Recently, I received one of the best emails ever sent to me by a student. Pranava, an electrical engineer from India, used the Structure is Magic method in writing her graduate SOP for schools in Europe and Canada - and her success was astounding. Yet, it wasn’t the slew of her admissions and …
Graduate School Applications
Writing About Professors in Your SOP: Don’t Screw It Up
GradCafe, Reddit, Quora - they’re full of advice on writing about professors in your SOP. They give you hard and fast rules like: “Don’t mention professors you haven’t contacted as potential advisors.” (I disagree with this). Others tell you to target research groups instead of individuals. One …
Graduate Research Techniques and Skills: A List
Everyone wants to emphasize "research experience" in their grad applications. But what does “experience” mean? What does it prove? Why do graduate departments care? Often, research experience simply means you’re competent in certain laboratory skills and techniques. Some doctoral programs in fields …
Sell Yourself: What Grad Applicants Should Learn From Silicon Valley Startups
It’s not difficult to describe the problem that most grad applicants have: they don’t know how to sell themselves. Few even realize this is part of the application process at all. Yet, selling yourself is arguably the most important part of the application, whether you realize it or not. When you …
Why You Shouldn’t Listen to Grad Admissions Coordinators
Okay, I admit it - that’s a click-baity title. Obviously, admissions coordinators are invaluable resources, and you should reach out to them as early as possible when building your list of target schools. Yet, if this is true, why am I so willing to make such a bold, inflammatory …
How To Deal With Rejection
It’s that time of year when social media seems flooded with hyperbolic stories of application success. Anonymous profiles brag of admission to MIT, Stanford, and Harvard. Others claim 10 out of 10 acceptances. Reddit rejoices. The church bells ring. Doves are released to the sky. I, however, feel …
5 Lessons I Learned From Coaching 100+ International Students Into Top-10 Universities
Working as a private admissions counselor in Asia is endlessly fascinating. The sheer number of applicants, and the incredible value they place on education, means counselors like me get to see the application process in a way that most Westerners would find mind-boggling. Example? I recently met …
3 Tools to Make a Grad Applicant’s Life Better (and Make Your Writing Spectacular)
As a writing teacher, I’m always on the lookout for tools to help my students and I get rare results. These tools might enhance my students’ focus, help us write with more clarity, or pinpoint mistakes that we can’t see in our early drafts. Honestly, I’m a little bit Amish in my habits. That …
The ONE Thing You Should Do Right Now to Improve Your Grad School SOP
Every year, I coach hopeful graduate students through more than 1,000 drafts (yes, literally) of their application SOPs. As you can imagine, it’s daunting work, but also highly rewarding. One of the most fascinating aspects of my job is how these avalanches of SOPs give me insight into the thought …
Should my opening paragraph explain how personal problems and depression hindered my performance?
I have a bachelors degree in Mathematics, but with a weak GPA. I'm applying to a masters program, and my application requires a Statement of Purpose. I believe that my weak GPA is not an indicator of my skills and capabilities, and still believe that I would be successful in the masters program. …