College Admissions Consulting | Fort Lauderdale, FL
I recently posted this question to social media and received the following submission:
“Is it really that hard to get into grad school? Should I be as worried as I am? I worried a lot for undergrad and it wasn’t even that big of a deal.”
Wouldn’t it be some kind of crazy to get all worked up – only to find out that you were making a big deal out of nothing? So, just how hard is it to get into grad school?
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Yes. You read that right. And no, it’s not like how you’re thinking.
Hip hop music has been feared and labeled as the source of at least a dozen and a half of society’s ills: wanton hypersexuality, materialism and the ugliness of American consumptionism, senseless street violence, steering kids off of the path of legitimate careers, and the list goes on and on.
I’m not here to defend hip hop. I can name dozens of lyrics that I personally do not agree with. On the other hand, I can recite lyrics that made me feel proud of who I am and where I’m from and to believe in the fruition of unrealized dreams.
I was a kid who came to age in the late 1990s. You know, before hip hop became more mainstream. Hip hop culture informed the backdrop of my adolescence and young adulthood. I grew up alongside a broad cross-section of super smart and successful people – who’d go on to Ivy Leagues or become MDs or industry leaders – who have very catchy, yet problematic rap lyrics of our youth solidly burned into our brains. At the same time, other contemporaries have ended up in not-so-savory life situations, and the music of our formative years is laid to blame. …
Academic resumes are similar to the traditional resume with one notable difference – rather than describing your work experience or on-the-job-accomplishments, you will give a rundown of your academic accomplishments and college-related qualifications. There are two major reasons why you want to have an academic resume handy if you’re interested in applying to grad school in the near future:…
If you’re a regular reader, you know that I’m a tiny bit of a Jay-Z fan. I’ve written before about how contrary to what you will hear in the media, there is positivity and motivation and inspiration to glean from hip hop music. Not only has the music been a soundtrack for my life, but hip hop helped me get into grad school, through it, and beyond.
I’m listening one of my favorite cuts from Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint” and I’m realizing how applicable these lyrics are to applying to grad school. It’s ironic, at best, because Jay-Z never attended college – much less graduate school, but applicable nonetheless….
Colleges and universities earn bragging rights for appearing at the top of America’s Best Colleges lists, but what do these rankings really mean? What kind of impact does it translate to for the student who did… or didn’t…. attend an elite or nationally acclaimed institution of higher education? Does it make an impact as far as who gets admitted to graduate school?
I get the anxiety. After all, the competition can be pretty stiff, and getting an acceptance letter can feel like… well, life or death.If your college or university isn’t sitting pretty on the top of the U.S. News and World Reports rankings, you can breathe a bit easier knowing that you have not dashed your chances of getting into grad school.
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In the first part of this series, I discussed how an accountability partner can dramatically improve your chances of getting your applications in order and being successfully admitted to your graduate program of choice. If you’re a college student, it is high-time to start mining your social connections for candidates – classes, clubs, organizations, even online forums.
But first things first…. How do you identify good candidates for accountability partners? Here are a few tips:…
Your best ally in applying to graduate school is someone who is right there in the trenches with you. That’s right – someone you can meet in the library to research which programs are best to apply to, download application packets, proofread your essay draft, and call or text every now and then to commiserate over how frustrating the entire grad school application process can be.
This person – your ally, your ace, your partner in crime – is what’s called an accountability partner. A strict definition of the term is a working relationship with someone who can help keep you on task. If you are BFF with a dirty word called procrastination, let’s just say that you need to find an accountability partner, like, yesterday.
Many hopes of getting into grad school have been dashed by waiting until the last minute to get your applications in order….
It’s not enough that you got an A out of the class. Are you memorable? Can the professor truly say something about your character and potential based off of a one-to-one interaction? If not, then think again about whether this person should write a letter of recommendation for you.
What you’re most likely to get is bland, boring, and not much to say besides, well, this student did well in my class. Is this recommendation doing any actual recommending for you? Probably not. Are admissions committees likely to be underwhelmed and unimpressed? You betcha!
If you’ve been out in the Real World for awhile, you should be careful to request letters of recommendation from professors who really know you. You’ll be competing in a pool of others with strong letters that speak to their character, ambition, and career goals….
