Grad_application_essay_guides.pdf

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GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL APPLICATION ESSAY GUIDE

By Suzanne Zilber, Ph.D. Former Coordinator of the Career Exploration Program, StudentCounseling Service, Iowa State University. Other helpful information is available on the StudentCounseling Service Web Site http://www.iastate.edu/~stdtcouns/

Introduction

Applications to graduate and professional school often require a personal or autobiographicalstatement. Although your grades and test scores are probably more important criteria foracceptance, your personal statement can influence whether you are considered a valuablecandidate for the program.

A strong admissions essay can accomplish many goals. First, you can sell yourself byhighlighting your unique qualifications for the academic program. Second, the essay may be usedto supplement or expand on information included in the standard application forms for theprogram. For example, you may have one line to list "Philanthropy chair of sorority", and you maywant to describe what that entailed further in the essay. Thirdly, you may want to use the essay toexplain special circumstances in your academic history (e.g., an unusually poor performance one

quarter) if you believe those experiences may negatively affect your chances for admission.Furthermore, if you gain admission, your essay may be used to assign a faculty advisor withsimilar interests.

Writing an admissions essay can be anxiety provoking, especially for those lacking confidence intheir writing skills. This booklet will provide you with guidelines for successfully approaching thechallenge to produce a high quality, top notch essay.

The Purpose of an Admissions Essay

In evaluating your application, admissions faculty are primarily trying to determine three things:1) Can you handle the work?2) Will you have sufficient motivation to do the work and complete the degree?3) Will you fit into the program?

The two steps towards achieving these three objectives in your admissions essay are knowingyourself and knowing the program.

KNOW YOURSELF: This step includes being able to identify your interests, abilities, values, andpersonality characteristics. An excellent way to indicate your motivation or interest in the topic ofstudy is to give a review of your career development (e.g., how you discovered your interest inthe topic, and what choices you made which led up to your current decision to apply to graduateor professional school). Overall, knowing yourself will enable you to articulate yourself effectivelyto admissions faculty.

KNOW THE PROGRAM: This step involves researching the program. The efforts taken to learnabout the program before writing will be beneficial to you in a number of ways. First, you willpersonalize your essay more effectively if you have a lot of information about the program.Making specific references to the program will demonstrate commitment to the admissionscommittee. Second, the more you know about the program, the more confident you can be thatthe program fits your goals -- and that confidence will show in your writing.

Writing Your Essay
http://www.iastate.edu/~stdtcouns/http://www.iastate.edu/~stdtcouns/


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A. Getting StartedOne of the hardest parts of writing admissions essays is just getting started. However, if youknow yourself and you know the program, you will have a good knowledge base with which tostart composing a winning essay. Anxiety about writing skills or the application process cancontribute to procrastination. Avoid procrastination by writing a number of rough drafts rather thantrying to write a perfect copy the first time. Even if you go through ten drafts before you aresatisfied with your work, the more you write, the more likely you will produce an admissions-gaining essay.

B. ContentThere are seven basic content areas which you might address in your admissions essay:1) The history of your career interests2) Coursework related to the program3) Experiences or research related to the program4) Research or specialization interests5) Future career goals6) Answers to any specific questions the application asks.7) Why that particular school or program fits you

Which area, or combination of areas, you decide to address will be based on the guidelines forthe essay given by in the application, and the type of information you are trying to convey. It willbe to your advantage to appear focused in your interests. Try to indicate what you would like todo your research on or how you would focus your studies. Sometimes students are nervousabout stating long term career goals. Remember, no one is going to hold you to what you wrote inthat essay when you make career decisions 2 to 6 years later, so take a stab at an idea for yourfuture. In addition, essays should be one to two pages long unless otherwise specified in theapplication.

C. Writing Style

Style is the other important element of your essay besides content. The readers of your essay arenot only looking to see what you communicate (content), but also how you communicate. You

want to compose a well-thought out essay which uses strong, persuasive language, and givesclear, concrete examples.

1. Editing

Essays should be one to two pages long unless otherwise specified in the application, whichmeans that you will have to write concisely and powerfully to include important content. Thefollowing are some editing tips.1) Circle all prepositions (to, of, in, with, etc...)2) Underline all passive verbs (forms of "to have" or "to be")3) Remove any unessential prepositional phrases.4) Rewrite with active verbs. Remember it is OKAY to use "I" in these essays. Try to think ofactive verbs that will communicate the skills valuable to the program.

5) Make sure you have enough commas to facilitate the reading process.

You may wish to consult Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, for more assistance. Here'san example of how to edit a section.

Before:"It is my goal to continue past the master's degree and earn a doctorate so that I will be qualifiedto teach literature at a college or university."


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After:"I plan to pursue a doctorate so that I may teach literature at a college or university."

2. Descriptions

Another style issue is how to describe your experiences. The essay should generally not be

another listing of how you have kept yourself busy the past four or more years. However, if theapplication blank for the particular program does not ask for a lot of information, you may need toinclude more biographical data in the essay.

A well described, concrete incident can be a powerful component of an essay. For example, astudent recalled that her admissions officer from college remembered her admissions essay threeyears later, because she vividly described conversations she had with people in Sweden. Withinor after your description, you can then state what the incident illustrates about your skills orqualities.

EXAMPLES: Experience Descriptions

1) "At one time, the office in which I work included four former English majors on a professional

staff of six. While proofreading pages of the periodical I edit, the four of us would pauseoccasionally to argue vigorously over an ambiguous line or a questionable comma, and Ithoroughly enjoyed even the pettiest and most ridiculous of these debates."

2) "As a crisis intervention hotline volunteer, I gained confidence in my ability to quickly establishrapport, stay calm, be confrontive, and make ethical judgments. One night, when I was on a shiftalone, I received a call from a man who had beaten and tied his wife to a bed and he feared hewould kill her. I was surprised at my ability to establish rapport and feel empathy for the "ultimatevillain" in my worldview. I successfully got him to do some cognitive restructuring, while I grappledwith the ethical dilemma of breaching his confidentiality to trace the hour long call."

Polishing

Finally, your essay should be typed and flawless. Proofread, proofread, proofread. An effectiveway to proofread for misspellings is to review the essay backwards word by word. Then you canproofread backwards sentence by sentence. Do not rely solely on word processor "spellcheckers" -- they cannot catch when a "form" should have been a "from". It is also helpful to havefriends, professors, or parents give you feedback on your essay to ensure that you are makingsense. Keep in mind, however, that this is YOUR essay. You will be evaluated on your writingability, so your essay should reflect your work.

Essay Samples

Most of the following samples are from essays that admissions faculty at Ohio State Universityfelt were excellent. The students have volunteered to share their writing with the understanding

that others will not plagiarize or copy their work.

A word on PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism occurs when someone labels another person's work as theirown. It is a form of academic misconduct and is unethical. A personal statement is just that,personal. Your essay will not be effective unless it honestly reflects you, so please use thefollowing samples as guides only.

An example of a career development introduction, Anne Halverson, German department:


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"My interest in German has been developing since I spent my junior year of high school in WestGermany and became fluent in the language. When I entered the University of Washington, Ienjoyed subjects dealing with the history of the German language and even completed graduatelevel courses in German dialects and Gothic. My interest in literature, however, grew slowly. As afreshman, I had run into an overtly Freudian professor who insisted that breakfast eggsrepresented pregnant women. I thought I would never be able to comprehend suchinterpretations. My fear of literature changed during my senior year when I finally had the chanceto study Johann von Goethe, the Romanticists, and the German Minnesang. In these courses, Iwas able to pursue my major interest--the portrayal of women in German literature."

An example of an effective use of the "listing" approach is in the introduction of DeborahFriedman, Case Western School of Medicine:

"I perceive my future role as one of service to the community. I have always valued communityinvolvement, a value learned by example from my parents. Since high school I have been activein various levels of the community, developing diverse interests and skills. For example, atPrinceton University, my involvement included work in and beyond the bounds of the academiccommunity. I devoted much time and energy to musical groups and performances as a flutist oncampus. In addition, I enhanced my leadership and organizational skills as an officer in several

large extra curricular activities, and exercised communication skills by serving as a PeerCounselor. Finally, I devoted time each year to volunteering in the community: in the localhospital, the Girl Scouts of America, the Association for the Advancement of the MentallyHandicapped, and a New Jersey State policy research organization."

An example of a research experience description, Nancy Gill, Psychology Department:

"I have experience in both designing and executing experiments involving human and animalsubjects. I assisted in running rats in a study examining infantile amnesia. This involved trainingyoung animals to associate a shock with a tone through classical conditioning and then retestingthem when they were older. I assisted in a study examining a rat's preference for familiar orunfamiliar rats,. The study looked at the effect of genetic familiarity and experiential familiarity.This study assessed the factors associated with the development of social attachment at various

ages. I have also worked with children and college students and their perceptions of weight. Thisinvolved using tactile and abstract manipulations of objects and its effect on their perceivedweight."

An example of a "creative" essay, Jennifer Smith, English Department:

"I was born in Wapkoneta, Ohio, in 1949, and it was there, almost immediately after birth, that Ideveloped allergies to anything that could be ingested or inhaled. These allergies kept me fromgoing outside in the summer which led directly to my present expertise in Golden Age mysteryfiction. The highlight of my public school education came from my senior year when I wasawarded a complete four-year scholarship from the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation in honorof allergies above and beyond the call of adolescence. Having achieved a solid B average, I leftWapakoneta High School for Bowling Green where I majored in journalism, English, history,

political science, and geology in rapid succession. I finally graduated in 1973 with a B.S. in arteducation. I would like to say that my eclectic undergraduate studies at Bowling Green gave mean encyclopedic grasp of the humanities, but the only thing I seem to have retained is the abilityto cross large, open spaces in a head wind."

An example of the "power essay", Jeff Shapiro, School of Law:"I reason clearly, debate well, and write coherent papers. Yet, the intense challenge of law schoolwill sharpen those skills."


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Conclusion Examples

1) Jeff Shapiro, School of Law:"Finally given the opportunity , I will bring qualities of creativity, persistence, and a developedability to work with my peers. Hopefully, I will be afforded the opportunity to go into a field, suchas my father's, where I too will be able to make a difference."

2) Nancy Gill, Psychology Department:"I am looking forward to continuing my education and pursuing my academic and professionalgoals in your graduate program. My self-initiative and motivation will enable me to workindependently. My knowledge of the research processes, gained through these experiences, hasgiven me the critical skills necessary to execute research in an effective and efficient manner.With my goals and qualifications, I am confident that I can be very successful in you program ifgiven the opportunity."

Example of Lapse in Academic Performance

1) Jeff Shapiro, School of Law:"Off to college I went, with no career in mind. Having no focus, I performed poorly and soon

realized I needed to take time off. During that time my thoughts began to change towards law. Iwas called to witness in a probate hearing and enjoyed it."

For additional essay examples and other tips, you may want to consult Graduate AdmissionsEssays-What Works, What Doesn't and Why, by Donald Asher. His book goes beyond just writingthe essay and gives excellent tips on the application process in general. (Ten Speed Press, 1-800-841-BOOK, 1991) Or you may consult How to Write a Winning Personal Statement forGraduate and Professional School by Richard J. Stelzer which has a special emphasis onadmission to law, business and medical schools.

These books and other books about graduate and professional school programs are available inthe Career Exploration Library, in the Student Counseling Service, SSB Building. There are peereducators available to help you find the information you need and the library is open most

business hours including the noon hour.

You may now feel clearer and more confident about how to write a personal statement.Remember, persistence is everything in both applying to and completing graduate school. Goodluck with your application process!

Note:Material in this guide is all original work done in the spring of 1989 for Career Planning Servicesat The Ohio State University under the supervision of Mark Ballard, M.A. It was revised inOctober 1991 for the Iowa State University Student Counseling Service Career ExplorationProgram. Copyright 1996 Suzanne Zilber, Ph.D. Iowa State University

Additional Resources for Writing Graduate and Professional School Application Essays Compiledby Miche Rigoni-Roth, Career Services Center, University of Wyoming

Ten Minute Guide to Applying to Grad School by Ellen Lichenstein and Sharon McDonnell, ArcoAlpha Books

Peterson's Graduate and Professional Programs Overview book has a section on personalstatements.

Write for Success: Preparing a Successful Professional School Application by Evelyn W. Jacksonand Harold R. Bardo, national Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, Inc., 1989

Perfect Personal Statements by Mark Alan Stewart


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Graduate School and You, available from the Council of Graduate Schools.

Documents

Grad_application_essay_guides.pdf