graduate school essay tips

graduate school essay tips

Mastering the Art of Writing a Compelling Graduate School Essay

1. Introduction to Graduate School Essays

There are several objectives of this manual: The manual’s overarching purpose is to clarify a critically important but often underappreciated aspect of the admittance process. Admissions officers place a great deal of emphasis on the personal statement. This is an opportunity for students to showcase their writing abilities and to provide the admissions committee with a glimpse into significant experiences that are written not only in Spanish but in English as well. Such experiences might include substantial undertakings that reveal the student’s character and motivation, or an obstacle that has guided or challenged the student and shaped his/her priorities.

The art of writing a compelling graduate school essay is designed to help students obtain entry to the graduate school of their choosing. It is necessary for prospective graduate students to invest the time to learn and to follow the advice contained in this book. The graduate school student body is made up of highly motivated and accomplished students, and the graduate schools are looking for students who exhibit these same qualities.

2. Crafting a Strong Personal Statement

Your essay will receive a more careful read if you present yourself as someone with a clear, articulated passion for the field of study you are interested in, demonstrating a clear sense of purpose in your pursuit of post-baccalaureate study. It is fine to discuss a wide array of issues, but the point is to provide the admissions committee with a particularized vision of who you will become and how you will document and undertake the work you’ve promised to undertake and document. Since your graduate school application is an extension of yourself, you will show your skills of communicating and writing if you make sure that your essay is well crafted, well written, and easy to read. Spend time organizing and polishing your writing. The admissions committee will look for an essay that demonstrates a deep love of and commitment to your philanthropy. Your writing should be clear, concise, and free of writing errors. It should convey to the admissions committee how much you love your philanthropy and show that you know how to speak and write with a passion about your primary guideposts in the process which serves both the admissions committee’s need to implement the planned development of the donor’s philanthropic vision.

As you write your personal statement, remember that your task is to articulate a vision of your future. It’s not enough simply to show that you are passionate about a certain area of underserved need. You must also prove that you have a plan for how you want to expand that work when you leave graduate school. This is your chance to show the admissions committee what zones of knowledge and service are most important to you, and how you plan to operate within those zones. In other words, use your essay not only to express its passion about your philanthropic work, but also to articulate how you plan to further your philanthropic mission to more effectively tackle that pressing matter.

3. Highlighting Academic and Professional Achievements

Your hands-on experience may even supersede others’ more standard classroom preparation; sometimes, the ideal candidate for a position may not be the one weighted down with degrees but rather the person who has had real exposure to the variety of assignments and challenges of a particular profession. Like a deja vu, previous twists and turns in your pursuits can often signal success in your future endeavors. Background and future academic interests should be expressed with a clear objective. Those scientists who shone in high school research competitions or were computer-versed from an early age will no doubt be flagged. Educational experience only makes or breaks your application if you let it! Other applicants may also boast perfect 4.0 grade point averages, so if this is not your situation, focus on your strengths and how you can make a difference.

Your past experience and educational background are important. These are the moments that have influenced your life. This section is descriptive, rather than persuasive in nature. You can start by saying that your experience can be especially powerful when discussing professional roles and internships. Most admissions committees are skeptical when internships and other proficiencies and experience are described. They want to see specific examples of what you have done, and how it has been important. Details should support rather than overshadow the topic. Key features from each can also be highlighted in a summary or personal statement. However, when discussing internships or professional positions, the length of the grade real estate that you can use should be no more than two sentences. Focus on who you affect, what you do, and how you make a difference – these are the key nudges that an admissions committee will still look for after reading your application.

4. Demonstrating Fit with the Program and Institution

The bottom line objective of the asker when it comes to this section is to figure out who amongst you is the real deal. It’s to determine who has professional focus, the maturity to relate this focus to demonstrated experience and solid, realistic career goals, the commitment to enroll and complete some of the most rigorous programs in the world, and the professionalism and motivation to use their extra- and co-curricular experiences to foster personal and community growth at their chosen program. So, what traits and qualities might a candidate have that could illustrate these qualities?

Equally important to convincing the program that you have the strength and commitment to succeed is the part where you demonstrate that you belong with them. Winning words in this section include substantial experience and learning in their subject area, and having set well thought-out career goals that pertain to this area, but there are subtler data they’ll also look at. What have you done to test the rigor of such a demanding scholastic and professional path? Which professors in your chosen field and at the target program do you most hope to work with and why? What are your ultimate career goals, and how will this program help you meet them? What particular in-school activities and out-of-classroom experiences will allow you to draw from and contribute to our student body?

5. Polishing Your Essay: Editing and Proofreading Techniques

When writing an essay, it is often easy to overlook many of the little errors. However, admissions officers draw negative assumptions from grammar and spelling mistakes. Essays displaying these errors can suffer from reduced credibility from the officers. Not everyone has the same grammar skills. Some students may want to prepare for their written exam by taking a preparatory online course. While it is very important to have others review and edit your essay, it is very important to make sure a student’s essay is in their own words. The purpose of the essays is to show admissions officers what students think, what they will bring, and how they will succeed. It is not the words of the person hired to help achieve these goals admissions officers want to read.

I have already given students a number of suggestions and pointers on how to improve their graduate school admissions essays. I recommend students follow my suggestions and thoroughly edit and proofread essays. When editing your essay, it is often best to ensure you read it carefully, rather than try to review it quickly. Additionally, it is often best to read it in print, rather than on the computer. If possible, it is often valuable to get someone, such as a fellow student, parent, or friend, to read it and give their suggestions. If possible, it is also best to get a person who is familiar with the graduate admissions process to read it. It also may be important to write many drafts and do a number of revisions over a period of time. In terms of a time schedule, it may be best to write many months before the due date. This will give a student time to think about their essay and to set it aside for some time before reviewing again.