sample admission essay

People who have decided to pursue law degrees must still undergo law school admissions procedures. Although law schools have varying admission processes, it is still best to be equipped with all the information about them. If you are pursuing a law degree, continue reading this article. The following information might help you have an idea about the most common law school admissions terms.

Law School Admissions Index

Schools use different law schools admissions index in evaluating their applicants. The index is composed of your undergraduate grade point average and LSAT score. Schools use different numerical  formula in determining the applicant’s index. The admissions committee sets the median index. This number would become the passing point for law school applicants. Although the law school admissions index is one of the bases for admission, committees still consider a lot of factors in the evaluation.

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

The LSAT is a standardized exam designed to assess law schools applicant. LSAT scores are one of the things that law school admissions committees consider. The test comprises five 35-minute multiple choice parts. The last part, which is the writing sample, is not graded. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) would send this writing sample to the law schools you have applied for. Law school admissions committees also use the writing sample in evaluating your application. To register for the LSAT, visit the LSAC’s website.

Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS)

Not all academic institutions directly receive law school admissions applications. In such cases, it might be necessary to get the services of the LSDAS to process your law school admissions applications. The LSDAS is the database service of the LSAC. The LSDAS prepares the necessary report that it would send to the law schools you would apply to. The LSDAS report generally contains the following:

an academic summary of your undergraduate degree
transcripts of all your educational trainings
official LSAT score
your writing sample
your letters of recommendations

You can check out the LSDAS website to check the list of educational institutions that do not directly accept law school admissions applications.

Letters of recommendation
These letters could be a part of the law school admissions requirements. But there are also law school admission committees that do not require applicants to submit such documents. The letters must be written by people who could vouch for your skills, abilities, and accomplishments. To maximize the use of this law school admissions requirement, make sure to establish a connection with your undergraduate professors and work superiors.

Personal statement

Law school admissions committees require applicants to submit a personal statement. This law school admissions requirement can make or break your law school application. A personal statement could be an avenue to convince screening committees to approve your law school admissions applications. Your personal statement must include your personal experiences. You also have to prioritize the information you would write in your personal statement. There are websites that could help you in this procedure. Some of them even have personal statement samples that you could read online.

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Some of the terms used in graduate school admissions are similar to those used in undergraduate studies, so applicants need not be stressed by grad school admissions jargon. There are, however, some words that take on a different meaning when used within the context of graduate school admissions and curriculum. So just in case you’re not yet familiar with graduate school admissions terminologies, here are some of the commonly used terms:

Assistantship – refers to the financial assistance granted to a meritorious graduate student in return for services as an assistant in research, laboratory, and teaching. Applicants can inquire about the details of the school’s assistantship arrangements from the graduate school admissions staff.

Attestation – the process of reaffirming that a transcript or degree is genuine by having a witness or authorized person sign it. A transcript of records is an important graduate school admissions requirement, and attestation is sometimes required in certain circumstances.

Core requirements or core curriculum – refers to the compulsory courses or requisites in order to complete a degree.

Deferred admission – also known as delayed admission, this is an option that grad students have to temporarily postpone their program studies usually for work, document processing, travel, etc.

GMAT: raduate Management Admission Test – one of the main graduate school admissions requirements for business schools and MBA applicants.

GRE: Graduate Record Exam – the GRE is a common grad school admissions requirement, and can be considered as the grad school counterpart of SATs. it tests your cognitive and reasoning abilities and is composed of two elements: general and subject matter.

Letter of recommendation – another essential graduate school admissions requirement, and is written by a credible reference person to vouch for the applicant’s character, work progress, career goals, etc. Applicants usually ask professors to write letters of recommendation for them.

LSAT or Law School Admission Test – a graduate school admissions requirement for law schools, and professional and postgraduate law programs in the US.

MAT or (Millers Analogy Test): this exam is commonly used in the admissions process for social science and liberal arts graduate school programs. As compared to GRE, the MAT focuses more on verbal reasoning and qualitative skills.

MCAT: Medical College Admission Test – a graduate school admissions requirement for those applying to medical schools in the US.

Non-matriculated student — a student who takes courses from the institution but is not enrolled under any degree program. This is a good option to gauge whether a student can handle the workload of grad school.

NRMP: National Resident Matching Program offered to those applying to medical schools in the US.

Placement test – a test conducted to help students find the suitable courses for them according to their interests and academic ability.

Plan of study – details the applicant’s intended course of study and should coincide with the applicant’s stated objectives in her/his statement of purpose or personal statement. The statement of purpose is also an essential graduate school admissions requirement.

Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL: One of the graduate school admissions requirements that non-native English speakers should meet.

Transcript – the official record of a student’s academic performance, contains the course titles, corresponding final grades, and each course’s number of credits. All applicants are asked to submit a copy of their transcripts as a graduate school requirement.

TSE or Test of Spoken English – a test administered to assess English proficiency for non-native English speakers.

Withdrawal – refers to the process of dropping out of a class or school.

Are you planning to apply to college?  The following college admissions terms are often encountered in the application process.  You may want to get familiar with them.

College admissions glossary: selecting the universities and programs you are interested in

It is very likely that you would encounter college admissions terms in your application. Here are a few things that would help you understand such jargon:

Associate degree

It is a program that is designed to be completed after two years. Generally, an associate degree)  is created to give students a background on a particular academic field. If the college or university permits, students finishing these degrees could continue their studies into a bachelor’s degree. Students usually choose these programs because they require less completion time than a bachelor’s degree. Ask the college admissions officer of the university you’re applying to about these programs.

Early admissions programs

Some college admissions offices offer early admissions or early decision programs. The applications for college admissions programs usually starts in November or December. The result of the application would be given to you even if the regular application has not started yet. However, you could only apply to a single early college admissions program. Once admitted, the school would automatically count you as one of their enrollees.

Early action programs

This kind of college admissions program is very similar to early admissions. You will have to apply early so you can be immediately informed of your application status. Unlike students admitted through early admissions programs, the students who used the early action programs are not obliged to enroll in the school. They can still opt to cancel their application even if they have already been admitted.

College admissions glossary: the application process

The following is a list of the common college admissions requirements that you would need to have. Take note that there are times when academic institutions have different sets of college admissions requirements.

Letters of recommendation

College applicants who are seeking scholarship grants need to submit letters of recommendation. These letters are part of the college admissions requirements. You would need someone (not a relative) to write about your skills. Ideally, the people who would write these college admissions requirements should be able to vouch for your abilities and credentials. You can ask your academic adviser or work superior to write these letters.

Personal statement

The personal statement is also popularly called the college application essay. Applicants need to write a personal statement as part of the college admissions requirements. College admissions screening committees use this essay to know the applicant more. A well written personal statement could very well compensate for an average GPA or SAT score. You could also visit websites that provide free college admissions essay samples. They could help you improve the way you write your application essay.

SAT score

SAT stands for Scholastic Admission Test. SAT is made up of two parts: math and verbal evaluation tests.  Colleges and universities require all their applicants to take this kind of test. College admissions offices use SAT scores as one of the bases for college applications.

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Ways in which Sample MBA Essays Can Help You Get into an MBA Program

Getting into an MBA program is tough because you’ll be competing with many other candidates. However, you should know that you can increase your admissions chances by writing an MBA essay that is compelling. Your MBA essay must be able to engage the interest of the reader and leave a lasting impression. If you don’t know how to write an MBA essay, taking a look at some sample MBA essays.  Use sample MBA admission essays to help you write your own application essay.  Here’s how:

Sample MBA essays can give you ideas

Don’t know what an MBA essay is supposed to contain? If so, then looking at sample MBA essays can give you ideas. These sample admission essays can help you create an MBA essay that an admission officer will find unique and interesting. Because you need to have ideas before you start writing your essay browsing through various sample MBA essays can help you decide what to write.

Sample MBA essays can help you choose your topic

If the school you’re applying for does not require you to answer specific questions for your admission essay, then you need to choose your own topic. When you look at sample MBA essays, you can see what others write and this will give you the chance to think of something that will set you apart from the rest. What you need to do is to draw from your own personality and life experiences and articulate how these influenced your career path and your want to get an MBA degree.

Sample MBA essays let you know what to avoid

Not all sample admission essays are equal. Scrutinize different sample MBA essays carefully and see what makes one interesting. Reading sample MBA essays gives you the chance to see both the weaknesses and strengths of these essays, which in turn gives you more insight as to what you have to avoid and what you should write about.

Sample MBA essays can inspire you

You can get inspiration from reading sample MBA essays. These essays can inspire you to think of different things to write or other angles to approach your piece. When you see what others have already written down, then you know what to do so that you can write something that distinguishes yourself from them. You will also be able to see what makes some sample MBA essays unappealing. Knowing this can help you craft a good essay.

Writing a good admissions essay takes a great deal of time. Don’t rush yourself into creating an essay just days before the deadline. You need to do an outline, gather your thoughts, and pen these thoughts down to form a coherent, interesting essay. Take the time to look at various sample MBA essays and learn from these. These sample MBA essays can help you learn how to improve your chances of getting accepted into an MBA program.

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Writing a scholarship essay can be a breeze as long as you follow a theme around which your essay will revolve. Having an outline will also help put structure in your scholarship essay and make it easier for you to write in an organized manner. You know how much work people put into writing their their admission essays and personal statements? Well, for a scholarship essay, you might have to put in more work because your aim is to convince people that you’re worthy of their investment.

How to start your scholarship essay

Writing a scholarship essay requires effective storytelling skills, concise writing skills, and a convincing tone. You can start your scholarship essay by stating your name, and the specific scholarship program you’re applying for. Then, give a backgrounder on who you are before you discuss your career goals and objectives in applying for a scholarship. The backgrounder part in your scholarship essay should be written in a personal, sincere manner. Let the committee get a glimpse of who you are as an individual and as a student.

In this part of the scholarship essay, you can include your extra-curricular interests and hobbies, or any interesting tidbits about your personality that would make you stand out. From here, you can then insert your academic accomplishments, the subjects you’ve taken, and a brief mention of your stellar GPA. Be careful when talking about your accomplishments, you don’t want to sound like you’re simply bragging and showing off in your scholarship essay. Instead, state your achievements in a clear and concise manner. Try to connect this part of the scholarship essay to your educational objectives, and how you came to the decision of choosing your particular major.

Other types of content of your scholarship essay

Once you’ve stated your chosen major and your reasons for choosing it, your scholarship essay should then also touch on the topic of what you intend to do once you get a degree in that field. What are your long-term goals and how will that degree help you realize these goals? As much as possible, give concrete plans of action so that the committee will get a clear idea of where you’re headed in terms of career. It would also help if you elaborate in your scholarship essay how you think these plans of yours will benefit other people in the community.

Once you’ve covered all the mentioned bases, your scholarship essay should now discuss your financial situation and why you need the scholarship. Paint them a picture of what your everyday life is like, and explain how a scholarship grant would make a difference to you and help you fulfill your long-term goals. If you’re employed, tell them about the kind of work you do and the number of hours you spend working. You must be able to tell your story in your scholarship essay in a way that would make them listen. Your scholarship essay should appeal to their logic, and not pity. Don’t whine about how you’re having financial trials. Instead, write your scholarship essay in a  way that shows them your determination to get that degree and why you deserve their scholarship grant.

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Question:  Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? Why is ___ University the best MBA program for you?

One of the many reasons why an MBA is a critical next step toward my short- and long-term career goals is that I have a strong desire to improve the management system and business operations of my parents’ medium-sized company, which is a retail shop selling books and school and office supplies. Ever since I graduated from college, I have been seriously involved in my parents’ company, after all, I was a Management major and enjoy business a lot. After several years of closely assisting my parents make big and small business decisions, I have a full understanding of what our company is capable of. Now, I strongly believe that, without a better education, we will be ill-equipped to tap into the many lucrative opportunities that are present at our doorstep. It would be such a waste to miss out on such opportunities, especially now that we have established a strong reputation of our business in our city.

Another reason I believe that an MBA is a critical next step for my career goals is that, based on a personal principle, one should not rest on his or her laurels too early in life. I am young, optimistic, and have so much more to learn. I want to make the most out of my life and to experience as many eye-opening moments as possible. I studied from a very good college, but I refuse to believe that my learnings and experiences back in college represent the limit of what I can do. But more than what I can do for myself, I want to do something for the many people who need help and education.

Having an MBA from ____ University is a privilege that not many people may enjoy. Many are in poverty and do not even have the means to buy bread and decent clothing. But, women like me who come from families who can afford pleasures must take advantage and make the most of what we have. I am one of the women who been given the privilege of a better education and I will use this privilege to help improve the lives of our workers and other people eventually.

Finally, I wish to pursue an MBA because I want to provide a life that my future family will enjoy. I want my children to enjoy the best schools and to keep working for the best. I also want my children to grow up being responsible and generous toward others. So, to accomplish all of my goals, I need an MBA from ___ University, which will help me be successful financially and personally.

The MBA program offered by ____ University focuses on meeting global standards and introduces new business perspectives. These standards and perspectives will help business women like me face business challenges in a more enlightened view and to implement solutions that are more helpful and effective. Finally, an MBA from ___ University will help business leaders to participate in the global business arena with greater confidence and a more profound life perspective.

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I learned all about true leadership through my high school’s cheerleading team. Even if, at first, I only wanted to be in the team to become one of the “It-girls,” the challenges that the team encountered showed me that there is more in being a popular cheer leader. One becomes popular because she has to lead her teammates, the football team and the whole school to share in strong camaraderie and support one another. A cheerleader should be able to influence others with a strong school spirit, no matter what happens.

On top of establishing and keeping school camaraderie, my cheer leading team had to do a lot of preparations for the annual cheer leading championships. After school hours, we spent much time practicing and improving our choreography and overall presentation. Discouragement often presented itself to us, but I, as the head cheer leader, continued to give hope to my team. I believed that every situation can be an opportunity if only you look at it in such manner.

Moving on to college, I turned to more serious preoccupations like the student council. While intensely involved in my studies in marketing and public relations, I managed to be the head of the student council. I worked closely with different students and college professors and honed my interpersonal skills. I learned how to listen to what others had to say and to tell them my side in the most straightforward but gentle manner. I was also able to establish various changes in school including more orderly and efficient career fairs and more diverse and interesting extra-curricular activities that can prepare students for the working life.

Going through high school and college changed my perspective of life. I learned how to be outgoing and to contribute to the improvement and benefit of others more than mine. Now, I am getting ready for greater challenges.

I have been working in my father’s PR firm since college graduation and, eventually, I am going to inherit the company. Our PR firm has also been one of the best during the past 10 years and I still want to improve it. But to be better equipped, I will need an MBA from ___ university. Having such education will help me to understand how to keep up in an industry that is fueled by competition and realistic foresight.

I realize, however, that staying ahead of others is no easy task. Running an entire company is not much like managing a cheer leading team or a student council either. Nevertheless, despite whatever major obstacles  I will have to face, I remain optimistic as I have always been. I am very confident that I will not just benefit much from my studies but also be able to surpass problems using everything that I have learned.

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While more and more educational opportunities for minorities are opening up, there is still a significant percentage of African-Americans who do not have affordable access to a college education. There are a number of institutions that provide African-American student financial aid, but a lot of students don’t know where to find them, and what processes are involved in acquiring African-American student financial aid. Institutions like the United Negro College Fund has been giving African-American student financial aid for decades now, as well as some colleges and universities that have specific African-American student financial aid programs for specific majors.

Some institutions that provide African-American student financial aid are also sometimes based in areas with a significant percentage of African-Americans population. An example of such an institution is the Coleman A. Young Foundation , which provides African-American student financial aid to students who live in the Detroit area.  Check local organizations and associations that operate within your area or region if they provide African-American student financial aid. For those who are looking for African-American student financial aid programs, below is a list of some institutions which you can consult:

The United Negro College Fund

The UNCF is one of the longest running institutions that provide African-American student financial aid services, and has paid for the education of almost half a million youths. The UNCF has tie-ups with 39 public and private historically black colleges and universities in the United States, where the recipients of African-American student financial aid can choose their majors and study.

Thurgood Marshall College Fund

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund is a non-government organization dedicated to raising college tuition money to provide African-American student financial aid. The organization currently has 54 partner colleges and universities all over the US and has partners with companies from different industries such as Ford, Costco, HSBC, and MTV. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund awards an average of US$ 2,200 per semester to students enrolled at historically black colleges and universities.

In order to be eligible for the African-American student financial aid, the applicant must have a minimum GPA of 3.0, recommendation from the previously attended high school, and demonstrated financial need.

This website also lists a lot of affiliated scholarships with differing requirements.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP )

The NAACP offers five African-American student financial aid programs: Earl G. Graves Scholarship, Agnes Jones Jackson Scholarship, Lillian & Samuel Sutton Education Scholarship, Roy Wilkins Scholarship, and the Hubertus W. V. Wellems Scholarship For Male Students. These African-American student financial aid and scholarship programs are differentiated by the amount of money they grant.

The NAACP requires a minimum GPA of 2.5 for undergrads and a 3.0 GPA for graduate students. Some of the scholarships that NAACP offers require applicants to be members of the association, and have specific guidelines to demonstrate financial need.

These are just three of the institutions that can provide African-American student financial aid to those who need help financing their college education. With the wide range of options available for funders and providers of scholarship grants , more African-Americans of good academic standing should be able to pursue quality college education.

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Whether you’re applying for admissions to college, university, law school, medical school, or graduate school, you’re bound to be one among numerous individuals vying for a spot. However, you must not lose hope because you still have a chance of getting accepted even if you don’t have a high grade point average or excellent entrance exam scores. You just have to make your admissions essays stand out from the crowd.

How being a volunteer can increase your admissions chances

To boost your admissions chances, provide information about your extracurricular activities and volunteer work in your admissions essays. These will look good on your college application and will provide the college or university with more information about you.

Your classes, exam scores, and grades are important, but schools also want to know what you do during vacations or when you’re not in class. Still a few years away from going to college? It’s never too early to plan and think about boosting your admissions chances. Doing community volunteer work or getting jobs during school breaks can help you learn more about possible future career options, meet interesting people, and get work experience. Talking to your school counselor as well as other adults can help you learn more about volunteer work opportunities in your community.

Know which volunteer work experiences greatly increase your admissions chances

If you already know the kind of program you want to take up in college, or if you’re planning on applying to medical school, graduate school, and law school, then you should volunteer for causes that are related to the career you want to have. If you would like to get accepted to medical school, for example, volunteering at a hospital will surely increase your admissions chances. When doing volunteer work, you also get the chance to actively participate in the process of understanding and applying knowledge from various lessons you learned in class as you work to help others and improve your community.

Positioning volunteer experience in your admission essay

When stating these volunteer work experiences in your college admissions essays, make sure that you provide extensive details and demonstrate what these experiences have taught you. You must be able to capture the reader’s interest, so writing a strong opening paragraph and making the rest of the admissions essay easy to read is among the things you should learn.

Nowadays, schools are searching for students who are well-rounded individuals willing to spend time volunteering and doing community work. Even if you don’t have a high grade point average or outstanding scores in the admissions exams, you can still get accepted in the program you want if you create an admissions essay that focuses on your extracurricular activities and volunteer work. Doing community work may be unglamorous, but go to show that you’re interested in learning from experiences.

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Throughout college, I had found myself in many situations where I could turn challenges into opportunities. As a member of the women’s basketball team and co-founder of an environmental awareness organization in my college, I faced many challenges. One of these challenges was balancing my grades with my extracurricular activities. There was a time when my grades suffered as a result of the struggle I had in balancing my work load in school, sports, and organizations I was involved in. During this time, I had made a crucial decision in my life. Rather than seeing all of these stressful situations as challenges, I would invite them into my life as opportunities to better myself and those around me. While this was a tension-filled time in my life, I took away from it an essential life lesson, which has served me well ever since. Earning an MBA is another challenge that I am passionate about turning into an opportunity.

Having majored in Marketing back in college, achieving an MBA is the next step to fulfilling my aspirations of running an environment-friendly office supply manufacturing company. This future plan has influenced many of the decisions I have made in life, such as the organization to which I am co-founder and the job I entered into after college. Currently, I am working as a Sales Promotion Executive with a large office supply retailer. In this job, I have been presented with many more challenges, which I have turned into opportunities for success. Being a Sales Promotion Executive has given me the experience and background I need to pursue my aspirations. Likewise, my experience as a member of the women’s basketball team and as co-founder of a college organization has instilled in me leadership and teamwork qualities that are valuable to my job and life in general. Still, I have a longing to expand my capabilities even further. This is why I have decided upon entering into an MBA program, which will give me the much-needed edge in experience, training and values-building for achieving my goals.

I am proud of the many challenges that I have turned into opportunities. Beyond this, however, I am even more proud of the many opportunities that I have turned into successes. Still, I am enthusiastic to apply my leadership qualities, teamwork skills and dedicated personality to much more in life – such as an MBA program.  ________ University has just the right MBA curriculum to equip me with the education, training and experience I need to achieve my goals. In other words, the MBA program offered by ______ University is another challenge that I would like to make a success.