Accepted.com
Odds 'N Ends
We have decided to publish this newsletter as a service to our clients and others who
register for it on our Web site. Accepted.com's Odds 'N Ends will bring you our
tip of the month, admissions information for grad, law, MBA, and medical school applicants,
and news about Accepted.com.
We also welcome contributions from readers. If you have comments, questions, or perhaps
an article idea, please e-mail our editor.
We cannot publish everything we receive, but we will try to respond to everyone. And as always,
we appreciate feedback.
Index
What's New at Accepted.com
Essay Tip of the Month
Resume Tip of the Month
Grad Admission News You Can Use
Law Admission News You Can Use
MBA Admission News You Can Use
Medical Admission News You Can Use
College Admission News You Can Use
Our Services
Accepted.com Profiled in BusinessWeek
A Businessweek (March 12, 2001) article on college application essay editing services
entitled "For a Knockout Essay, Get Thee to an Editor," highlighted Accepted.com:
"Linda Abraham, president of Accepted.com, is one of the more experienced online essay
editors. She began helping college-bound students craft essays nearly a decade ago and took
her business online in [1996]. Accepted.com's services range from hourly consulting ($120
per hour, one hour minimum) to a $460 package that includes an interview and editing from
idea to final draft. Clients in Los Angeles, where Abraham is based, can receive counseling
in person, but most get help online or over the telephone. 'Any professional writer has an
editor,' says Abraham. 'I don't see why it should be any different for amateurs.'
Given how much is riding on college essays, many students and their parents obviously
agree."
Wait-List Chat
Are you on a wait-list? Would you like to get off the list and into the school of your
choice? Attend Accepted.com's next wait-list chat
on April 30, 2001 at 7:00 PM Pacific Time (8:00 PM Mountain Time; 9:00 PM Central Time,
10:00 PM Eastern Time) to learn the proven strategies that clients have used to move
from the wait-list and to the accepted piles at medical, law, business and graduate
schools. I look forward to meeting you then.
Acceptances
Those acceptances are rolling in! Stanford, Kellogg, Penn, Columbia, Duke,
Tuck, Cornell — if Accepted.com played any role in your application process,
whether as an informative Web site or advisor and editor, please let us know where
you are admitted, how we helped you, AND how we can do better. Visit our
acceptance survey or e-mail
acceptances@accepted.com.
Alternatively, let your editor know how you fared.
Wait-Listed!!!
It's that time of year. Applicants are hearing Yes, No, or Maybe. This month's tip
focuses on those of you in the latter category - wait-listed.
First of all, follow the instructions provided in the letter advising you of your wait-list
status. If the letter says, "Jump!" and you want to go to that school, you should
respond, "How high?" That's the minimum, but I encourage you to seize the
initiative and launch a campaign.
Unless the school discourages additional contact, take a pro-active approach. You have
already shown that you qualify for the school; otherwise you wouldn't find yourself on the
wait-list. They like you. Now give the adcom additional reasons to admit you by writing a
succinct wait-list letter:
- Reiterate your interest in the school's program. Briefly thank the school for
considering your application and mention how the school's philosophy and approach fit in
with your outlook and goals. Don't dwell on your disappointment at not being accepted.
- Discuss recent developments. Did you have a 4.0 during the last quarter? Have you led a
project or organization? Volunteered? Have you taken your department, business, or club
in a new direction? Have you had an article published? Earned a patent? Launched a
business? Received a promotion or additional responsibility? Succeeded in a particularly
demanding class or project? You should bring out any recent accomplishments not
discussed in your application and ideally tie them back to some of the themes or
experiences you raised in your essay(s).
- Discuss how you have addressed shortcomings - without highlighting them. For example,
if you are concerned about your English language skills and joined Toastmasters to
improve your English, inform the schools that you joined Toastmasters two months ago,
tell them of any awards you have won, and enlighten them as to how much you are enjoying
the experience. BUT don't say that you are doing all this because you are concerned
about your low TOEFL or sub-standard verbal GMAT.
- If applicable, agree to take any additional courses recommended in the letter informing
you that you are on the wait-list and follow any additional instructions. Express
willingness to provide any additional information requested by the committee.
- If you are certain you would attend this school, make it clear that this is your first
choice and that you will attend if accepted.
Keep the letter short and sweet - two pages max. Don't succumb to the temptation to
rewrite your life history or essay(s), or even summarize them. Stay focused on what you have
accomplished since applying.
Three to four weeks after you send in this letter, submit an additional letter of
recommendation. After another three to four weeks go by, send in another update letter.
Follow this with a phone call, and offer to interview, either in person or over the phone.
For more information on strategies for getting off the wait-list, please join us on April 30
when we discuss wait-list strategies or
review transcripts of previous chats.
Resumes for Military Veterans
Military veterans seeking their first civilian jobs face at least two hurdles when writing
their resumes:
- Translating the specialized jargon of the service branches into skills and job functions
employers understand.
- Doubts about the relevance of military experience to the civilian sector. Employers don't
view military service today with the same unqualified regard they once showed — they
will want to see evidence of specific transferable business skills and relevant
accomplishments.
Several resources are available to help veterans "de-militarize" their resumes. The
federal government's Dictionary of Occupational Titles now links each civilian job title
to the military's 9-digit job code equivalent. Each service branch also publishes manuals
to help veterans identify their transferable skills. The Veterans Administration's online
Military Resume Writer can generate a rough civilian resume after veterans type in their
personal information, identify their military occupation, and choose a job objective.
Through the Defense Outplacement Referral System, veterans can then post their resumes for
employers to see.
One way veterans can overcome employers' skepticism about skill transferability is to
choose a functional resume format rather than the standard career chronology. They can also
use a "Qualifications Summary" section at the beginning of the resume that focuses
on their business-relevant skills and avoids referring to their military service. By the
time employers reach the part of the resume that discloses the veteran's military service
they will already have been sold on the veteran's skills. The more your military
experience matches the job you seek, the more prominence your resume should give your
military service.
Veterans' resumes should also highlight the team skills, leadership opportunities, and
overseas experience that military service provides. Resumes that include references to
top-secret clearances and Bronze Star medals will receive employers' full attention.
Paul Bodine
Editor, Accepted.com
Member, National Resume Writers Association and
the Professional Association of Resume Writers
U of Penn Increases Aid to Grad Students
The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the University of Pennsylvania is
providing medical coverage to those grad students whose financial aid didn't yet provide
such coverage. The new benefit, worth approximately $1400 per student, comes in addition to
an increase in the minimum stipend of $700 per year - from $11,800 to $12,500.
LSAC Announces Law Forums Dates
- July 7 Washington, DC
- September 7-8 Atlanta
- September 14-15 New York
- September 28-29 Chicago
- October 20 Boston
- November 3 Houston
- November 9-10 Los Angeles
- November 12 Oakland CA
For more information, please visit LSAC.org.
Legal Ruling Highlights LSAT Paradox
The Wall Street Journal on March 29 highlighted a dilemma facing LSAC, the
administrators of the LSAT. A Detroit judge recently decided to strike down the University
of Michigan's admissions system in part because whites had to have higher LSAT scores than
underrepresented minorities to be admitted.
At the center of the admissions brouhaha, the LSAT is a victim of its own success. The test
has become "the most important factor in deciding who gets admitted to a law
school" according to the WSJ. And that's the problem: Over-reliance on the LSAT
decreases minority admissions. Consequently, the LSAC is urging law schools to rely more on
"soft" admissions factors for all applicants in order to increase diversity.
Over a year ago, Odds 'N Ends reported that the LSAC has urged schools to use the LSAT as
one factor among many in admissions. (See Odds 'N Ends,
February 2000.) I predicted then that law school admission would become more like
b-school admissions. The Michigan decision and increasing dissatisfaction with over-reliance
on the LSAT are bringing closer a more holistic evaluation of law school applications.
Book Review: Applying
to a Top MBA Program
Applying to a Top MBA Program by Lara Letteau (Kellogg 1999) and Bryan Goss aims to
complement the many how-to admission books and provide an "up close and personal"
view of the MBA experience. Impressed by the diversity they found at Kellogg, they decided
to interview a number of students at Kellogg, Wharton, Stanford, and Harvard and provide a
means of revealing the many backgrounds and professions that can make it into a top b-school
and thrive. Furthermore, they aimed to give applicants additional information to help them
make informed decisions about which school is right for them.
Overall the authors achieve their goals. This little gem does complement the how-to's
beautifully. It also highlights the variety of backgrounds that can gain admission to top
b-schools and the successful strategies used by MBAs.
If you are applying to any good business school, I recommend this book, but certainly, if you
applying to the top ones, particularly Kellogg, it is mandatory reading.
Gearing Up
I am sure there are some of you, new to Accepted.com and Odds 'N Ends, who are gearing up
for this year's medical school admission season and may not realize all the resources
available to you on the Accepted.com Web site. Let's highlight a few:
Specialties Regaining Popularity
The National Resident matching program (NRMP) announced that medical students are turning
away from primary care and increasingly entering specialties. For example the number of
medical school seniors entering family practice declined by 4.9%, but the number of seniors
entering pathology and anesthesiology specialties increased by 8.1% and 5.8% respectively.
Despite the drop, just over half of the seniors (51%) chose generalist specialties.
For complete details, please visit
http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/010322.htm.
Sale on Undergrad Tuition
That may be slightly exaggerated, but.
MIT joined Princeton and Harvard in announcing that it will increase its annual grants to
undergraduates by $3,100 as it slashes the "self-help" requirement by $2,000.
Tuition next year at MIT will rise to $34,460. About 75% of MIT undergrads receive some form
of financial aid.
Tell a Friend
Please share this issue with friends and colleagues who share your interest in graduate
school admission. Tell a friend or two about
Accepted.com's powerful array of online pre-professional resources. They will thank you
and so will we!
Writing a personal statement is a tough challenge. A former client, an NBC journalist with over
twenty years of experience in the field, once said that his personal statement "was the
toughest thing I ever had to write." He sought our help. Shouldn't you?
Accepted.com's editors are here to help you write your best essays — eloquent,
compelling essays that distinguish you from the competition and transform you from a
transcript and test score into a competitive applicant and unique individual.
Check us out. Complete information on our services, including prices, testimonials, and
information about our top-notch professional staff, can be found at
http://www.accepted.com/help/essay_help.htm.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at info@accepted.com
or Phone.
We look forward to serving you.
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