Was Rejected by All the Med Schools I Applied To!
Here’s my 2-minute answer to the question I hear every application season: “I was rejected by every single medical school I applied to. What can I change?” There’s a simple 2-step process that rejected med school applicants need to follow: 1. Assess what went wrong, 2. Fix it! What exactly was your application weakness? Did…
Writing About Resilience in the Face of Failure
Essay questions dealing with failure, risk, mistakes, and difficult interactions or conflict often cause applicants to cringe, squirm, and bite their nails. After all, you want to show yourself succeeding and conquering the world in your essays and personal statements, not falling down. But there’s a reason why these questions are common. Schools want to…
16 Grad School Application Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make [Episode 237]
![16 Grad School Application Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make [Episode 237]](https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Application_Mistakes_to_Avoid-1024x512.jpg)
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…
Applying to Med School With Low Stats? Read This.
Medical school admissions are competitive: it’s a fact of the process. If your GPA or MCAT is lower than average for your target schools, you may be facing an extra level of worry. Can you mitigate your low stats with a great essay? Or should you take a step back and focus on raising your…
How to Discuss Failure in a Medical School Interview
Inevitably, you will be asked to describe a time when you have failed. It’s a common medical school interview question. This blog post will help you prepare for this question. It’s a tough one. When selecting an example to discuss, consider the following strategies: 1. Choose a recent example. It’s almost always better to use…
Are You a Competitive B-School Applicant?
Every year, MBA applicants call us to ask whether their profile (GPA, GMAT, work experience) is competitive at the schools they’re targeting. It’s a question we take seriously and address individually, because there are so many factors that impact competitiveness. Deciding where to apply is crucial, especially if your stats are low: if you target…
Tips for Applicants With a Low MCAT Score (Part 2)
To learn more about your options without retaking the exam, check out Part 1 of this series. Your MCAT score is crucial to making it to the interview stage of the medical school application process. For those with low MCAT scores who want to attend a US allopathic medical school, the only real option is retaking…
6 Tips for Talking About Your Weaknesses
How do you react when you read/hear the weakness question? With this question, schools are assessing how well you self evaluate. Like a business problem, they want to hear your plan of action, your implementation, and your success rate. Here are some tips to help you a) think about and evaluate your weaknesses, and b)…
5 Things to Consider When Justifying Your LSAT Score or Grades
Most law schools provide optional space to explain your LSAT score and grades. While it can be tempting to explain away poor performance, consider these 5 things. 1. The facts speak for themselves. As they say in law school, bad facts make bad law. If your LSAT score is low, the best way to show…
Can You Get Accepted After Doing Something Stupid?
The point of this article is not to tell you that you shouldn’t engage in disorderly conduct, petty theft, or other minor (or major) infractions (though you really shouldn’t…); what we want to discuss here is how you should overcome the obstacle of a criminal record when approached with the application question: “Have you ever…
Flaws Make You Real
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 to examine the stone through his magnifier, and as he did…
