Recently, I was sitting over dinner with my good friend Miriam, kvetching about our graduate school applications and their impending doom. As I listened to her describe her own woes concerning her admissions essay (otherwise known as the statement of purpose), I found myself rehashing some of the same advice I give readers at my day job as a blogger and advice columnist for CampusCompare: “Be unique. Find the aspect of yourself that’s different from the other applicants and highlight it.”
“Speak with professors in the department, or ones who know about the program you are applying for. They will be able to tell you what kind of applicant they are looking for.”
“If you don’t get in, call the admissions office to ask why, so that next year when you re-apply you’ll know what to improve upon.”
I’m a pretty smart cookie, if I do say so myself, and I know a thing or two about college admissions. Yet, despite being a college admissions “expert”, my own graduate school applications have fallen by the wayside. The deadline is inching closer and closer, and I have yet to crack my essay, obtain my recommendations, or even, *gasp!* fill out the application form.
So what’s a girl to do? Blog about it, of course! Follow me over the next few months while I scramble with forms, chase down former professors, and ponder the real reason why I’m 23, employed, and I still want to go back to school. Check back here and follow me on twitter at /campuscompare to stay tuned!
After her stint in Wonderland, a girl named Alice remarked: “I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it.” Truer words were never said, sister.
