Writing Effective Graduate School Admission Essays

The Purpose of Admission Essays
Through your essays, the admissions faculty will predict:
Can you handle the work?
Will you have sufficient motivation to do the work and complete the program?
Will you fit into the program?

How to Prove that the Answers to Those Questions is “Yes”

Know yourself:
 In your essay, effectively identify your interests, abilities, values, and personality characteristics. An excellent way to demonstrate your motivation is to summarize what triggered your interest in the occupational field of interest and describe the choices you made that led you to pursue a graduate degree in that field.

Know the program:
 There are several benefits of researching the program for which you are applying. First, it will reaffirm that the program matches your career goals, and by effectively demonstrating this in your essay, you’ll be able to show that you would be an excellent candidate for the program. Secondly, including specific information about the program will show that you’ve “done your homework” in researching programs and schools, and this will assist you in personalizing the essay.

Getting Started
 Anxiety and intimidation about writing an essay is normal. Yet, it’s not necessary. Begin with a rough draft that you can polish later. Be sure to avoid procrastination!

 An essay should not simply list each activity in which you participated in college. Instead, it should be more specific and memorable. The following are seven good essay topics identified by Zilber:

• The history of your career interests
• Coursework related to the program
• Experiences or research related to the program
• Research or specialization interests and goals
• Future career goals
• Answers to any specific questions the application asks
• Why that particular school or program fits you – this would be an excellent conclusion to an essay

 In addition to content, your writing style (that is, how you communicate) is another criterion on which you’re being evaluated. Your writing should display confidence (action verbs are a must!), have specific examples, and be well thought-out.