Summary: Whether you want to think about it or not, there is a lot of pressure associated with
graduate school admissions essays. Used to narrow down the pool of applicants, your graduate admission essay has to grab school officials' attention - the right way.
So, you have always wanted to get your MBA at a certain university. Or, you have always dreamed of a particular law school. Or, you have spent your entire life hoping to get into a certain medical school. But without the right
graduate admission essay, your dream may never become a reality.
Many students buckle under the pressure of graduate school admissions essays, because they are simply that important. After all, how overwhelming is it to try and come up with 500 or 1,000 words that describe who you are, what you've done, what you want, and what you're willing to do to get there?
Application essays are what many schools used to weed out applicants. After all, millions of people head to graduate school every year, so there has to be some way to narrow down the pool of applicants every year! It's not like the old days, when it was rare to even head off to get a Bachelor's degree, much less get an advanced degree. In today's world, many professions required an advanced degree. And, if you want to take advantage of the best opportunities after you graduate, you have to start by going to the right school.
So, what does a graduate admission essay have to say in order to be successful?
You don't necessarily need to use big, fancy words. Instead, the best
college admission essays give school officials an honest idea of who you are. Sure, your resume has a glowing list of achievements and references. But so does everyone else's.
The best application essays tell an admissions board about who you really are, and what kind of assets you would bring to their school. What has happened in your life to make you unique? Have you overcome some kind of adversity? Who are you beyond the GPA and after-school activities? What do you want to accomplish in life? Those are the types of questions that graduate school admissions essays need to answer. And, you don't need four-syllable words to do it!
All you really need to do is present yourself in the best light possible - in 1,000 words or less.
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