Formulas are beautiful, aren’t they? Whether the elegance of a binary logarithm or the universe contained within the laws of thermodynamics, it’s wondrous to see how much we can explain through gracefully arranged information. Prose writing is no different. Even with the statement of purpose for PhD …
Writing Guides
Diversity Statement 101: An Essay Guide for Champions
The Diversity Statement, and its close cousins the Personal History and Personal Contributions essays, might be the hardest part of graduate applications. The prompts are so vague and open-ended. They often make applicants shudder. What am I supposed to write about? What if I’m not a …
Think Like a Hero – A Guide to Writing Application Essays that Make People Laugh, Cry, and Clamor to See You Win
Everyone wants to see a hero win. We want to see Frodo to destroy the One Ring. We want to see Anna punch Hans in the face and melt her kingdom of ice. We want to see Harry defeat Voldemort (before Harry even wants to himself), and when he turns off his targeting computer, we desperately hope …
Structure is Magic (A Guide to the Graduate SOP)
Structure is magic. It’s present in all of your favorite songs. It’s there, hidden, in all of your favorite movies. It’s the addictive thing that makes you binge watch Netflix shows for hours on end, and it’s the engine of virtually every novel that’s ever kept you up at night. Ignore the …