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Accepted.com Odds 'N Ends
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In This Issue:
- What's New at Accepted: Time Marches On; Accepted in the News; New Editors; Featured Ebooks; Admission Chats; Blog Posts of Interest
- Essay Tip: Proofing Your Prose
- Resume Tip: The Informational Interview
- Wrap Up: Our Services; Subscription Information
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What's New at Accepted.com
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Time Marches On
In fact, it seems to march at double time. It's hard enough to juggle
everything without the burden of application essays. It gets even
harder to keep all those personal, professional, and educational balls
in the air when you add the demands of multiple applications,
especially when those application deadlines seem to creep up out of
nowhere.
We want to help you, but please give us enough time to do so. Don't wait until the last minute. Sign up today for Accepted.com services or contact your editor ASAP.
Accepted’s Linda Abraham, Paul Bodine Featured on BusinessWeek
Accepted’s president, Linda Abraham, was interviewed for the BusinessWeek article “How to Go to Business School for Free”:
"‘ I think the trick is you need to kind of do everything that
will get you accepted, but on steroids,’ says Linda Abraham.
‘Students who want to get one need to show serious commitment,
involvement, and impact. That is critical for getting a full or
significant ride.’ ”
Paul Bodine, Accepted editor and author of several admissions books including Great Application Essays for Business School, was the guest expert on BusinessWeek’s online chat “MBA Admissions Tips.”
Accepted Welcomes Natalie Grinblatt, Dr. Shirley Tokheim
It is with great pleasure that I welcome Natalie Grinblatt to Accepted's staff. Natalie previously served as:
- Assistant Dean at Arizona State University's W P Carey School of Management.
- Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Cornell's Johnson School.
- Director of MBA Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at the University of Michigan (where she also earned her MBA).
Dr. Shirley Tokheim also brings excellent credentials:
- MA in Education from Stanford, BA in English and Ph.D. in Education from UC Berkeley.
- Extensive editing and writing experience in the business world.
- Previously, clients accepted at Stanford's GSB, Harvard
Business School, UC Berkeley's Haas, Columbia Business School,
University of Chicago GSB, Tufts, Princeton's School of Public and
International Affairs, Johns Hopkins SAIS, and UCSF School of Medicine.
Featured Ebook: The Consultant's Guide to MBA Admission – Just Updated for 09 Applications!
Are you a consultant interested in top MBA programs? In this instantly
downloadable one-of-a-kind ebook, Cindy Tokumitsu and Linda Abraham
show you how to:
- Assess your strengths and weaknesses.
- Create a winning strategy.
- Work with recommenders.
- Prepare for MBA interviews.
- The Consultant’s Guide includes sample essays for the HBS 2009 application.
Upcoming Chats
The MBA chat season is in full swing. Here are the upcoming chats, hosted by Linda Abraham, for the month of October:
- Oct 7: MIT Sloan Chat with Jennifer Burke Barba
- Oct 13: Cornell Chatter with Randall Sawyer
- Oct 29: Haas Happenings with Peter Johnson
All the chats will take place at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/6:00 PM GMT. All chats will take place in the Accepted.com chat room. For more details, please visit our chat schedule page.
Chat Transcripts
Last month’s chat have generated must-read transcripts. Visit our chat transcript page to
find the recent chat transcripts with Wharton, INSEAD, Yale and London
Business School. In addition, check out the chat-transcript from our Great Application Essays chat with editor and author Paul Bodine.
Blog Posts of Interest
MBA Admissions Reading
Laid off! How Will It Affect Your Application
Duke Law School 2009 Application Tips
Medical School Admissions: Aiming high without obsessing
College Admissions: The Value of Visits
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Proofing Your Prose: 5 Errors That Ding
I'm going to tell you trade secrets in this article: the errors
Accepted.com editors look for first when we review your essay.
Let’s focus on what I call macro editing - substantive, content
issues. Next month I'll provide a brief intro to editing on the micro
level.
These are the 5 biggest mistakes that we watch for when we review your essays:
1) Evading the question. You're
not running for president, vice-president, or any other political
office with this essay. Make sure your essays answer all parts of a
question.
2) Meandering. Having essays
that wander through the pathways and byways of your mind or life might
work if you are James Joyce, but fail miserably if you are not. Make
sure that each essay has a point and a theme. Then stick to it.
3) The gray flannel generality.
Sweeping declarative statements that any applicant can make. Platitudes
about the preciousness of life, the universality of man, the centrality
of family, the importance of vision and buy-in, leadership. They're a
dime-a-dozen in personal statements and application essays. Now don't
get me wrong. Those ideals resonate with me, and with most adcom
members. However, unless you demonstrate that you uphold them by using
specifics, details and anecdotes to prove your point and distinguish
you from the masses of applicants, you will write a bland, boring
essay. Detail and show-me specifics reveal your values, distinguish you
from your competition, and add interest to your essays.
4) Superficiality. Closely
related to the gray flannel generality, superficiality means that when
asked why you want to pursue a particular goal, you answer, "Because I
want to help people." That's nice. It's also necessary, but
insufficient. You could become a plumber and help people. Why do you
want to help people as a doctor, lawyer (yes, they say they want to
help people, too.), psychologist, or even businessperson? Why do you
want to attend a particular program? If your answer applies to all the
schools you are applying to, it is shallow and you have not done your
homework. If you are just cutting and pasting essays to answer
different schools' essay questions, you are being lazy. Give the
process the time, attention, and thought it requires if you want to get
accepted. Superficiality and laziness will not land the fat envelope in
your mailbox.
5) Writing what you think they want to hear.
This is mistake #1 according to many adcom members. To paraphrase JFK,
write what you want them to know; don't write what you think they want
to read.
For more writing and editing tips, please sign up for any of our free, email courses:
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The Informational Interview
The mere idea of leaping into the job interviewing process cold
naturally intimidates many job hunters. One excellent way to overcome
job interview anxiety is to request an informational interview: a
brief (20 to 30 minute) meeting with an employer to gain insights and
advice about the career path you’re pursuing. The beauty of the
informational interview: it eliminates the “I need a
job—please give me one” subtext of the formal job
interview, which puts both the employer and you on the spot. By
establishing clearly and immediately that you seek only information,
you create a more informal opportunity to become comfortable
interacting with employers or hiring managers, learn how to make a good
impression, and build a professional network while gaining firsthand
information about your chosen career from someone succeeding in it.
Employers are willing to extend you this courtesy for a variety of
reasons: they may be flattered by your interest, impressed by the
knowledge and enthusiasm you showed in your request for the interview,
owe a favor to the associate who referred you, or anticipate hiring but
don’t yet have a specific opening. Whatever the reasons, send the
employer a résumé before the meeting (again making clear
that you seek information, not a job) and research his or her industry
and company so you can ask informed questions. The better informed you
are, the better impression you will make. Typical general questions to
ask are “What is an average work day for you like?” or
“What is a typical career progression?” But you
should also prepare questions that show you’ve done research on
the employer’s company.
Near the end of the interview you may also ask if the employer knows of
other people who would be willing to talk with you about their careers.
This will expand your network and thus your chances of winning a real
job interview. But never ever use an informational interview to ask for
a job—it’s just bad form. Finally, always send a brief but
personalized thank-you note within a day of the interview.
By Paul Bodine, Senior Editor, Accepted.com, and author of Great Application Essays for Business School, Perfect Phrases for Business School Acceptance, "Great Personal Statements for Law School, "Perfect Phrases for Law School Acceptance, and Perfect Phrases for Medical School Acceptance.
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Please forward this ezine
Please forward this issue to friends interested in graduate school admission. They will thank you and so will we!
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