Graduate School Admissions Counseling

You have just entered the big leagues. When you are accepted to a Masters, MBA, PhD, or other graduate program, you are no longer a typical student. You are a reflection of the upper level academic achievement of the university itself. From this point, you may go on to become the owner of your own professional service, a junior partner, or a lifelong academic. If you are serious, choose the graduate school admissions counseling program that is just as serious as you are.

If you are applying to Masters, MBA, PhD, or other graduate programs, we can help you gain admission.

We will manage the application process so you can focus on your work. Here are just a few of the counseling services that we provide for you:

-Editing graduate admissions essays
-Preparing your graduate school resume
-Developing specific graduate school admissions strategies
-Creating an application chances and probabilities profile
-Reviewing all of your graduate school applications and portfolios
-You can work directly with grad school admissions experts
-Open access to graduate school admissions experts

Just a sample of students with our graduate school admissions consultants:
Student Applying to:

Yale, JD/LLM, Law
Stanford, Masters/PhD, Engineering
UT-Austin, Masters, Physics
Wash U, PhD, Biology
Brown, PhD, Literature
Harvard, PhD, Economics
Cornell, Masters, Public Policy
Johns Hopkins, Public Policy, and MPH
Harvard Business School, MBA
Columbia Business School, MBA
Rice University, M.S. Programs
Univ. of Chicago, MA/PhD

Law School Admissions:
Harvard Law School
Columbia Law School
Penn Law School
Yale Law School
and several more top 25 law schools.

A Complete Guide to Improving your Grad School Essay

There is no need to wait. Start or sharpen your essay today with these guidelines. When you are ready, call on Top Test Prep grad school consultants to edit your essay and provide expert guidance for the rest of the application process.

For your Masters essay

The Masters application essay differs from college entrance essays in that exceptional grade and test scores do not pull as much weight as the recommendations and the essay. Research the grad school, read published papers by the academic department you are applying to, and understand where their research is heading. The grad school admissions office is evaluating you like an investment, so your essay has to suggest what your future value will be. Get started right away with these pointers:

1. Avoid talking about the school. You don’t have the room to waste when you have to build a case for yourself. More importantly, admission counselors read it all the time and can see right through simple flattery. They expect you to have done your research about the school. Let your knowledge come through in your goals and expectations, not facts and figures.

2. Make a case, not a list. Another common error: stuffing the essays with unrelated awards and accomplishments. Choose the most compelling story using specific and personal details and stick to that. Remember that you are joining a community of other stellar performers and a single accomplishment conveyed with real human interest beats any list hands down.

3. Rework your opening. Write, revise, and rewrite your opening paragraph. This is really where you need to concentrate your efforts because it will make or break your essay. Of course you will have others review the essay for grammar and clarity, but while they do, keep polishing your opening and introduction.

For your MBA essay

Treat this like a written interview. If you are not yet skilled at interviewing, now is the time to brush up. Anticipate what admission examiners would ask you if they could. Address your limitations candidly and forcefully. Note that limitations are not negative, but rather they are areas where you recognize the need to build your network and exercise your management skills. No one can do it alone. True professionals do not waste their time on activities that do not build on their unique set of skills. Below are a few essay tips to get you started.

1. Focus on your career goals. Where do you expect to find yourself after you finish the program? Why is this particular university program instrumental in achieving that goal? Don’t worry because there will be plenty of time to change your mind along the journey. Now is the time to be confident and committed.

2. Reread the essay question. The number one reason most applicants don’t achieve greatness on their admission essay is because it does not address the topic. Either you are trying to re-read an old winner or you are not paying attention — two red flags for admissions specialists. Be a good politician. Answer the immediate question and then steer your answer where you want it to go.

3. Write first, then adjust for the tone. When you worrying about the tone while writing, the piece will usually end up too stiff or using too familiar. You want to tell a story first in the best way you can. Afterwards, adjust a word or sentence structure here and there to achieve a professional but relaxed style.

For your Ph.D. essay

At the doctorate level, you will encounter another level shift in competitiveness where everyone vying for this appointment has already excelled in your field. Differentiation now will depend on your dedication and the value of your research, but only if you are able to communicate in fine detail what you have done vs. what you can achieve in grad school.

1. Get down to details early. A common complaint from reviewers of Ph.D. personal statements is that they are too general. Candidates have been doing such in-depth research that they swing too wildly toward simplification, perhaps trying to reach is for the general public. Assume that full professors in other fields will evaluate your PhD essay.

2. Not research but your experience. Don’t just edit together abstracts of your research. Describe how you approached your research and what you learned from it on a personal level. A doctorate requires a research focus, but you must also prove you can handle the administrative and social aspects of being an educator.

3. Show results. Don’t worry if you haven’t been published yet. It helps a great deal, but is not necessary. What you do need to show is what impact your research has had through results like an operational software system or statistical analysis that is of publishable quality. Try to get statements in your letters of recommendation from professors or counselors that can back you up on this point.

These admissions tips are just to get you started on your writing a winning essay. Individually tailored advice will vary greatly depending on your resume and your preferred colleges.

Contact Top Test Prep for your personalized grad school admissions strategy.