Gaining Admission into Highly Selective Grad Programs: Why Are Some 4.0 Students Rejected, While Some 2.8 Students Admitted and Funded??

Transcription

1 Gaining Admission into Highly Selective Grad Programs: Why Are Some 4.0 Students Rejected, While Some 2.8 Students Admitted and Funded?? Donald Asher Asher Associates San Francisco (415)

2 Target! Subject! Degree! Master s vs. PhD! Myths & realities about the PhD! Law?????

3 Building a List! Faculty! Specialty Guides! Rankings! The Scholar s Way

4 Evaluating Programs! Faculty bios! Reputation and rankings! Fit and match! Location! Why you should look nationwide! That old rule: 1/3 safe, 1/3 reach, 1/3

5 What They Want Students Who Are! Unusual! Thoughtful! Mature! Well prepared! Going to succeed anyway (i.e., whether you get into this particular program or not)

6 How Decision Is Made! Grades! Scores! Essay! Recommendations! Interview! Work Sample

7 Special Cases! Faculty champion! Provisional admit! Special admit! Recruited category (underrepresented minority or gender, first-generation or low-income, all of the above ) Stop self-selecting out! Look for the graduate program where you belong and go for it!

8 The Calendar! Junior Year! Summer! Senior Year! After You Apply

9 4 Ways to Stand Out 1. Correspond 2. Visit 3. Faculty intervention 4. Submit outstanding work sample

10 Visits! Did you read my last book or article?! Who do you read follow and admire?! How did you get along with undergraduate faculty?! Where else are you thinking about applying?! Are we your first choice school?

11 ! Stumbled, then soared! High GPA in a department or division! Worked too much! Inadequately prepared for college! Lacked sophistication about college processes! WDL vs. 0! Unwise class choices (skipped pre-reqs)! Unwise overloads! Wrong major! Lone wolf syndrome! Adversity overcome Valid Reasons Grades May Not Reveal Your Academic Potential

12 Right Way to Deal with Adversity! Show drive and triumph over challenges, not victimhood! Unemotional, matter of fact! Brief, a sentence, or a paragraph at most! Then, get back to showing how you have prepared yourself to succeed in the graduate program, and afterwards! Famous disasters

13 Don t Fail to Answer Question 21-B! Your application is all they have to go on! They WANT you to tell them what s important about you! The Vietnamese restaurant problem! The 40-hour work week problem

14 Why 4.0 Students Are Rejected! Arrogant! Fail to answer Why here? Yield, funds control, April 15, and how to think like a dean

15 Essay Tips! Use graduate-level language; this is an academic document!! About the future, not the past! Consider featuring a particular experience! Write with confidence, with an upbeat tone! Predict your own success! Link graduate study to career ideas; the big three:! Original research in the field! Instructor of next generation of students! Consult, contribute to private industry, government, policy

16 Sample Writing Exercises! Complete list of undergraduate work, re-drafted into working titles! List of adversity overcome (careful!)! Trace the history of your interest! En-COURAGE-ing words! Comprehensive analysis of GPA (see your advisor with your transcripts!)! Many more exercises available (see book)

17 Names that Belong in Essay! Faculty at the targeted institution! Your mentors and advisors! Major theorists in your field

18 Most Prestigious Undergraduate Experiences! Extended independent research project resulting in a written work! Independent study with A! Publications, presentations at academic meetings! Research assistant to professor! Tutor, teaching assistant, test proctor! Residence hall advisor! Admissions tour guide

19 Valid Reasons GRE May Not Reveal Your Academic Potential! Narrow expertise! Too smart for your own good! Plan laboratory or field research! Work harder than other people! True test anxiety! Did not grow up speaking English! First generation college student

20 Best Strategies for Testing! Go in expecting a certain score! 10 hours to 30 hours prep! Make your first attempt your best attempt The two exceptions: Most law schools and all medical schools

21 True Test Anxiety! Anxiety is a clinical mental disorder Symptoms:! Disorientation! Heart palpitations! Cold sweats! Shallowness of breath! Disruption of sense of time! Catatonia

22 What You Can Say! Concerning my GRE score: I believe that my score does not reveal my true potential as an academic performer because (a) I did not grow up speaking English at home, and some of the nonscientific references in the test were confusing to me, (b) my academic career has featured extensive laboratory experience, which this test is clearly not designed to measure, and (c) I have perhaps too deliberative a thinking style, while it seems to me the test works better if one is quick and even somewhat careless when unsure of an answer.

23 Continued! I feel that my GPA in the sciences, my strong recommendations, and my McNair research project (see Writing Sample) are better indicators of the kind of work I will be doing in graduate school. Thank you for your consideration. Give them solid reasons to believe in you!

24 Questions in Interviews! Read any good books lately?! What are your influences in the discipline?! How well do you get along with your mentors and advisors?! Where else are you applying?! Are we your first choice program?! What will you do if you don t get in anywhere? Send That Thank You Note!

25 What MBA Programs Like! 2-6 years experience with major employer (Fortune 1000 or High Profile)! Rapid promotions! High income for age Note! You could have your PhD faster

26 What Medical Schools Like! Early applications! MCAT over median! Clinical experience involving bodily fluids! Recommendations from doctors! Letter of recommendation or! Quote in essay Note! MD/PhD is a free ride

27 What Law Schools Like! Grades and LSAT as high as possible! Realistic understanding of law as a career (remember, litigators in court < 5% of time)! Experience in a law firm! (easy access points: plaintiffs firms, criminal defense firms, public defenders offices, legal aid services)! Recommendations from lawyers! Letter of recommendation or! Quote in essay! Note: High borrowings/70% dissatisfaction

28 Undergraduate Research Programs! Prepares you for the PhD (you are developing elite skills)! Your goal is full funding (did we talk about that free money?)! You have the momentum now! Many options: Research, Teaching, Entrepreneurial Opportunities, Public Policy, Government Careers, etc.,

29 Final Thoughts! Rule of Threes:! Three drafts! Do three schools before you send the first one! Get three reviewers, at least one a faculty member! Remember the gonna do, i.e., all that you ll learn or do between applying and showing up at the grad program! Customize, customize, customize

30 Final Final Thoughts! Make it PERFECT!! Grammar, spelling, syntax, semantics, punctuation, consistency of style! Better to be perfect and slightly less ambitious in essay than to have a single error