The overall application package will represent who “you” are to people whom you will most likely not know personally. The written expression of your qualities as an applicant will often be a very important way for committee members to get to know why you are an acceptable candidate for their program. Thus, it is essential to take great care in preparing this part of your application. Because graduate schools make important selection decisions that are partly based on what you say in this essay, the writing of it can be an intimidating prospect.
To begin your essay, brainstorm using the following questions:
* What might help the evaluating committee better understand you? What sets you apart from other applicants? Who will be applying for the same program?
* Why are you interested in this field? What things have stimulated and reinforced your interest?
* How did you learn about this field (classes, seminars, work experience)?
* What are your career aspirations?
* Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that need to be explained?
* What skills or personal characteristics do you possess that would enhance your chances for success in this field?
* Why should an admissions committee be interested in you?
Write the first draft from this, then try to find an angle or a hook which can sink into the admissions committee; a good place to start is with an original and provoking opening paragraph. Read the rest of this entry »
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Personal Essay
Oct 29
Step 1: Research
Oct 29
Assuming you’ve been given a topic, or have narrowed it sufficiently down, your first task is to research this topic. You will not be able to write intelligently about a topic you know nothing about. To discover worthwhile insights, you’ll have to do some patient reading.
Read light sources, then thorough
When you conduct research, move from light to thorough resources to make sure you’re moving in the right direction. Begin by doing searches on the Internet about your topic to familiarize yourself with the basic issues; then move to more thorough research on the Academic Databases; finally, probe the depths of the issue by burying yourself in the library. Make sure that despite beginning on the Internet, you don’t simply end there. A research paper using only Internet sources is a weak paper, and puts you at a disadvantage for not utilizing better information from more academic sources.
Write down quotations
As you read about your topic, keep a piece of paper and pen handy to write down interesting quotations you find. Make sure you write down the source and transcribe quotations accurately. Read the rest of this entry »
How to write a good resume
Oct 29
Having an effective resume is the first step toward getting a job. Although, most young job seekers may not think that they have enough job experience to put in a resume one can be written that will highlight experience in such a way as to tempt the most discriminating employer. Conversely, experienced job seekers often try to put too much into their resume. Knowing how to write a good resume requires knowledge of the client, their experience, and the industry they wish to enter that will give them the best chance of landing a preferred position. This article will give examples of different types of resumes from how to present personal information to what extras should be included. The best way to write your resume will be explained below.
Personal Information
First, how do you arrange personal information so that it gives a good opening, but doesn’t detract from the rest of the resume? The potential employer wants to know your name so make sure that it is at the very top (usually center aligned), in a very large clear font and bolded. Like this:
John Doe
When the hiring party is flipping through the resumes that they have received, you want them to see yours to the exclusion of all the others.
The remainder of you personal information should be muted. Read the rest of this entry »
Introduction
“If one thing could be perfect, it should be the essay.” - Admissions Officer
Writing is not a one-time act. Writing is a process. Memorable writing comes more from rewriting than it does from the first draft. By rewriting you will improve your essay — guaranteed. If you skimp on the rewriting process, you significantly reduce the chances that your essay will be as good as it could be.
Once you have taken a break from your essay, come back and read it through one time with a fresh perspective. Analyze it as objectively as possible based on the following three components: substance, structure, and interest. Do not worry yet about surface errors and spelling mistakes; focus instead on the larger issues. Consider reordering your supporting details, delete irrelevant sections, and make clear the broader implications of your experiences. Read the rest of this entry »
Applicants often ignore transitions to their own detriment. A good essay must use transitions within paragraphs and especially between paragraphs to preserve the logical flow of the essay. An essay without good transitions is like a series of isolated islands; the reader will struggle to get from one point to the next. Use transitions as bridges between your ideas. As you move from one paragraph to the next, you should not have to explain your story in addition to telling it. If the transitions between paragraphs require explanation, your essay is either too large in scope or the flow is not logical. A good transition statement will straddle the line between the two paragraphs.
You should not have to think too much about how to construct transition sentences. If the concepts in your outline follow and build on one another naturally, transitions will write themselves. To make sure that you are not forcing your transitions, try to refrain from using words such as, “however,” “nevertheless,” and “furthermore.” If you are having trouble transitioning between paragraphs or are trying to force a transition onto a paragraph that has already been written, then this may indicate a problem with your overall structure. If you suspect this to be the case, go back to your original outline and make sure that you have assigned only one point to each paragraph, and that each point naturally follows the preceding one and leads to a logical conclusion. The transition into the final paragraph is especially critical. If it is not clear how you arrived at this final idea, you have either shoe-horned a conclusion into the outline, or your outline lacks focus. Read the rest of this entry »