As you decide which degrees and programs to target, it’s important to consider the financial ramifications. Grad school in the United States is not cheap. For example, the estimated cost of attendance at UCLA for the 2026-2027 academic year ranges from $60,932 for California residents to $76,034 for nonresidents. Ask yourself: What is my financial plan for grad school? Do I have enough savings to cover two to three years of tuition plus living expenses? If not, how much funding – if any – does each program offer? Does it make sense to go into debt to get my degree?

Familiarizing yourself with the financial realities of higher education and creating a scholarship strategy before you apply will save you the heartache and anxiety so many recent admits feel when they receive admissions offers and realize they’ll have to pay full price to attend their dream schools.

Getting Accepted Does Not Guarantee Funding

Although submitting a competitive application will likely grant you acceptance to one or more universities, it will not automatically guarantee you a scholarship. Given the diverse functions of graduate programs, the criteria for determining who gets funded vary dramatically among programs and institutions. For the most part, students are expected to pay for non-PhD programs with their own resources. Meanwhile, PhD students are expected to teach for the university in exchange for tuition waivers and a limited living stipend.

Most graduate programs do offer a few admissions-based scholarships, but these opportunities are incredibly rare. The majority are created by individuals, institutions, or organizations that wish to fund certain individuals to pursue particular educational goals. 

Merit is rarely the only factor admissions committees take into consideration when distributing scholarships. Qualifying for these opportunities often depends on a number of unique and unpredictable variables that change from year to year: the specific needs of private donors, regional or state quotas, internal administrative initiatives, balanced distribution across the student population, and market-based endowments, for example. And contrary to popular belief, belonging to an underserved community is not the magic key to earning a scholarship either.

No matter how smart and accomplished you are, the odds of both getting into your top-choice school and receiving a scholarship are not in your favor. So, rather than banking on an admissions-based scholarship, you should seek out individualized scholarship opportunities while you are applying for school and throughout your time as a student.

How Do You Secure Funding?

The students who win the most scholarships are those who actively identify and apply for scholarships. If you are applying to graduate programs that do not guarantee full funding for the entire cohort, I recommend you also apply for ten to 15 scholarships outside your university. Applying for extramural funding should become a habit that you continue annually for as long as you’re enrolled. And, yes, that means more applications to fill out, more work, more deadlines, and more writing. 

Finding extramural scholarships is also not always straightforward or easy. Most scholarship organizations want to spend their money on students’ education and do not have big budgets for overhead, marketing, user experience design, or application platforms. Therefore, when you start searching scholarship databases or Googling “graduate school scholarships,” you will find long lists with outdated links. You will also find confusing websites featuring unclear eligibility requirements, old deadlines, and vague application instructions. Often, the process can be confusing, exhausting, and overwhelming.

Most students who make it to this part of the scholarship search process either give up without really getting started or determine that there just isn’t anything out there for them. Like those who count on receiving admission-based scholarships, the students who give up after a few online searches – or even a few completed applications – just don’t win scholarships.

You Can Do This!

The first step in any scholarship search is accepting that finding and winning scholarships takes time and effort. If you want scholarship money, you’ll have to work for it. At times, it will seem repetitive, tedious, and downright discouraging. You will inevitably encounter scholarship applications that seem difficult, inconsistent, and arbitrary.

But if you do the work and incorporate strategic, focused, and consistent search and application processes into your routine as a graduate student, you will be more qualified to receive scholarships than most of your peers.

Related Resources

• Admissions Straight Talk Podcast
• How to Prepare for a Fulbright Application
• Five Tips for Applying for Graduate Fellowships and Scholarships

   

   

The post Graduate School Scholarships: When and How to Start Your Search appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Small PA Cohort Size

The University of Iowa PA Program admits 25 students each August. That small class size allows the program to know students well and provide support throughout the didactic and clinical phases. At the same time, PA students are part of the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and benefit from the larger University of Iowa Health Care system.

Strong Faculty Support and Numerous Clinical Opportunities

Dr. O’Shea explains that the program has five full-time PA faculty members, but students also learn from faculty across the Carver College of Medicine. Clinical opportunities include the University of Iowa Health Care system, the nearby VA system, local partners, and more than 200 additional affiliated sites across Iowa, the Midwest, the United States, and international locations. During the clinical year, roughly 40% of student experiences are local or within about 45 minutes of Iowa City.

Preparation for Team-Based Care with an Integrated Curriculum

One of this PA program’s most distinctive features is its integration with the MD curriculum. During the didactic phase, PA students learn alongside MD and MD-PhD students. Dr. O’Shea explains the thinking behind this model simply: these future clinicians will work side by side after graduation, so their education should help them understand one another’s roles, reasoning, and perspectives early.

That team-based approach continues through interprofessional education. PA students work on case-based projects with students in medicine, physical therapy, pharmacy, nursing, public health, speech-language pathology, and dentistry. The goal is not for PA students to lose their professional identity but to understand what PAs bring to the table while also learning how other members of the care team think and contribute.

Curriculum Focus: Science, Skills, and the Human Side of Medicine

Iowa’s curriculum follows a three-strand, or “triple helix,” model: Mechanisms of Health and Disease, Clinical and Professional Skills, and Medicine and Society. 

The Medicine and Society strand gives students space to examine who they are, what they value, and how those values will shape their work as clinicians. Dr. O’Shea describes this strand as a humanistic approach to medicine. Students consider local, state, regional, national, and international populations while examining health through clinical science, social determinants of health, environment, genetics, life choices, and other factors. For applicants, this is a useful reminder: PA programs are not only asking whether you can master rigorous science. They are also asking whether you can see patients in context and provide compassionate care.

Qualities of Competitive Applicants: Self-Awareness, Academic Readiness, and Strong Experiences

Dr. O’Shea’s admissions advice starts with self-awareness. Before applying, make sure you meet the program’s minimum requirements, including GPA, science GPA, prerequisite, experience, and recommendation requirements. Submitting an application that does not meet the stated minimums wastes an applicant’s time and money.

Beyond the minimums, Iowa University’s Department of Physician Assistant Studies and Services looks for evidence of academic readiness, meaningful healthcare experience, engagement outside the classroom, and reflection. Dr. O’Shea encourages applicants to identify one or two experiences from academics, healthcare, and extracurricular involvement and then explain why those experiences matter, what they taught them, and how they will help them become stronger clinicians.

Dr. Wherley adds that building this kind of profile takes time. If a gap year or two gives you the experience, maturity, and reflection needed to submit a stronger application, that time can be worthwhile. Dr. O’Shea agrees: gap years can help applicants grow and learn more about themselves before entering PA school.

Related Resources

• University of Iowa Physician Assistant Program
• University of Iowa PA Program Admission Requirements
• University of Iowa PA Program Staff
• The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Physician Assistant, a free guide
• Accepted’s Physician Assistant Application Packages

Related Episodes

• From Military Service to PA School: Advice for Veteran Applicants [Episode 628]
• Inside Wake Forest’s PA Program: Inquiry-Based Learning, Service, and Leadership Training [Episode 627]
• From PA School Reapplicant to Future Provider: How Persistence Helped One Student Succeed [Episode 621]

The post Inside the University of Iowa’s Top-Ranked PA Program [Episode 629] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

The LSAT has offered the option to cancel scores for a while. And now that it also offers Score Preview – allowing test takers to view their projected score before deciding whether to keep it – test takers are more inclined to cancel their score if they did poorly. But making this decision is not so simple.

In this blog post, we explain when you should and should not cancel your LSAT score.

How do you cancel an LSAT score?

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) gives test takers six calendar days after their test date to cancel their score. You can do this by logging into your LSAC account and then selecting the option to cancel it.

As mentioned earlier, you can purchase Score Preview, which will show you your projected score right after taking the exam. Score Preview costs $46 if you purchase it before the first day of a test administration and $87 if you purchase it on or after test day. (Be sure to check the specific rules if you are considering this option.) If you are thinking about canceling your score, it is a good idea to purchase Score Preview to avoid psyching yourself out and unknowingly canceling a good score.

How should you decide whether to cancel your LSAT score?

Consider purchasing Score Preview to learn your projected score before canceling.

With Score Preview, some test takers operate under the rule that if they score below the number they wanted, they should cancel. However, this is not a foolproof approach. Why not? Ultimately, law schools are only interested in your highest LSAT score because that’s all they need to report to the American Bar Association and the public as part of their median for law school rankings. 

Additionally, the point of the LSAT is to test your aptitude. So, if you can eventually achieve a high score, the fact that you received lower scores on earlier exams does not cancel out that high score. Therefore, even if you study hard for your first LSAT and do not do as well as you had hoped, there is no reason to panic and cancel your score – especially if it is a respectable score. Say you were aiming for a 165 and you got a 160. A 160 can still get you into a lot of law schools, and it even gives you a slight shot at schools that have 165 as their median score. This is important because there is always a chance that life may get in the way of you retaking the LSAT. Having a score on file will prevent your law school plans from being entirely derailed.

Understand the consequences of canceling scores.

It is also important to note that schools DO see the fact that you canceled scores on your record. And although schools will not judge you harshly for canceling one test, having more than one cancellation on your record can look bad. 

Keep in mind also that a canceled score still counts toward the number of times you are allowed to take the LSAT (five times within the last five years and seven times over your lifetime) – and this includes scores canceled through Score Preview. So, chances are you do not want to waste one of your opportunities to take the exam.

Determine the reason for lower-than-expected scores.

With all of these reasons to not cancel the exam, why should you ever cancel it? Many times, the decision revolves around the score being far below the minimum needed for a particular school. For example, if every school to which you are applying has a median score of 170 or more and you receive a 150, you will want to retake the exam. Now, if you are aiming for a 170 and you end up with a 150, there is a good chance that something went wrong. You likely scored higher with practice tests, and maybe you did much worse on test day because you were sick, had a traumatic event occur recently, or couldn’t sleep the night before the exam due to anxiety. If you did not give the LSAT your best effort because of circumstances beyond your control, it is best to cancel your score and try again. 

Alternatively, you might have taken the LSAT without any preparation just to learn your base score. If this is the case and you scored much lower than your target, you should probably cancel your score. (Note: Generally, you should not take an LSAT cold; you should instead take a practice test under testing conditions to gauge your base score.)

Consider your previous scores.

Another plausible scenario to cancel your score is if this was your second or third time taking the LSAT. Say your previous score was a 167, and your goal is a 170. You decided to take the final LSAT that the cycle will allow because your practice tests showed you scoring 170 or higher, but then for some reason, you got a 163. In this situation, it is worth canceling your score. You are not going to take the LSAT again during that cycle – or possibly ever again. In addition, the score does absolutely nothing to help you because you previously scored higher. Just keep in mind that law schools will still see that you took the exam and canceled it, so be prepared to answer any questions regarding it.

Compare your LSAT and GRE scores.

Finally, if you took the GRE and then took the LSAT and your LSAT score is significantly lower than your GRE score, you might want to cancel it. More schools are now accepting the GRE, so if you have a significantly stronger GRE score, it might make sense to go with that. But once you officially have an LSAT score on file, your GRE score becomes meaningless because schools will consider your LSAT score – because they have to report your highest LSAT score (even if it is your only LSAT score) as part of their median.

Ultimately, canceling an LSAT score is a personal decision based on your own circumstances. Consider what is relevant to you and decide accordingly. Try to avoid impulsively canceling just because you received a lower score than you would have liked.

We at Accepted can help you with testing strategies as well as any other element of the graduate school admissions process. Learn more about how we can guide you to acceptance at your top-choice graduate program! Schedule a free consultation to speak with an Accepted expert.

The post Should I Cancel My LSAT Score? appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

I recently wrote to a few former clients who were admitted to their target schools and asked them to respond to some questions, which resulted in some advice for future data science applicants. Here, I list the questions I posed, followed by a compilation of their responses.

1. If you were starting the process now to apply to graduate school, what would you think about or do prior to beginning the application?

• Spend time thinking about what you really want to gain from the graduate school program, as well as what the goals of the particular program are. If you are interested in a research program and a school mentions that 90% of its students enter technology or consulting firms, look elsewhere.
• Make sure your resume or CV highlights relevant work experience and how you added value to the organization – the results of your work.

2. What would you do differently if you were applying now, knowing what you learned from going through the process?

1. Attend any school webinars that provide information on the program and what the school seeks in its applicants.
2. Early in the process, reach out to individuals you will be requesting references from to find out whether they would be willing to write a letter on your behalf. Then, stay in touch with them and provide detailed information about your accomplishments, reminders of what work you completed under their guidance, and both your target program’s goals and your career goals.
3. Do more in-depth research about the programs so you can highlight why you would stand out and be a good fit for each one.
4. Hire a consultant to support you with the process. It is extremely valuable to have someone objectively review your strengths and goals, as they can help you improve your statement of purpose.

3. How much time do you recommend an applicant reserve for the application process?

• Start your research as soon as you begin thinking about attending graduate school. You can note ideas for your statement of purpose (SOP) during the months before you actually write it. Ideally, start six months ahead of the deadline but a minimum of two or three months ahead.

4. Which part of the application took you the longest to complete?

• Writing the personal statement tends to demand the most time. You might go through many drafts, especially if you don’t adequately research each program you are applying to before writing your statement of purpose. 

5. What advice do you have concerning letters of recommendation?

• Your recommenders are usually very busy individuals – either full-time professors or work supervisors. Make sure you give them sufficient time to craft a letter that provides details about your skills and accomplishments as well as how you stand out from your peers.
• Although you might want to use a particular professor as a reference, it is important that they know you well and are familiar with the quality of your work.

6. How do you recommend approaching the statement of purpose?

• Pay attention to the specific question the school is asking. These questions can differ in asking about your career accomplishments, research, or personal motivation for selecting a particular field or program. While the main body of your SOP might be used for multiple essays, you will want to write several paragraphs describing how the program and the school you’re applying to align with your interests, academic and career goals, and personal preferences.
• If you aren’t sufficiently familiar with the program, your SOP will come across as generic. Also, don’t be afraid to mention poor academics – as long as you can provide an explanation for the lapse and how you ultimately succeeded.
• Reach out to students or recent alumni to learn about their experiences and gain information you can’t find on the program’s website. This will help you write a stronger SOP.

7. How has artificial intelligence (AI) affected your current work, and do you believe it could replace the need for humans in data science?

• ChatGPT has spurred many conversations among work colleagues. It also can make work more efficient, providing outlines and translating code from one language to another.
• Data science is a multistep process. There are some methods that could be replaceable, as they have been changed by the use of AI, but data scientists provide the judgments and insights to interpret computational results – just as digital spreadsheets automated traditional accounting practices in the field of accounting. However, accounting professionals interpret trends and make predictions based on many economic, political, and risk factors.
• Humans have to make the hard decisions based on data presentations.
• At least as of now, communicating and presenting data to stakeholders is more effectively done by humans.
• Currently, AI cannot make true advancements or discoveries without human insight.

Data science is everywhere you look today. It is an exciting field that can be applied in every academic discipline and work setting. I hope you find some of the information in this post helpful as you search for the right program for you.

Related Resources:

• Five Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Grad School Statement of Purpose
• Admissions Straight Talk podcast for grad school applicants
• Deciding Who Should Write Your Letters of Recommendation – Master’s

The post Application Advice from Successful Data Science Grad Students appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Medical schools accept three types of letters: individual letters, letter packets, and committee letters. However, many schools prefer committee letters, which are also known as composite letters. 

Committee letters are prepared by the pre-health advisor or pre-health committee at an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate institution. The format of these letters varies from school to school, but they typically incorporate evaluations, feedback, and insights from multiple professors, mentors, and other key individuals. Committee letters are meant to provide medical schools with a collective (and presumably, more objective) perspective on an applicant’s background and experiences and to contextualize their preparation for a career in medicine. 

Before we dive deeper into how committee letters work, let us offer this caveat: if you do not have access to a committee letter, you will not be penalized! Many schools do not offer pre-health advising, and even those that do might not provide committee letters. Some medical school applicants have been out of school for many years and no longer have access to their undergraduate pre-health programs. Nontraditional applicants might not have taken their premed prerequisites as undergraduates. Medical schools understand these sorts of situations and frequently assert that applicants whose programs do not provide a committee letter are not at a disadvantage.

However, the situation is very different if your school does provide committee letters, yet you don’t have one. This is a red flag to medical schools, especially if they signal their preference for this form of evaluation – they will wonder why you weren’t able to obtain one. Some programs will even ask you to explain, in a secondary essay or an interview, why you do not have a committee letter. This is a delicate situation that you should approach with honesty and tact. Excuses such as having missed a deadline or not being able to meet the requirements for the letter are not looked on favorably.

Obtaining a Committee Letter

Each institution has its own process for advising premed students. My recommendation is to reach out to your pre-health advising program as soon as you begin to consider pursuing medicine. They will let you know whether they provide committee letters and, if so, how to go about getting one. However, the following general guidelines are applicable to most pre-health programs:

Start the process early.

As you can imagine, collecting and assembling the documents for a committee letter can take some time. Starting in your sophomore year or early in your junior year will allow you to make a good impression without sacrificing your other obligations.

Choose your recommenders carefully.

Because committee letters include a collection of individual perspectives, you will be asked to obtain input from professors and mentors with whom you have developed a professional relationship. The better these recommenders know you, the higher the likelihood that their letters will be detailed and can speak to your potential.

Satisfy any academic and extracurricular requirements.

These might include successfully completing science or math prerequisites, maintaining a minimum GPA or a minimum number of hours each term, or devoting a certain number of hours to extracurricular activities or research. 

Give yourself plenty of time to prepare any additional required elements.

You will likely be asked for certain documentation, including your transcripts, drafts of your personal statement, your resume or CV, and school-specific questionnaires. You might also be required to interview with your pre-health committee. 

Keep track of deadlines so you don’t miss anything.

Put dates in your calendar and set up auto reminders to avoid missing deadlines or sacrificing quality. 

Ensuring That Your Committee Letter Is Strong 

Following your pre-health committee’s instructions and respecting their deadlines is the bare minimum you must do to acquire a committee letter. But they will be writing many letters, so how can you ensure that you get their very highest recommendation?

As it turns out, many of the steps that can help you secure a great committee letter will also help you succeed in your medical school journey. Here are our tips for increasing your chances of receiving a strong committee letter: 

Pour your heart into your personal statement.

To understand your decision to pursue medicine, many pre-health committees want to see a draft of your personal statement. This is the ideal opportunity to get your thoughts down on paper for the first time. Be as specific as you can about your motivations and experiences, sharing the insights you have gained as well as the skills you have developed. Accepted offers a wealth of free resources on writing personal statements, and your pre-health advisors will guide you as well. Take advantage of these resources as you get started.

One important note: The draft of your personal statement will change as you progress through the application process! Often, the timeline for committee letters is so early that the initial draft of your personal statement will not include experiences you will have later, some of which might be more formative. Also, allowing your personal statement to “breathe” will offer more opportunities for you to perfect it later; you might discover a better way of phrasing something or a clearer way of presenting a situation. Fortunately, you will have time to make changes to your early drafts before you submit your application.

Make the best impression you can.

You might also be asked to submit other self-reflective essays to your pre-health committee. Although these essays might not make it into the final version of your application, this writing practice is never wasted. The information these essays elicit will help your advisors better understand you and your goals – and could help you understand yourself better, as well – so aim to be open and honest in your responses. If you are required to participate in an interview, complete at least one practice session in advance so you can make a great impression by offering details and insights. Being thoughtful and articulate in your interview will help your advisors create a strong letter of recommendation for you.

Foster relationships with your pre-health advisors.

Although your written materials and interview will provide your advisors with a lot of information, they will be able to write a stronger letter if they know you better. Connect with them early and often, and show them that you appreciate their support. Keep them informed of your progress by checking in at least once each semester. Don’t be shy about sharing both your ups and your downs. Facing and overcoming challenges demonstrates your personal growth in an important way – one that your pre-health advisors can help you present in a positive light. Remember that they are on your side and want to help you succeed. 

Receive feedback with a growth mindset.

Hearing criticism is never fun, but even worse is hearing it when it’s too late to do anything about it. Your pre-health advisors will be able to point out your strengths as well as your areas for improvement. Having their feedback on your application materials (and your more general progress toward medical school) will help you address any problems and refine your story now, so you can submit your application later with more confidence. 

Engage fully with the process.

The committee letter compels you to organize your thoughts, reflect on your experiences, contextualize your accomplishments, and prepare to present yourself to medical school admissions committees. Rather than viewing these requirements as additional hoops you must jump through on your way to medical school, think of the process as assembling a team of advocates who will help you forge ahead. By sharing your authentic self with patience and empathy, you will set yourself up for a more successful application cycle.

Related Resources

• The Resilience Factor: How Flaws and Failures Can Strengthen Your Application
• Admissions Straight Talk podcast for med school applicants
• Top Med School Application Strategies Based on GPA and MCAT Score

The post The Role of the Committee Letter: Your Key to Medical School Acceptance appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Many applications include an essay question with some variation of “What would you contribute to your future campus community?” or “How will you contribute to our program?” If you are invited to interview, you’ll likely be asked how you will contribute to the school, so preparing to speak on this topic is vital.

You need to present your best self, yet grandiose, declarative statements and promises to be a superlative do-gooder can be unpersuasive and even off-putting. So, how do you show that you are a candidate with plenty to contribute and will be an asset to your chosen school?

Use the past as a forecast of the future

Most adcoms are firm believers that past behavior reveals one’s abilities and interests and is a good predictor of the person’s future behavior.

Here are four tips for highlighting your impressive past and conveying the message that you plan to make a positive impact by contributing to your school, its community, and the world at large.

Share stories of past achievements, and quantify (if possible) the impact you had.

By showing how you’ve already contributed, you demonstrate that you have the initiative, people skills, and organizational talent to make an impact in the future. If you can discuss a contribution that relates to your chosen field or school, that’s even better. Perhaps your past contribution is part of an ongoing project or a recurring event that you intend to continue participating in. This will show the adcom that your achievements are not one-offs; you can demonstrate your commitment while associating your worthy contributions with their school.

Discuss skills you’ve developed that will aid future contributions.

You can show the adcom that you have the skills and the tools necessary to give back. Offer evidence to illustrate your skill development by talking about how you’ve taken steps to build your skill set (such as by taking a course or through work experience). Analyze your success, and consider how you can reveal that you are a thoughtful, growing, dynamic individual. And when asked about failures or setbacks, discuss what you learned from the tough times. Demonstrate a growth mindset.

Show how your skills are transferable.

To illustrate your plans to contribute to your target school, you’ll need to show how your unique talents and experiences can be shared with your classmates, professors, and/or work colleagues. Talk about how your skills, understanding, and ethics can positively affect those around you. Even seemingly unrelated skills could be transferable to your target program; every past achievement has skill elements that can be highlighted and applied to future contributions.

Explain how your target school will help.

The adcom readers now know that you’ve got skills and are ready to share them. Next, you need to reinforce the idea that their school is the place to accelerate your upward trajectory. Highlight any overlaps in the ethos of the school or in the curriculum that will allow you to advance your skills. And this works both ways: point out that just as the school will help further your skills, you, as a future contributing graduate, will become an ambassador for the school.

A good essay on your contributions will cover each of these topics: what you’ve done in the past, how you’ve developed your skills, how you plan on sharing that knowledge, and how your target school will help you effect change. Remember, the past reveals much about the future, so share the story of what you’ve done and how you’ve reached this point, and you’ll be well on your way to proving that you’ve got what it takes to contribute in the future.

Related Resources

• How to Write a Winning MBA Goals Essay: Tips to Clarify and Communicate Your Career Vision
• Applying to MBA Programs with a Low GPA or GMAT Scores: Strategies That Work
• Showcase Leadership in Your Admissions Essays: Strategies for MBA and Graduate School

The post Showing Contribution in MBA Essays: Four Proven Strategies appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

What Are Softs?

Softs help differentiate applicants. Some common softs are extracurricular activities, such as holding a leadership position in a college club and participating in college athletics; completing an internship; and having notable work experience. Unique softs include publishing a book, holding a world record, and having an unusual hobby.

What Is the Strongest Soft?

Because the application process is not completely transparent, it is difficult to know the precise impact that softs have. However, work experience is generally perceived to be the strongest soft. Law schools have been open about wanting students with more work experience. 

Some prospective applicants feel that they need a paralegal or legal assistant job in order to impress the admissions committee, but this is not necessarily the case. However, certain jobs might have a stronger impact on your law school application. 

First, law schools like service. So, for example, serving in the Peace Corps, the military, or AmeriCorps might hold more weight with law schools than an office job. 

Second, having an established career before applying to law school might elevate your application. For example, if you have worked for three or more years in a particular field and were promoted, that might impress the admissions committee. Furthermore, if your work experience is in line with the type of law you want to practice, such as working in tech when you want to be a tech lawyer, your work experience might make you look more focused. 

Finally, sometimes a truly unique career can generate interest, such as if you were a professional athlete. 

But even if your work experience does not fit any of these parameters, it still holds value in your application. Law schools will appreciate any work experience, though certain experience might be valued more by one school than another.

What Impact Do Softs Have?

It is important to note that softs are not a magic wand that will get you into law school. Softs can help if you are a little below the median stats for a school, but they won’t offset stats that are far below a school’s medians. With this in mind, you should not pursue softs to the detriment of your other application components. For example, some applicants make the mistake of serving as president of five clubs in college at the expense of studying for classes and for the LSAT, and all of those softs end up hurting their application. 

If you feel that you need to offset some subpar stats, given the perceived value of work experience, you might consider working for a year or two before applying, as it could tip the scale in your favor.

How Do I Showcase My Softs

There are a few key ways to showcase your softs. As noted above, all applicants must submit a resume, so be sure to include your softs there. Quality over quantity is important. Don’t just list every activity that you participated in during your school years. It’s better to zero in on an activity or two and discuss the substantive experience you had. If you have a unique fact to share, such as holding a world record or publishing a book, you can list it in the “Interests” section of your resume. 

For work experience, write about it on your resume just as you would when applying for a job, as you want to describe your skills, responsibilities, and accomplishments. If you are short on work experience and your leadership positions in college extracurricular activities required the same amount of time and responsibility as a job or internship, list such experience in the “Work Experience” section of your resume.

Additionally, you should discuss your softs in your application essays. But rather than saying that you have “held x role” or “received y award,” you should explain how these softs contributed to your desire to go to law school, as well as how they will make you a good law student and lawyer. Even if your softs don’t have anything to do with law, you likely learned lessons, demonstrated leadership, and developed passions by pursuing them. This is all great essay material, and it’s relevant to many types of prompts.

What If I Don’t Have Softs?

If you don’t think that you have any softs, reflect on all of your experiences. Softs are not limited to leadership positions such as student government president. For example, if you were treasurer of the history club and you invested a lot of time and effort keeping the club afloat, that is a soft. Similarly with jobs, working at a service job while in college is a soft, even if it doesn’t hold the same weight as post-grad work experience.

If you are still in college, consider getting involved in one activity. Is there a skill you want to learn? What activities are your friends involved in? You could also consider taking some time off after college to gain work experience.

Again, it is important to not pursue softs at the cost of your GPA or test scores, as they ultimately matter more than any softs when applying to law school.

If you still have questions on how to best leverage your softs or how to gain them, consider setting up a free consultation with an Accepted law school consultant.

The post Showcasing “Softs” in Law School Applications appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

If you have worked tirelessly to gain experiences in patient care, healthcare, leadership, shadowing, and volunteering, the Experiences section offers you the opportunity to categorize, quantify, and describe these elements of your background.  

What follows are descriptions of each type of experience in the application, examples of roles that fulfill each experience type, and suggestions of the qualities, skills, and abilities demonstrated by each experience type.  

Patient Care Experience

This is often referred to as “direct patient care.” PA schools typically state their required minimum number of completed hours, which vary and average between 250 and 3,000 hours.   

• Examples: EMT, phlebotomist, nurse, and CNA
• Qualities/skills/abilities: Interpersonal communication, teamwork, and clinical reasoning

Healthcare Experience

This is defined as experience working in a healthcare environment but in a role that’s not directly responsible for patient care.

• Examples: Medical assistant (depending on job description), clerical work, and cleaning patient rooms
• Qualities/skills/abilities: Customer service, flexibility, and attention to detail

Shadowing

This involves officially spending time watching, listening to, and learning from a medical professional – ideally, a PA.  

• Examples: Shadowing a surgical PA, an internal medicine PA, or a urology PA
• Qualities/skills/abilities: Active listening, critical thinking, and networking

Non-Healthcare Employment

This refers to any type of paid employment outside of the healthcare field.  

• Examples: Retail, food service, and childcare
• Qualities/skills/abilities: Responsibility, time management, and organization

Leadership Experience

This encompasses any demonstrated role(s) in which management, guidance, direction, and/or leadership skills were evident.  

• Examples: President of an undergraduate club/organization, restaurant/retail manager, and captain of an athletic team
• Qualities/skills/abilities: Self-confidence, motivation, and decision-making

Extracurricular Activities

These include participation and/or membership in clubs, teams, or organizations. 

• Examples: Pre-PA club member, collegiate sport team member, and band/choir member
• Qualities/skills/abilities: Creativity, teamwork, and time management

Research

This includes any type of research project. Both academically credited and non-credited research counts! Optional academic enrichment programs, such as a pre-health summer program, should be included.  

• Examples: Student research assistant, research technician, and graduate research student
• Qualities/skills/abilities: Attention to detail, analytic abilities, and data synthesis

Teaching Experience

This relates to any role in which you provided instruction to others – either one-on-one, in small groups, or in a classroom setting.

• Examples: Teaching assistant, lab instructor, and tutor
• Qualities/skills/abilities: Creativity, communication, and adaptability

Non-Healthcare Volunteer or Community Enrichment

These experiences do not have to be clinically or medically related.  

• Examples: Volunteering at your church/synagogue, donating time to an organization (e.g., Habitat for Humanity), and participating in a fundraiser
• Qualities/skills/abilities: Collaboration, project management, and problem solving

An important note: If an experience overlaps multiple categories, list it in all categories and divide the hours and key responsibilities accordingly.  

In summary, approach the Experiences section of CASPA as the portion of your application in which you can offer the admissions committee a full sense of the breadth and depth of your work. A robust Experiences section will add strength to a holistic and competitive CASPA application! 

Related Resources

• What to Look for When Selecting a Physician Assistant (PA) Program
• How to Get Accepted to Physician Assistant (PA) Programs
• The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Physician Assistant, a free guide

The post CASPA: Everything You Need to Know About the Experiences Section appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, host Dr. Valerie Wherley speaks with Brandon R. Beattie, MMSc, PA-C, assistant professor and program director of the George Washington University (GW) PA Program. Brandon is a Yale-trained PA, a former U.S. Army combat medic, and an advocate for reducing barriers for veterans and underrepresented applicants in admissions. This conversation offers practical guidance for veteran applicants and useful reminders for admissions committees reviewing applications from those who have served.

Explain the Qualities Veterans Bring to PA Programs

Brandon names several qualities the adcom often seeks: grit, resilience, tenacity, teamwork, leadership potential, and the ability to assess a situation and determine what needs to happen next. Those skills are deeply familiar to many veterans, especially those who have worked in high-pressure service environments.

The challenge is that applicants cannot assume the admissions reader will automatically understand what a military role required. A veteran’s experience might include leadership, clinical judgment, crisis response, logistics, communication, or mentoring, but those strengths need to be translated into plain language. The application should help the reader see how military experience connects to the work of becoming a safe, effective, and service-oriented PA.

Translate Military Language for Civilian Readers

Military service has its own language. Acronyms, rank structures, unit names, deployment details, and job titles can make perfect sense to another service member while leaving a civilian reader confused. Brandon’s advice is direct: define the terms, explain the role, and make sure someone with no military background reviews the writing.

Valerie echoes that point based on her work with veteran applicants. If the reader does not understand the language, the applicant can lose credit for meaningful work simply because the experience was not explained clearly. A strong CASPA application should be concise, specific, and accessible to someone who has never served.

Give Admissions Readers the Context They Need

Veterans can fall into two traps: some overstate their service in a way that may not land well with admissions committees, while others are so humble that they undercut the very experiences that make them distinctive.

Brandon encourages applicants to find the middle ground. The goal is not to ask for special treatment; it is to explain the full context: the responsibility carried, the tempo of service, the challenge of pursuing education while working full time or relocating, and the maturity gained from those experiences. If an applicant attended multiple colleges, took online courses, or had an unusual academic path because of military obligations, that context can demonstrate time management and persistence rather than weakness.

Choose Recommenders Who Can Speak to Your Readiness

A military supervisor can be a valuable recommender, but Brandon cautions that the decision depends on what the application needs. For PA school, he recommends thinking carefully about three types of recommenders: someone in the PA or medical field, someone who can speak to academic rigor, and someone who can attest to clinical ability or professional performance.

A prominent title or high rank does not guarantee a strong recommendation letter. The best letter is detailed, relevant, and understandable to the admissions committee. If a military recommender uses too much jargon, the letter may not help as much as intended.

For the GW PA Program, Brandon says competitive applicants show academic readiness, mission fit, leadership potential, communication skills, coachability, and the ability to receive feedback. For veterans, the work is often less about finding those qualities and more about making sure the application reveals them clearly.

Related Resources:

• Brandon R. Beattie faculty profile
• George Washington University Physician Assistant Program 
• GW PA Program Admission Requirements
• GW PA Program How to Apply
• The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Physician Assistant, a free guide
• Accepted’s Physician Assistant Application Packages 

Related Episodes:

• Inside Wake Forest’s PA Program: Inquiry-Based Learning, Service, and Leadership Training [Episode 627]
• From PA School Reapplicant to Future Provider: How Persistence Helped One Student Succeed [Episode 621]
• Becoming a PA at Sacred Heart: International Opportunities, Orthopedic Training, and Admissions Advice [Episode 613]

The post From Military Service to PA School: Advice for Veteran Applicants [Episode 628] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

The late Paul Soros, the older brother of financial wizard George Soros, was a successful businessman and multimillionaire in his own right. While George Soros enjoyed success in the financial sector, Paul Soros made his mark on the world by innovating in the shipping industry, filing patents, and winning several engineering awards in areas such as loading methods and shipping routes. Paul’s wife Daisy Soros studied interior design and has been a lifelong supporter of the arts. Paul and Daisy Soros both immigrated from Hungary in the wake of World War II, so it is only fitting that the fellowship they established in 1998 supports young immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in the United States. Last year, more than 3,000 people applied for the 30 available fellowships. 

I received a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship in 2013 to support a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Winning the fellowship helped me turn an initial rejection from one of my top-choice schools into an acceptance and opened up many opportunities for me once I arrived on campus. I still keep in touch with diverse and extraordinarily talented fellows from my class and am reaping the benefits of being a lifelong member of the Paul & Daisy (PD) Soros community. It feels like an extended family, and the program is constantly innovating, finding new ways to spotlight our achievements and facilitate connections.

Application Criteria and General Tips

The program stipulates certain eligibility requirements with respect to age, immigration status, and academic standing. You can take this eligibility quiz to check whether you qualify to apply. If you weren’t selected in a previous year, you can reapply as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements. In addition, the program seeks candidates who have demonstrated creativity, originality, and initiative; sustained accomplishment and the promise of future achievement; and a commitment to the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. 

Applicants may apply for the fellowship at the same time they are working on their graduate school applications; you do not need to wait until you have already been accepted for graduate study. PD Soros uses a holistic review process. Application materials include transcripts, standardized test scores (if required by your graduate program), a resume, three to five letters of recommendation, and two essays. 

The PD Soros Fellowship also offers an optional exhibits section, where you can upload additional material to provide further insight into your background, accomplishments, and/or potential. Each exhibit should be well organized and labeled. For example, I submitted three optional exhibits: the citation for the Deans’ Award that I received at Stanford, links to three short films and documentaries I produced, and a writing sample from my novel-in-progress. Each exhibit was accompanied by a cover sheet that described the exhibit and provided a bit of context. Although you are given enough space to upload up to five exhibits, these are considered supplementary to the application, and the readers are not required to review them. Therefore, be thoughtful in what you include in this section and mindful of your readers’ time. I suggest uploading them in order of importance, with the most compelling evidence first.

The application is a two-stage process. The top 77 applicants are designated as “finalists” and invited to appear for virtual interviews in February. Fellowship winners are then notified of their selection in March. They will begin receiving stipend and tuition support from the program in the fall of 2027.

Essay Tips

At the heart of the PD Soros application are two essays, each with a maximum length of 1,000 words. The first is about your unique story as a New American, and the second is about your career-related activities and goals.

PD Soros Essay One

Tell us about your experiences as a New American. Whether as an immigrant yourself, or as a child of immigrants, how have your experiences as a New American informed and shaped who you are and your accomplishments?

Feel free to discuss how individual people (such as family or teachers), institutions, aspects of law, culture, society or American governance made an impact on your life as an immigrant or child of immigrants. The program is especially interested in understanding and contextualizing your accomplishments, be they personal, professional, or academic.

This is a very personal essay, one that requires you to dig deep and let yourself be vulnerable. As I drafted and rewrote my essay in response to this prompt, I learned a great deal about myself, drawing connections between my family history, personal struggles, and career goals. I wrote about how my artistic ambitions and drive had been inspired by my great-grandfather’s work ethic and my parents’ immigration to the United States, how the Chinese concept of “saving face” privileged family honor over self-expression and encouraged me to hide my sexuality, and how embracing a career in writing gave me an outlet to express myself honestly and proudly.  

The program advises applicants to use this essay to share stories that provide a window into their world as a new American, the obstacles and opportunities they have faced, and the distance they have traveled. Many applicants find that talking with their parents about their childhood challenges and triumphs can help them illuminate the most salient lessons and experiences for this essay.

As an immigrant or the children of immigrants, what opportunities and rights did you gain in the States that you would not have enjoyed in your parents’ native country? How did that insight influence you? Alternatively, did your family experience obstacles adapting to life in the States? How did those challenges influence your perspective, trajectory, and actions? In what ways do you think your path is continuing or diverting from your family’s journey? How did your life experiences affirm your commitment to the values expressed in the U.S. Constitution or the Bill of Rights? Remember, essays that share the depth of your feelings and not just your actions will resonate most with application readers.

PD Soros Essay Two

Tell us about your current and near-term career-related activities and goals, as well as why you decided to pursue the specific graduate program(s) and school(s) that you have. 

How do you see your current work and study informing your early career goals? If you have not been accepted into a program yet, please tell us about why you selected the programs to which you are applying. 

This essay about your career interests and ambitions might be less personal than Essay One, but it should still be compelling and pick up key notes from your New American essay. The writing you do for this essay will be helpful in drafting your statement of purpose for master’s programs and vice versa. 

In my essay, I wrote about how I had worked to develop my writing career since graduating from college, and how the drive to self-expression that I described in my New American essay influenced the subjects I explored in fiction and film. I wrote about the social and political dimension of my writing and how I sought to challenge readers’ expectations and easy explanations. I wanted to apply to an MFA program to challenge what I knew, strengthen my voice as a writer, and further my activism in the arts.

Often, it helps for applicants to write about the questions they’re seeking answers to, the skills they want to develop, and the missions they would like to contribute to. This discussion then provides an easy segue into how graduate study will prepare them to accomplish their goals and fulfill those roles. With 1,000 words, you also have plenty of room to include details about how you have pursued those answers thus far, providing an additional opportunity to demonstrate that you are a fitting candidate for the PD Soros Fellowship’s search for creative, unique, driven, and committed new Americans.

For more information about the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, listen to Episode 206 of Accepted’s Admissions Straight Talk podcast or schedule a free consultation with me.

The post The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans Application Tips  appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

That’s a lot to accomplish, and it’s easy to get bogged down. This blog post will help! Let’s begin with how to arrive at your ten experiences, and then we’ll break down this section to help you make the greatest impact with your application. 

Which Experiences Should You Include?

Most applicants will have more than ten experiences. Rather than trying to figure out which ones are the “most important,” you might want to look at the different qualities they demonstrate in the context of your chosen specialty. In other words, think first about the qualities or skills needed in your specialty, and then choose and prioritize the experiences that prove you possess those qualities and skills. In doing this, some applicants find clusters of relevant experiences – multiple activities that reflect their advocacy skills, for instance, or tutoring abilities – that they can group together in a single entry.

Five Tips to Choose Your Ten Best Experiences

1. Focus on experiences that demonstrate your interest in whatever field you’ve chosen. One way to approach this is to include an experience for each of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies in your field: Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Practice-Based Learning and Improvement, Systems-Based Practice, Professionalism, and Interpersonal and Communication Skills. For instance, if you’re applying to pediatrics, include at least one experience that demonstrates your engagement in Patient Care, one that showcases your Medical Knowledge, another that highlights your commitment to Practice-Based Learning and Improvement, and so on.  
2. Strike a balance between recent events – those that occurred during med school, if possible – and continuity. I’ve heard some people advise a “one to two, tops” rule for premed activities. I don’t know whether I adhere to that, but out of ten experiences, aim for the majority to be more recent med school activities. However, if you’re choosing between a one-day screening event in med school and an extended volunteer experience as an undergrad, the experience as an undergrad will carry more weight. 
3. If you were involved in multiple one-day screening events, think about combining them into one entry under an umbrella heading (e.g., advocacy in medical school) to show a deeper connection/impact. Briefly describe each one, with dates, but be sure to include a summary introduction and/or conclusion that pulls them all together.
4. Choose experiences that complement your personal statement and the Noteworthy Characteristics section of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE). There will undoubtedly be some overlap in your experiences, but craft your descriptions from different angles to provide new insights into you and your journey to residency.
5. Show your individuality by giving context to your passions and pastimes. Program directors aren’t looking for residents with a sole focus but rather someone who will complement their team and residency program. Interests outside of medicine signal a more balanced lifestyle and offer even more opportunities to contribute to your training. (Also, keep in mind that you have an extra 300 characters with which to describe your hobbies.)

Categorizing Your Selected Experiences

Once you’ve selected your ten experiences, ERAS asks you to categorize them. The first categorization, Experience Type, is required. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) provides the following descriptions and guidelines:

• Education/training (includes clinical training such as clerkships, away rotations, subinternships, structured observerships)  
• Military service  
• Professional organization (includes societies, associations, etc., at the local, regional, national, or international levels)  
• Other extracurricular activity, club, hobby (includes sports, music, theater, student government, etc.)  
• Research  
• Teaching/mentoring (includes paid teaching positions such as high school teacher as well as teaching assistant, tutor)  
• Volunteer/service/advocacy (includes unpaid experiences)  
• Work (includes paid clinical, nonclinical, business, or entrepreneurial experiences) 

Next, you’re asked to identify a Primary Focus Area and a Key Characteristic for each experience. Unlike the required Experience Type, these sections are optional. If no areas or characteristics apply, you can technically leave this field blank. Avoid doing this as much as possible, however. Although categorizing each experience might feel tedious, the AAMC reports that “More than 90% of respondents to the 2025 Program Director Survey used the key characteristics and primary focus areas.”

The AAMC site describes the various Primary Focus Areas as follows:

• Basic science (e.g., scientific disciplines such as biology, chemistry, physics, and also behavioral and social sciences such as psychology, cognitive science, economics, or political science)  
• Clinical/translational science (e.g., diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, development of drugs)  
• Community involvement/outreach (e.g., clothing or food drives, fundraising for public education, K-12 outreach, providing tutoring to youths experiencing homelessness, and social work)  
• Customer service (e.g., positions in retail, restaurant, sales, hospitality, and technical support)  
• Health care administration (e.g., hospital administrators, clinical managers, financial managers, and patient advocates)  
• Improving access to health care (e.g., clinic work in underserved communities, organizing vaccination or health screening for a community with limited access, providing medical or health care resources to people experiencing homelessness)  
• Medical education (e.g., formal instruction to others, tutoring medical students, developing health-related curriculum, conducting research in admissions, student affairs, or educational interventions)  
• Music/athletics/art (e.g., long-term commitments in playing musical instruments or singing, sports, theater/acting, painting or drawing, and computer graphics)  
• Promoting wellness (e.g., developing a wellness program, formal coaching, or mentoring others to promote well-being)  
• Public health (e.g., biostatistics, epidemiology, global health, and nutrition)  
• Quality improvement (e.g., patient safety, such as implementing a plan to reduce secondary infections in patients)  
• Social justice/advocacy (e.g., working to advance health care for all communities; worker unions; and increasing access to educational opportunities) 
• Technology (e.g., engineering or software innovations, biomedical devices, electronic health records [EHRs], and mobile or other software applications) 

The AAMC site lists the various Key Characteristics as follows:

• Communication  
• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Cultural humility and awareness  
• Empathy and compassion  
• Ethical responsibility  
• Ingenuity and innovation  
• Reliability and dependability  
• Resilience and adaptability 
• Self-reflection and improvement  
• Teamwork and leadership

Writing Your Experience Descriptions

After choosing your Experience Types, Focus Areas, and Key Characteristics, you will briefly describe each Selected Experience in 750 characters or less. That’s not a lot of room, so it’s best to avoid a straightforward, CV-style write-up of the position with bland job descriptions in bullet points. (By the way, bullet-point formats are lost in the application’s text box, and you’ll end up with a jumbled block of partial sentences, so avoid using them.) Instead, focus on what you brought to the role and how you made it your own. What were the challenges you faced, and what did you accomplish? Who was impacted by your efforts? Can you back anything up with numbers? You should also (implicitly, if not explicitly) explain what the experience means for you in your chosen specialty.

Three Most Meaningful Experiences

Of the ten experiences you select, you will then highlight three as the most meaningful. This isn’t the place to reiterate your responsibilities in each role. Instead, take the next step and build on these responsibilities. Think about your personal values – especially those that mesh with ones related to your specialty. For example, participating in a rural community needs assessment might embody the kind of advocacy you believe in; sacrificing countless chicken breasts to laparoscopy practice might exemplify your dedication to continued improvement. If you do this, then each 300-character meaningful experience description will show how you’ve understood and reflected on the impact of your work in the context of your specialty.

Other Impactful Experiences

This optional question allows applicants to share any major obstacles they faced before or during medical school. Many candidates will not need to answer this question. If your answer is flippant or shallow, it could do you more harm than good. On the other hand, the obstacles in your life might not be something you want to share. If this is the case, don’t feel obligated to write anything. 

If you do respond to this question, you will need to write a short, 750-character essay describing your experiences. Do not repeat what you’ve already written in your personal statement and activities. Instead, think of this as a separate but related piece of the puzzle – one that will provide a fuller understanding of who you are. Reflect on your experiences to determine how life circumstances beyond your control – at any point in your life – have affected and/or limited you and your opportunities. These could relate to your family situation or financial background, the community in which you were raised, the educational opportunities you’ve had (or didn’t have), the impact of your religion on your life, or other such life experiences. 

In writing this essay, try to lay out the objective facts – without blame or bitterness – and keep your tone positive. The best essays celebrate what has gone right or what an applicant has been able to accomplish despite the difficulties they have faced. Did you grow up in a restrictive community where you were expected to marry young, but you followed your dream of studying instead? Did you successfully balance college with raising a child with special needs? Did you experience a health issue that interrupted your medical studies, but you used your leave of absence to pursue research? Sharing how you’ve advocated for yourself and found ways to be successful despite obstacles reveals your resilience. 

Using the ERAS Selected Experiences section wisely will help you demonstrate your multifaceted qualifications and the varied experiences you will bring to a well-rounded medical team. 

Do you need help with ERAS or any other element of your residency or fellowship application? Work one-on-one with an Accepted advisor who will help you create a strong, successful, admission-worthy application. Request your free consultation today!

The post Maximize Your Experiences in Your ERAS Application appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

You have the power to decide who will write your recommendations (however, it’s also your responsibility to give them enough time before the deadline to do so!). But do you have any control over what your recommender writes? Well, you actually do – to some degree. While, ultimately, what your recommender says about you is up to them, you do have some influence. By supplying them with the right information and tips, you can help them write the best possible recommendation. 

Below you’ll find tips that you can pass along to your recommenders, as well as samples that will give them ideas for writing your recommendation letter.

Advice for Med School Recommenders

When asked to write a medical school recommendation, you might recall the fond memories you have of the applicant. If that person is a former or current student of yours, perhaps you’ll review their scores and grades in your course(s). However, to give them the support they (hopefully) deserve, here are some simple things you can do to truly provide the most thorough and helpful recommendation on their behalf:

1. Request a copy of the applicant’s personal statement so your letter of recommendation can dovetail with – not conflict with or duplicate – the rest of their application.

2. Ask the applicant to supply you with additional information such as a resume, CV, and/or academic transcripts. If it would be helpful, schedule an informational interview with the applicant, either in person or online, to review their materials and learn more about their desire to pursue medicine.

3. Describe your qualifications for comparing the applicant to other applicants as well as the ways in which the applicant has distinguished themself. For example:

I have been teaching for 20 years and have advised approximately 450 students on independent research projects over the last five years. Jen’s project was unlike any of the others I’ve advised, certainly in the top 10%.

I have personally supervised ten interns every summer for the last five years plus worked with over 200 college students in the Big Medical Center ER. Tyrell distinguished himself from the other interns in his focus and dedication by [provide examples].

4. Discuss how well you know the applicant, as demonstrated below:

I was able to get to know Joe because he made it a point to attend two of my sections every week when only one was required.

Jane did research in my laboratory for two years, and I worked very closely with her.

5. Highlight two to three qualities that you observed in the applicant, such as these:

Jane has a rare blend of top research, analytical, and interpersonal skills.

The combination of tenacity, willingness to help, and good communications skills found in Joe is truly unique.

6. In discussing those qualities, support your statements with specific instances in which the applicant demonstrated those attributes. Be as concrete and detailed as possible. For example:

Joe is the only student I ever had who came to all my office hours as part of a relentless – and successful – drive to master biochemistry. He was one of just 10% in the class to receive an A.

Because of Jane’s research and communications skills, I didn’t hesitate to ask her to monitor epileptic patients and prepare electrodes to be implanted in their bilateral temporal lobes. Her quality work contributed significantly to a paper we co-authored and presented to the Society for Neuroscience.

7. Avoid generalities and platitudes like the following:

Joe is a fantastic student. 

I always encouraged Jane to reach for the stars!

8. Avoid artificial criticism, which usually comes in the form of the flip side of a strength, such as “He tries too hard/cares too much/is too humble.” Instead, strive for authentic criticisms that you can couple with sincere ways in which the student has worked to acknowledge and correct this flaw, such as “As Tom’s grades reveal, he did not perform his best in our second semester together. When we met to discuss this, Tom explained his circumstances and the ways in which he could have better managed his schedule to allow for more study time. The following term, Tom implemented these changes and radically improved his performance.”

9. Discuss the applicant’s potential in their chosen field. For example:

With her exceptional interpersonal and research skills, Jane will be an outstanding doctor and a credit to the medical school she attends. I would not be surprised to meet Jane running a complex and high-energy ER in ten years.

Related Resources

• Top Med School Application Strategies Based on GPA and MCAT Score
• How to Overcome the Biggest Weaknesses in Med School Applications, Admissions Straight Talk podcast Episode 605
• Writing Compelling Activity Descriptions to Boost Your Med School Application

The post How to Write a Letter of Recommendation for Medical School: Nine Tips for Recommenders appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Stop.

Yes, you read that right – we’re telling you to pause. Take a breath. Step away from the keyboard.

Assuming you’ve already narrowed down your list of target MBA programs, your smartest first move isn’t writing, it’s thinking. Block out some quiet time, mute your notifications, and let those emails from your boss and your mom wait. (Okay, maybe not your mom’s).

Give yourself a little space to reflect. What matters to you? What lights you up? Where do you want to be 5, 10, even 25 years from now?

Your answers don’t need to be perfect yet, but they do need to feel authentic. This kind of clarity is the foundation of a strong MBA application – and especially of your goals essay.

Identifying Your Goals

Let’s start simple: why are you going to business school? Are you looking to pivot careers? Level up your leadership skills? Launch a venture of your own? Work globally? Expand your network?

MBA applicants usually have more than one reason, which is totally fine. But by digging into your motivations now, you’ll make the rest of the application process a whole lot smoother. Connecting the dots between your past experience, present interests, and future goals is key, and your goals essay is where that story really starts to take shape.

Let’s Talk Goals (the Real Kind)

Alright, time to get specific. Before you write a single sentence of your goals essay, do some self-inventory. The more introspection you do now, the easier the writing will be later.

Start by asking yourself the following questions:

• What did I enjoy most (and least) in my past roles?
• Where did I feel like I was making an impact?
• Where do I want to grow?
• What kinds of roles and industries feel exciting and achievable after my MBA?

Jot down some ideas. Think about the why behind the what. And if you’re planning a big pivot, be ready to explain how an MBA will help you make that move. Which courses, clubs, professors, career resources, or other offering(s) at your target schools will help you get there?

This is your chance to connect your experience with your aspirations and show the adcom that you’ve thought this through.

Five Tips to Make Your Goals Essay Shine

1. Distinguish between your short-term and long-term goals.

Break your goals down clearly. What do you want to do right after graduation? What’s your bigger-picture plan? Be specific by including job titles, industries, and, if possible, even target companies. Even if your plans eventually evolve, showing a thoughtful trajectory at this point helps the adcom understand where you’re headed and why business school is the right next step.

2. Explain how you want to make an impact.

Yes, your MBA is a personal investment, but the adcoms want to know that you’re thinking more broadly and not just about yourself. What kind of impact do you want to have, whether that is on your industry, your community, or even the world? Share the motivation behind your goals, not just the end result.

3. Do your research.

Your goals should not just be exciting; they also need to be realistic. This requires doing research into hiring trends, market shifts, and (of course) your target programs. Make sure that your essay reflects what’s actually happening in the business world and at the programs you’re applying to. Always double-check that you’re not mentioning a resource at the school that it doesn’t actually offer (it happens!).

4. Be familiar with the challenges of your chosen industry.

Every industry has its challenges, and you need to show the adcom that you’re aware of the primary ones in the one you plan to enter. For example, what trends are shaping your target field? What gaps or opportunities are emerging? Admissions teams want to see that you’re not just chasing buzzwords but thinking critically about where you’re headed in your career.

5. Explain why your target position(s) and industry appeal to you.

You might not be asked outright why you’re choosing a particular career path, but trust us, this is information that matters to adcoms. The stronger your why, the more compelling your essay will be. Why fintech? Why consumer goods? Why launch a social impact venture? Dig deep and be honest – what drives you? What matters to you? That passion is what will make your essay memorable.

Think Now, Write Later

Taking time to reflect on your goals now will save you a ton of time and second-guessing later. And when it’s time to write, you’ll be more confident, focused, and ready to tell your story with clarity and purpose.

So take that beat. Be honest with yourself. And dream big, but stay grounded.

Then go write the goals essay that only you can write.

You’ve got this.

The post How to Write a Winning MBA Goals Essay: Tips to Clarify and Communicate Your Career Vision appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

While you will certainly not be the only student in your MBA program who wants to pivot to a new career, there are some things you will need to consider with respect to your application. You will need to clearly demonstrate to the adcom that you understand the new industry and/or function you’re targeting in practical terms. After all, you might genuinely be fascinated by equity research and even have much you could contribute to the field, but you might not fit in with that industry’s culture. So, you must go beyond expressing sincere interest and make a logical case for your career goals. This involves showing that you understand your chosen industry or function “from the inside.” Failure to do so will undermine the credibility of your goals.

The goals essay (or for some schools, a shorter goals statement in the online form) is at the heart of that effort. You’ll need to explain how you plan to achieve your goals, laying out the actual steps you will take.

Here are seven pointers for using your goals essay or statement to convince the adcom that you know exactly what you are doing in deciding to change career direction. Note that applications differ from school to school, so some might provide more or less space in which to implement these tips.

1. Describe the natural progression and evolution of your desired career change.

To make the professional pivot you seek seem as natural as the sunrise, tell the “story” of your motivation and evolving understanding of your target field or function. For example, suppose you are an IT consultant seeking to become an investment research analyst. In that case, you could talk about how interacting with people in different functions at client companies helped you discover how intrigued you were by the financial factors shaping not just IT decisions but also overall strategy development. Describe your developing awareness and interest, detailing some of the more illuminating interactions you’ve had.

2. Show that you understand the day-to-day reality of your desired industry and/or function.

Interacting with people in your desired role or industry, as we’ve noted, is one way to prepare yourself to accomplish this. You could also do informational interviews, audit courses, and read industry publications. Outline in your essay your proactive efforts to understand the field and the insights you’ve gained from these efforts.

3. Openly address the challenges and obstacles you expect to face as a newcomer to the field, and how you plan to handle them.

Discussing the potential difficulties on your professional path further demonstrates your knowledge of the field or function, as well as your maturity and objectivity. It also enhances the adcom’s confidence that you can indeed make the change you seek.

4. Connect the dots between the skills you already possess and the ones you need to develop to successfully change careers.

Your current work has undoubtedly honed your skills and provided knowledge that will be beneficial to you in your future career. These skills and knowledge are transferable, and making sure that the adcom knows that you understand how these skills connect to your future goals is incredibly valuable. For example, as an IT consultant, you might have developed strong communication skills in the process of obtaining information from clients, and these abilities will help you draw information from company management as an equity analyst. In addition, your quantitative skills from engineering will apply. Presenting concrete examples of the capabilities and knowledge you’ve gained that are applicable to your chosen field underscores both your preparation for the role and understanding of its demands.

Also, through the MBA program, you’ll develop some new skills that are necessary for your desired role. Convey your awareness of those crucial skills and how they will complement your transferable skills.

5. Highlight how your background is an asset.

You can likely argue that your “different” background will enable you to make a greater contribution in your new role. For example, an IT consultant can bring their deep understanding of real-world technology deployment to their new role as an equity analyst, and that understanding will facilitate the analysis of a company’s true value and potential for continued success. Delineate such benefits for the adcom and support your claims with concrete examples.

6. Get the adcom on board with your plans by articulating a vision for your goal.

Identify something you want to accomplish or contribute during your career, and the impact you hope to have. An example for an IT consultant could be “integrating deep technology know-how into the evaluation of all companies.”

7. Effectively demonstrate “why this school” by conveying how the MBA program and student experience will help you achieve your goal. 

Ideally, your MBA studies will serve as a bridge to take you from where you are professionally to where you want to be. Outlining key learning needs for your new career will strengthen the adcom’s impression that you understand its realities and demands. Describe, using specific details, how the program you’re applying to will become that bridge.

As a career changer, you face certain obstacles in your MBA strategy and application. On the other hand, you likely have an interesting story to tell about your goals. Use that story to make your plans seem like the most inevitable, natural thing in the world.

Related Resources

• Seven Ways to Make the Most of MBA Fairs and Receptions
• When the MBA Optional Essay Is No Longer Optional
• The Business School Selectivity Index: GMAT Scores, GPAs, and MBA Acceptance Rates

The post MBA Admissions Advice for Career Changers appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

It can be hard to show the genuine “you” when you know that an interview can turn the tide either in your favor or against you. If you make a good connection with your interviewer, they could be inclined to advocate for you. Conversely, if you make a poor impression, they are likely to say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

So, how do you connect with someone you’ve never met before? How do you get across everything you want to say and still make them feel heard? 

By listening.

The biggest mistake interviewees (and doctors) make is delivering a response they’ve prepared and rehearsed rather than listening and responding to the question being asked. Try this: Imagine you are a doctor, and the interviewer is a patient coming to you for help. Your job is to listen closely, put them at ease, and share your thoughts based on what they are asking. Rather than giving a speech, try to participate in a back-and-forth exchange of ideas. If your interviewer believes that they are being heard, they will feel the same way a patient would. And that is ultimately the goal of the interview: to reveal how you behave with someone who needs you to listen.

I like to think of an interview as more like improv than acting. If you rehearse only what you want to say (acting), you won’t be responding in the moment (improv). Improv actors don’t walk out on stage and hope for the best; they prepare by having other actors throw out suggestions to them. A practice or mock interview is the only way you can be ready for the real thing.

So, this is your chance to practice. Here, we present 12 common medical school interview questions and offer a strategy for handling each one. As you read through the questions, take a few seconds to jot down any of your experiences that might be relevant in your answer. 

1. “Tell me about yourself.” (The open-ended question)

This question is all about organization. You might be tempted to start at the beginning of your life and say, “I was born in [place], grew up in [place], studied at [school], and then my family moved to [another place].” Clearly, if you answer this way, it will take you quite a while before you get to anything relevant. Interviewees who start this way often realize they are talking too much and stop before they get to the good stuff.

To be more effective, make sure your answer has a theme. Here are some examples:

• “I have always liked taking things apart. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve disassembled things and tried to figure out how they work. When I heard about biomedical engineering in high school, it made so much sense for me.…” After sharing a brief story about his mom’s frustration when he took apart the dishwasher, this applicant can go on to describe the journey in biomedical engineering that led him to medicine.
• “As the oldest of five, I grew up looking after other people. My parents worked a lot, so I was the one making sure everyone had dinner and did their homework. When I thought about what career I wanted, I knew I wanted to care for and support others.…” This applicant goes from a tutoring job in middle school to her current role educating patients with a recent diabetes diagnosis, sharing the steps in between that honed her curiosity and interest in others’ lives.
• “My mom was a nutritionist and my dad ran a vitamin supplement company, so my parents were committed to healthy eating. Naturally, I craved the junk food my friends ate. I remember this changed when my middle school class went to work at a food bank.…” From weightlifting to conducting research on fitness apps to sharing how his gardening hobby led to feeding a neighborhood, this applicant’s focus on healthy lifestyles gives him a unified theme to share with the interviewer.

I like these examples because they say something about each applicant’s early life – their parents, their families, their interests – without following the traditional route of “I was born in….” Each offers a glimpse into the person’s background while steering toward what the interviewer most wants to know: why is this person here, now, applying for medical school?

Don’t expect your theme to pop up immediately. You might need to sift through your experiences to find a pattern, or consider talking to someone who knows you well and can offer a high-level perspective. You can always look back at your personal statement, where you hopefully had a clear theme. 

2. “What do you do for fun or to relieve stress?” (The “let’s be friends” question)

This question sometimes stumps applicants who feel they haven’t done anything fun since they started studying for the MCAT and writing essays a year ago! But this isn’t the time to double down on your determination to attend med school. No program wants students who are so high-strung that they can’t slow down and enjoy life.

At the same time, this doesn’t need to be a grand declaration. You don’t need to be an Olympic fencer or a prize cat breeder (although it’s fine if you are!). It’s okay to share simple things, such as walking your dog, cooking for friends, talking to your grandparents on the phone, painting, reading, playing board games, or going camping, hiking, or rock-climbing. Whatever it is, smiling while you talk about it shows that you know how to enjoy something. 

3. “How should we pay for healthcare in the United States?” (The “big picture” question)

How are you, a humble premed, to know the answer to this? After all, politicians and policymakers can’t figure it out!

The key is to show that you know something about the debate and have some ideas in mind about how to approach the issue. Acknowledge that it is a difficult problem with many complex factors, and then identify the major players and discuss a few of the pros and cons of one solution. Try not to come across as a know-it-all. Sometimes the best thing you can say is “I wish I knew the answer.”

4. “Why do you want to attend this school?” (The “Why us?” question)

Schools are forever asking this question, but what they really want to know is “Does this applicant really want to be here?”  

If you merely rattle off a list of great things about the school, you will not be addressing that underlying question. And your interviewer already knows that the school has renowned faculty members, well-funded research programs, and impressive affiliated hospitals in its network.

Instead, start by telling them your goals – what kind of doctor you want to become, what kind of patients you want to care for, what kind of research you want to do – and then connect them to the school’s offerings. Emphasize the contribution that you want to make. Does your undergraduate neuroscience thesis connect to Dr. X’s neurosurgical research? Will working with the school’s student-run mobile clinic build on your past volunteer service at a homeless shelter and help you reach the community you want to someday serve? Pick one or two elements or resources in the school’s program that genuinely interest you, or that will help you get where you want to go, and tell the interviewer why and how you would take advantage of those offerings.

5. “Tell me about that grade in biochemistry.” (The “explain yourself” question)

You got a C- during your sophomore year and are hoping the rest of your academic transcript will overshadow it. Then your worst med school application nightmare happens: an interviewer asks about that grade. There could be many reasons: your professor barely spoke English, you were breaking up with your partner, and/or your home team was in the World Series, and studying just wasn’t going to happen. But, of course, you can’t say any of that! So, how do you take responsibility and show that you’ve learned from the experience without making excuses or blaming others?

The answer is to discuss your learning style and study technique. Explain that before the problematic course, you studied a certain way, but the bad grade was a turning point. You realized that you needed a new approach, and you incorporated a new visual/auditory/kinesthetic learning style. You tried different study styles until you found a technique that worked for you. Most doctors have struggled with a class at some point, and everyone likes to think our success is due to our hard work and perseverance (which, on some level, is true). Remind your interviewer of their own challenges and individual learning style, and they will tend to believe you.

6. “Why not become a scientist, teacher, or nurse?” (The “Why medicine?” question)

You might feel as though you answered this question already in your application, so how do you do so again here without repeating yourself? Think of a moment when you witnessed how medicine changed someone’s life. Why do you want to be a part of moments like that? What is it about being a physician that appeals to you more than anything else? Be specific, and avoid the uber-generic “I want to help people,” which could also apply to being a nurse, teacher, scientist, or a thousand other helping professions.

7. “What are your strengths?” (The “Why should we admit you?” question)

How can you sound confident without appearing self-important? And what are the “best” strengths to have? The important thing to remember here is that it’s not the specific strengths you choose but how well you paint the picture of yourself using them. Start by asking yourself what you like to do most in the world. Usually, we enjoy doing things that employ our strengths because those activities are less taxing, and therefore we are more apt to do well. If your favorite thing is watching movies with friends, then your strength might be analyzing concepts and reading people. If your hobby is taking cars apart, then maybe your strength is mechanical dexterity. If your favorite thing is rock-climbing, then your strength might be staying calm under pressure. If you enjoy making art, your strength might be finding new ways to express an idea or concept. Everyone has more than one strength, so pick a few and see what sounds best. If you avoid limiting yourself to the standard academic strengths, you will find richer and more convincing topics.

8. “What is your greatest weakness?” (The “Do you know yourself?” question)

When we’re talking about weaknesses, we’re really talking about self-awareness. Nobody’s perfect, and med schools want students who are self-aware enough to know what needs work. To identify your weaknesses, take the same approach as for the previous question about strengths, but this time, ask yourself “What do I really not enjoy?” and work backward. Be sure to dig until you find the underlying answer. Not knowing how to perform a certain lab technique or speak another language is not a weakness; it’s just something you haven’t learned yet.

When sharing your weakness, give a brief example of a time – preferably in the past – when it notably affected or limited you. This will keep the interviewer’s mind from going to the worst possible case. Then, explain the steps you’ve taken to address the shortcoming. Acknowledging your weakness and showing that you are working to improve it is highly desirable in medicine.

9. “Tell me about a challenge and how you overcame it.” (The “adversity” question)

The key here is to identify a difficulty that you have truly been able to work through. Think of something you are proud to have accomplished or have found a way to resolve. What made it so difficult along the way? Describe in detail how you persevered when the going got tough.

One problem you might encounter with this question is contemplating an answer that lies at one of two extremes: either your challenge was so deep and personal that it’s too difficult (or too soon) to discuss, or you can think of only run-of-the-mill challenges (such as getting just a B+ in chemistry) that seem too trivial to talk about. If the B+ in chemistry made you realize you needed to find a new study style or helped you understand how to cope with stress better, you can discuss that in more detail. If a deep personal challenge is still weighing heavily on you, don’t discuss it in the interview. Above all, stay away from talking about your romantic relationships. These conversations can make an interviewer feel uncomfortable, which is not the impression you want to leave.

10. “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” (The “future self” question)

At this point, you probably haven’t thought much about life beyond your next interview, so how do you fast-forward ten whole years? This question takes a bit of creative imagination. Use it as an opportunity to come up with a few ideas, and then test them before deciding how to answer. Imagine the mixture of your workday:

• Would you enjoy working with patients for half a day and teaching for the other half? If so, then you might be leaning toward academic medicine. 
• Do you see yourself doing research two or three days a week and seeing patients the other days? If so, clinical research might be a good direction. 
• Do you enjoy playing detective, want to focus all your energy on patient care, and hope to address a wide variety of issues? If so, primary care might be the place for you. 

Remember, it is not important (or even wise) to decide on a specialty now. That’s what your clinical rotations are for. Just try to imagine how you would like to spend your day, and that should tell you what kind of practice you might enjoy. Smile when you talk about it – to show that you are looking forward to this new life, despite the long hours and years of work required to get there.

11. “Tell me about a time when you were part of a team.” (The “working with others” question)

I think of this as a “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” kind of question. There are three ways to answer it, but only one feels “just right.” You can offer a positive experience (“Everyone was great! We all got along!”), a negative experience (“I had to do all the work myself. Everyone else was lazy.”), or a learning experience (“We had different ideas at the start, but then we compromised and came to appreciate one another’s strengths.”). The all-positive version sounds untruthful, and the all-negative version doesn’t give you responsibility, but the combined, “learning experience” response is what the interviewer is looking for – it’s “just right.”

12. “What would you do if an elderly woman’s family asked you to keep a diagnosis of terminal cancer from her?” (The ethics question)

This question is an opportunity to show that you can think on your feet. In any ethical dilemma, there are pros and cons to each path, as well as responsibilities and laws to keep in mind. It is important to examine each of these while remembering that your primary obligation is to your patient. First, acknowledge that you would want to get more information (Why does her family want to keep the diagnosis from her? Does she have any underlying emotional or mental health issues?). Then, discuss your primary responsibility (i.e., doing the best thing for your patient). If you get to a point where you don’t know what to do next, remember that you can always ask for help. Say that you would consult with your hospital’s ethics committee, and if they are not available, you would consult with other physicians who have faced similar situations. There is often no right or wrong answer to an ethics question, so the best path involves exploring the options with a spirit of inquiry and empathy for both sides.

What’s Next?

Now it’s time to practice. First, jot down answers to each of these common questions. Read them aloud a few times; this will help you cut out any extraneous information and really get to the core of your message.

Now, go further. You can’t use a script in an interview, as doing so will make you sound forced and unnatural. Instead, refer to the outline or key points you know you want to make. As you practice, keep these points in mind, but feel free to change the wording around them. This approach will make your thoughts more flexible and your delivery more natural.

Also, remember that there is no way to anticipate every question. When you are faced with a question or topic you did not anticipate, don’t panic. And don’t exaggerate or pretend you know the answer to everything. Practice saying, “I don’t know” and “I need to learn more about that.” Med schools don’t want students who think they know everything; they want people who are willing to admit when they don’t have all the answers and then work hard to figure them out.

To be good at interviewing, you need to practice doing it live. Conduct practice interviews in front of the mirror or with a friend, an advisor, an Accepted consultant, or all of the above. Ask anyone you practice with for feedback on your facial expressions, your eye contact, how you responded to the question being asked, and whether they felt heard.

The best way to feel confident going into your med school interview is to be absolutely sure you’ve taken the right steps to prepare. A mock interview with an Accepted admissions expert will provide you with personalized guidance and feedback and help you put your best foot forward on interview day. Contact us for a free consultation to get started!

The post 12 Med School Interview Questions You’ll Likely Face—and How to Prepare appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

The school seeks academically exceptional, well-rounded applicants who combine strong interpersonal skills and leadership potential with a demonstrated commitment to service. Ideal candidates bring life experiences that reflect cultural competence, resilience, and a passion for improving healthcare on both local and global scales. While academic excellence – evidenced by high GPAs, strong MCAT scores, and a solid foundation in the sciences – is essential, the admissions committee also values diverse perspectives, a collaborative spirit, and the readiness to thrive in a rigorous, patient-centered, and innovation-driven environment.

Essay #1

If applicable, please comment on significant fluctuations in your academic record. (No limit)

Respond to this prompt only if you have discrepancies in your grades that you can explain in a short essay and that are not addressed elsewhere in your application. When presenting this kind of information, avoid blaming others, and always try to show how you have rectified the situation and/or grown from the experience. For instance, if your grades suffered when you were juggling multiple jobs and coursework, focus on how the experience taught you to be more efficient – rather than complaining that your professor unjustly penalized a late paper. 

Although there’s no character length specified for this essay, you should keep your submission short and straightforward. Be as specific as possible, and always be honest.

Essay #2

If you have taken any time off from your studies – before, during, or after college – please describe what you did during that time and your reasons for doing so. (No limit)

Similarly, if you have any breaks in your educational history, present your explanation of these gaps succinctly, honestly, and with as much emphasis on the positive as possible. I suggest that you limit this essay to a paragraph for shorter breaks that occurred when you were in college while explaining your gap activities if you are a nontraditional applicant. For instance, if you worked in another career for a while, that might justify a longer essay. If you have graduated from college, provide a short summary of what you have been doing since graduation, focusing especially on full-time work and volunteer activities. Keep things positive; highlight your personal and professional growth, the impact you have had on others, and how you have learned from these beneficial or educational experiences.

Essay #3

Please upload your most recent CV, ensuring it includes up-to-date publications, abstracts, and presentations.

Don’t overlook this important item! First, ensure you are submitting a CV and not a resume. Second, your CV should be updated and current. Third, double-check that your publications, abstract, and presentations are written and formatted correctly on your CV. And, finally, upload a PDF – not a Word or Google Docs file.  

Essay #4

Tell us about a long-term goal you pursued over several years. What obstacles did you encounter, and what sustained your motivation when progress was slow? (2,500 characters)

Your response to this prompt has direct parallels to medical school, residency, and your journey to becoming a physician because you are describing a multiyear process that required patience, resilience, and overcoming obstacles. Since this prompt doesn’t specifically say you need to identify something related to medicine – though it does need to be something pursued over several years – you have the luxury of writing about a hobby, passion project, or personal interest. If you learned to play an instrument, learned a new language, wrote a book, trained and ran a marathon, or renovated a house, any of those would provide interesting material to write about and would enable you to discuss your commitment, long-term devotion, and ability to rebound from setbacks.  

Essay #5

Medical training demands continuous improvement. Share an example of feedback you received that was difficult to hear. How did you act on it, and what changed as a result? (2,500 characters)

The purpose of this essay is to have you 1) clearly identify the scenario that elicited feedback, 2) write honestly about the feedback given, 3) share openly your initial feelings about the feedback, and 4) highlight how you applied the feedback and made relevant and positive changes moving forward. Initially, receiving critical feedback can feel tough – especially when you are working hard, learning something new, and trying your best. The adcom wants to read how you processed it, learned from that moment, and used it as a growth opportunity.  

Essay #6 

Conflicts arise daily from differences in perspectives, priorities, worldviews and traditions. How do you define respect? Describe a situation in which you found it challenging to remain respectful while facing differences. (2,500 characters)

In this essay, it’s important to focus on a specific situation and be honest about your role. There should be a genuine conflict that you sought to resolve rather than circumstances in which you were a relatively passive observer. A strong essay will show that you have grown and matured as a result of the conflict. Try to write this essay for someone who doesn’t know you well, which will require you to provide detail. The situation can come from your academic, professional, or personal life. And don’t forget to define “respect”; be sure to provide your personal definition, not the dictionary definition.

Essay #7

Describe a situation in which you faced an ethical dilemma or pressure to compromise your values. How did you navigate the situation, and what guided your decision? (2,500 characters)

An ethical dilemma is one where you must choose between two or more conflicting opinions, and no choice is considered “right.” When writing this essay, be sure to let the adcom know all sides of the dilemma, leaving personal opinion and bias aside. Write about the considerations you took into account when rendering your opinion, what values you prioritized, and the recognition of any resulting complications. A strong essay will demonstrate an initial struggle to make a decision and a final navigation guide involving both positive communication and constructive action.  

Essay #8 

Some of the most meaningful achievements are non-academic in nature. Describe the personal accomplishment that makes you most proud. Why is this important to you? (2,500 characters)

This prompt asks you to think about your achievements broadly and to include experiences that might not otherwise be covered in a traditional application. Your achievement could be in the arts, sports, community service, or possibly even personal arena. The focus should be on why this non-academic achievement was important to you. Do not write about academic awards or your grades/MCAT scores. I also don’t recommend that you write about getting into med school or another academic-type program.

NYU Grossman Application Timeline, 2026-2027

Source: NYU Grossman website

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with NYU Grossman directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

NYU Grossman Class Profile

Here is a look at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine Class of 2024 (data taken from the NYU Grossman website):

Applicants: 8,271

Interviewed: 821

Accepted: 208 (acceptance rate: 2.50%)

Matriculated: 106 (91 MD, 13 MD/PhD, 2 OMS)

Total students in all classes: 422

Students receiving grants and/or scholarships: 100%

Median MCAT: 523 

MCAT range: 516-527

Median GPA: 3.98 

GPA range: 3.79-4.0

Gender

• Men: 51%
• Women: 49%

Average age: 23 

Age range: 20-30

The post NYU Grossman School of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Tips and Timeline [2026-2027], Class Profile appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

1. Limit your resume to one page, unless you have more than ten years of work experience.

Many schools will accept a two-page resume, but the overwhelming preference among adcom members at the top 20 schools is for one-page resumes. Unless you have more than a decade of professional experience under your belt or some other superlative achievements that simply demand that extra page, keep it short and sweet – one page only.

2. Focus on impact and achievements, not responsibilities.

Don’t waste a bullet point item in your resume by essentially repeating your job title. If you are an analyst, you don’t need to say that you “analyze problems and develop optimal solutions.” That’s what analysts do. If you are a consultant, you don’t need to write that you “consult with clients on improving their business.” That’s what consultants do.

What will distinguish you is not your job title but what you achieved when you held that title. Additionally, you want to include the problem or project you were working on and the impact or results of that work. 

3. Quantify your impact on the organizations you’ve worked for with specifics.

Include details such as by how much/what percentage you reduced expenses or increased sales, how many people were on the team you supervised, and the like. Don’t say, “Developed e-commerce plan that was selected for implementation” when you mean “Designed $5 million e-commerce strategy that increased revenues by 12% and attracted 6 new clients.” Don’t use a vague phrase such as “led a team” when in fact you “led a 6-person team responsible for the rollout of a new product that brought in $300,000 in 6 months.” If you can’t disclose revenue figures, refer to percentage increases, or cite the improved industry ranking of the organization’s product or performance as a result of your contribution.

4. Give your most recent professional experience the most attention.

Highlight the positions in which you had the greatest impact. In most cases, your current position will deserve the most space. To stay within the preferred one-page format, try to limit your current or most recent position to four bulleted accomplishments. If you have recently changed jobs, devote more bullet points to demonstrating what you achieved in a prior position. Ideally, you will not have to reach back more than a year in your employment history to do this.

5. Don’t list each promotion as though it represents a new position at a new employer.

If one position has allowed you significant leadership opportunities and impact or you have been in your current role for several years, you might need more than four bullet points. Still, avoid listing promotions as though they were new positions; this actually detracts from the attention the promotion should get. Instead, present the company name and total dates of employment, and then beneath that, list each role with its respective bullet points.

6. Emphasize leadership at every opportunity.

Leadership can be manifested by taking charge of an engagement or project and also by seizing the initiative to add value to your organization. This can mean recruiting peers and staff to get buy-in on an idea or project or to work together to achieve a goal. When you think about leadership in this more expansive way, you will invariably find that you have more examples of it than you thought. Try to frame your leadership triumphs in terms of how they benefited the organization you worked for.

7. Leave high school back in high school.

Don’t include high school activities unless you had truly extraordinary achievements, such as winning a prestigious national award or something else dazzling for someone that young.

8. Place your educational information after your work experience.

Your resume should present your most prominent and impressive experiences first. If you have more than two years of work experience, put your education information after work experience. Do not include your GPA, GMAT score, SAT score, or other statistics, which are already on your application.

9. Use strong action verbs to begin every bulleted item.

Strong action verbs make you sound like a dynamic individual who is always ready to work and have an impact. Don’t say, “Responsible for the development of inventory-control system” when you can say, “Developed inventory-control system.” Look for opportunities to include strong cooperation-laden verbs, such as assist, contribute, support, and provide.

10. Design your resume to be user-friendly.

The skillful use of understated design can result in an eye-catching resume that projects a sophisticated, successful image. Avoid fussy typefaces – nothing in script or with squiggles. Stick with a conservative style, and go easy on the busy eyes of the adcom members by ensuring that none of the fonts you use are smaller than 10 points.

11. Include notable extras.

These extras could include honors, publications, presentations, patents, professional licenses/certifications, and relevant volunteer experiences. Don’t go overboard, however. If you’ve been a research assistant on a dozen projects or received honors since elementary school, select only what is truly most impressive.

12. Proofread and edit mercilessly.

Reduce fluff and make every word count. Complete sentences are not mandatory, but it is advisable to maintain a consistent format throughout the document. Use style check and spell-check (even though ewe no spell Czech cannot catch awl errors). Have a friend or a professional editor review your resume for mistakes you might have missed.

The post Twelve MBA Resume Tips to Help You Get Accepted appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, host Dr. Valerie Wherley speaks with Sobia Hussaini, MHA, assistant professor of PA studies and director of admissions and strategic recruitment for PA studies at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Their conversation offers an inside look at Wake Forest’s 24-month Master of Medical Science PA Program, including its two-campus structure, inquiry-based learning model, leadership training, service orientation, and admissions priorities.

Wake Forest combines a larger cohort with a small-group learning environment.

Wake Forest enrolls 88 new PA students each year: 64 in Winston-Salem and 24 in Boone. Sobia explains that students apply to the PA program as a whole rather than to one campus because both campuses share the same curriculum, academic calendar, and access to faculty. Students begin together in Winston-Salem during the first unit, and then they continue their studies on their home campuses.

The locations offer different strengths. Winston-Salem places students in an urban medical education environment near Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, in the Innovation Quarter. Boone, developed in partnership with Appalachian State University, gives students a rural, medically underserved context and a close connection to the surrounding community. 

Inquiry-based learning is central to how Wake Forest teaches future PAs.

Wake Forest’s curriculum is built around inquiry-based learning (IBL). Instead of spending most of the preclinical year in lecture, students work in small groups on patient cases with a faculty facilitator. Each week, they receive a hypothetical patient case, build a differential diagnosis, evaluate diagnostic data, identify what they still need to learn, and work toward treatment recommendations.

The focus is on learning how to think like a clinician. Sobia describes faculty facilitators as guides who keep students moving in the right direction by asking questions such as “why?” This model helps students develop clinical reasoning, critical thinking, collaboration, and the habits of lifelong learning.

Leadership and service are built into the program.

Wake Forest’s PA curriculum includes leadership development across the full 24 months, with sessions on communication styles, conflict resolution, feedback, advocacy, public health, and leading in changing environments. Sobia emphasizes that leadership is not limited to a title. In the PA profession, leadership often means advocating for patients, supporting communities, and working effectively within healthcare teams.

For students who want an additional leadership pathway, Wake Forest also offers Emerging Leaders Program options in business and law. Students in the Emerging Leaders Program complete a master’s program in management or legal studies before beginning the PA curriculum, adding business, legal, policy, and leadership training to their preparation as future PAs.

Service begins early in the PA curriculum as well. During orientation, Wake Forest PA students go into the community on day one to work with local organizations connected to social drivers of health, including housing, transportation, food security, education, and social support. The goal is to remind students that excellent clinical care requires understanding the context in which patients live.

Competitive Wake Forest PA applicants need more than strong grades.

Sobia is clear that academic preparation matters. PA school is intense, and Wake Forest wants students who can handle rigorous science coursework and a demanding 24-month curriculum. But the strongest applicants also bring meaningful hands-on patient care experience, teamwork, service, leadership, resilience, and communication skills.

Most importantly, they understand their answers to these questions: Why a PA? Why this role on the healthcare team? Why this profession rather than another healthcare path? Applicants who can answer those questions with clarity are better prepared to write compelling essays, interview well, and thrive once the program becomes challenging.

Related Resources:

• Wake Forest University School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program
• Wake Forest PA Program Emerging Leaders Programs 
• Inside Wake PA, a digital publication
• The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Physician Assistant, an Accepted guide
• Accepted’s Physician Assistant Application Packages 

Related Episodes:

• From PA School Reapplicant to Future Provider: How Persistence Helped One Student Succeed [Episode 621]
• Becoming a PA at Sacred Heart: International Opportunities, Orthopedic Training, and Admissions Advice [Episode 613]
• How to Get Accepted to Duke’s Physician Assistant Program [Episode 591]

The post Inside Wake Forest’s PA Program: Inquiry-Based Learning, Service, and Leadership Training [Episode 627] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Your resume is a key part of your application that, if well constructed, can help you gain admission to the program of your choice. How it looks, what you’ve included and excluded, how well you’ve highlighted your strengths, the categories you select, and the order in which the various categories are presented will all influence the admission readers’ perception of who you are and what you have to offer.

With respect to resumes, one size does not fit all. A single version of your resume will most likely not be optimal for each educational opportunity you wish to pursue. Here are four strategies for creating your best possible resume for each program you plan to apply to:

1. Consider your target audience.

Just as marketing professionals tailor their message for a specific audience, you, too, need to carefully consider who will be reading your resume.

For graduate school applications, familiarize yourself with the program’s admissions criteria, and focus on aspects of your background that most closely align with those criteria.

2. Assess your strengths in relation to your target school’s criteria.

Start by preparing a list of your professional skills and experiences, including work leadership positions, promotions, research, and committee responsibilities (task force, team-based initiatives, project leadership, and special assignments). List foreign languages on your resume only if you have a skill level that enables you to effectively use the language on the job or in school (i.e., you are either fluent or conversational).

Prioritize the list in terms of how important and relevant your skills are with respect to the graduate program’s specific admissions criteria. Doing so will ensure that you highlight the qualities and qualifications that are most likely to impress your target audience, the adcom. For example, if you are applying for an MBA or MS in finance, highlight your internship at a banking institution and downplay or eliminate less-relevant experiences, such as having been a camp counselor. If you are a recent graduate applying to programs in public administration, be sure to include any student government leadership roles you have held. If you’re applying to programs in psychology or social work, your human services experience is important. Focus on “selling points.” In other words, what about this product (you!) makes it so special that someone would want to buy it? 

Prepare another list of your achievements, which might include publications, licenses, and certifications. Once you have this list, again consider which ones will most positively affect your candidacy for the graduate program to which you are applying. If you are a recent graduate, any cocurricular (extracurricular) activities in which you took a leadership role are desirable experiences to highlight.

As you review your skills, think about the ones that are most relevant to your field of study, as well. For example, a graduate program in architecture might not really care that you are a certified lifeguard but might care very much that you are CAD (computer aided design) certified. The adcom of a graduate counseling program will be interested to learn that you were a resident assistant during college and that you served as a mediator and peer advisor and used crisis management skills in your residence hall.

If community service is highly valued by your graduate program, include this category, and list volunteer experiences in which you held a leadership role and had an impact over a period of time. One-time volunteer experiences are not likely to impress the adcom. Check out the mission statement of the school or graduate program you’re targeting, because it will be a good indicator of the values and qualities the school embraces. 

3. Format your resume strategically.

Take steps to keep your resume short, direct, and to the point. Make it as easy to read as possible.

Select categories that best reflect your experience. If you worked in human resources and then moved into marketing, create two different categories for these roles: Marketing Experience and Human Resources Experience. Your Experience section can include both paid and unpaid positions. If you have significant full-time, paid work in a field, you should delete any short-term work and internships in that field. All the experiences you present within a category should be listed in reverse chronological order (with the most recent first); you can list the categories in order of their relevance to the field in which you are applying to study.  

4. Revise, edit, and proofread your resume multiple times. 

Be sure to have a trusted advisor review your resume. Accepted offers a comprehensive  that allows you to work directly with an experienced consultant to create a strong, tailored resume that effectively showcases your skills and experiences. 

Related Resources

• Eight Tips for Attention-Grabbing Resumes
• Nine MBA Resume Mistakes to Avoid
• 20 Do’s And Don’ts for Your Application Resume

The post Graduate School Application Tips: Stand Out by Tailoring Your Resume appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

MCASOM seeks applicants who demonstrate a deep commitment to patient-centered care, scientific inquiry, and leadership in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment. Ideal candidates combine academic excellence with curiosity, resilience, and compassion, showing the ability to adapt and thrive across diverse clinical settings. Applicants are expected to value collaboration, mentorship, and wellness while pursuing their individual passions – whether in patient care, research, or service. MCASOM looks for students eager to contribute to its mission of putting the needs of patients first, advancing medicine through innovation, and redefining healthcare on a local, national, and global scale.

Essay #1

At Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, we seek students whose values align with our mission to put the needs of the patient first. Please share why you would like to study medicine at our school, including specifically why at the top campus track you selected. (500 words maximum)

This prompt is an opportunity to demonstrate both your enthusiasm for attending MCASOM and how you will contribute as a medical student. Reflect on the program’s mission and values. How do they align with your personal values and goals for a future career in medicine? Conduct research on the school’s curriculum, programs, and opportunities. Provide specific reasons why MCASOM will provide you with unique opportunities to pursue your goals. What offerings do you hope to take advantage of? You should also include several sentences about your interest in the top-choice track you indicated on your application. How does this track align with your interests? How does it create a learning environment in which you will thrive? Show that you have done your research on the program and have a genuine interest in it. 

Essay #2

Reflect on how your professional and lived experiences have shaped your identity. Tell us how these experiences will help you contribute to a collaborative learning environment, support your patients and colleagues, and advance Mayo Clinic’s commitment to excellence. (500 words maximum)

Reflect on how your unique personal, cultural, and professional experiences have shaped your identity and worldview. How have these elements influenced the way you interact with others in both personal and professional environments? How have they influenced the way you navigate diverse teams or relationships with those who are different from you? Has it allowed you to show empathy for others, mediate a conflict, or make a meaningful change? Discuss how these characteristics will make you a better student, classmate, and future physician. How will you enrich a collaborative learning environment and advocate for your future patients?

Essay #3

Mayo Clinic’s Bold. Forward. strategy integrates digital innovation with a deeply humanistic approach to transform healthcare. What role do you see yourself playing in shaping this future? Describe the skills, experiences, or aspirations in artificial intelligence and innovation that prepare you to contribute meaningfully to this transformation. (500 words maximum)

As technology is being embraced in the healthcare space and increasingly utilized by patients, Mayo Clinic is interested to read about your background in working with various technologies, as well as your vision of integrating them into future patient care and treatment plans. Examples include virtual health assistants and chatbots, AI-based medical scribing, wearable health monitors, and health-related apps on watches and smart phones. The goal in writing a strong essay would be to cite an example of your experience using a piece of technology – either in research, clinical, or volunteer work –and highlight how it enhanced the outcome but didn’t replace the importance of human interaction.  

MCASOM Application Timeline

Source: MCASOM website

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with MCASOM directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

MCASOM Class Profile

Here is a look at MCASOM’s 2025 admissions and acceptance statistics (data taken from the MCASOM website):

MD Program

Applications: 5,396

Applicants interviewed: 712

Acceptances issued: 175

Arizona four-year track: 42 students

Minnesota four-year track: 40 students

Arizona/Florida track: 7 students

Minnesota/Florida track: 9 students

MD/PhD Program

Applications received: 525

Applicants interviewed: 70

Acceptances issued: 29

Arizona track: 2 students

Minnesota track: 9 students

MD and MD/PhD Programs

Top undergraduate degree majors:

• Biology
• Neuroscience
• Human biology
• Biochemistry
• Biomedical engineering
• Microbiology
• Chemistry

Non-science degrees:

• Applied mathematics
• Business
• Computer science
• Economics
• Global health
• Nutrition
• Public health

Students identifying as:

• Women: 55
• Men: 53
• Decline: 1
• American Indian or Alaska Native: 2%
• Asian: 35%
• Black or African American: 9%
• Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish origin: 8%
• Middle Eastern or North African: 4%
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 1%
• White: 25%
• Multiple race/ethnicity: 6%
• Unknown race/ethnicity: 10%

Underrepresented in medicine: 24%

Median GPA: 3.95

Students with gap years (graduated prior to July 2024): 76

States represented: 33

First-generation college graduates: 13

Median MCAT score: 521

Age range of first-year class: 20-35

The post Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Tips and Timeline [2026–2027], Class Profile appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.