sample admission essay

Entering a graduate school is a dream for many people.  A degree from a graduate school can provide you with various career opportunities in the future.  Many companies and institutions today prefer applicants with degrees from graduate schools.  So if you want to broaden your chances of getting a brighter future, entering a graduate school is your ticket.  One of the requirements in getting admitted is a well-written graduate school essay.  Below is a guideline on how to make one that would grab the attention of the admissions officers.

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Whether you are planning to go into undergraduate studies or post-graduate studies, you will probably have to complete and submit an application package for the admissions committee.  The application package is more than just a requirement to get into schools, but it also serves as an introduction of yourself to the admissions committee of the schools that you apply to.  For this reason, it is essential that you do a great job on your application package if you wish to take up undergraduate college or post-graduate studies, especially for popular fields such as medicine.  This article will cover some of the basic differences between the college admissions process and the medical school admissions process.

The medical school admissions process vs.  the college admission or university admission process

The admissions processes for medical schools and undergraduate schools differ in a number of ways.  The most basic and obvious difference is that medical schools usually have more specific application requirements.  Colleges, universities, and medical schools will all ask for your personal information and transcripts, but medical schools usually also require applicants to have taken up specific courses that are related to medicine.  Sciences, such as Biology, Physics, and Chemistry are normally required for medical school admission.  For US schools or international schools, students may be required to have taken up at least one year of English.(1)

In truth, whether you are applying for college or medical school, the application requirements and admissions process will differ from school to school.  Fortunately, programs such as the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS)(2) and The Common Application for Undergraduate College Admission(3) are making efforts to simplify the application process.  Basically, the AMCAS and the Common Application provide a primary application process that allows applicants to complete and submit a common application form with the basic information that most medical schools, colleges, and universities require.  The application forms are then sent to the schools that the applicant wants to apply to.  The costs for either the AMCAS or the Common Application will depend on the number of schools being applied to.  Applicants who have a chance of getting into the school applied for will be sent a secondary application form with more specific requirements, such as application essays.

Usual college admissions or university application requirements (4)

Application fee
Personal information or resume
Official transcripts
Recommendation letters
SAT or ACT scores
Admissions essay
Interview
Secondary application (if necessary)

Usual medical school requirements (5)

Application fee
Personal information or resume
Official transcripts
Recommendation letters or evaluation letters
DAT, MCAT, or GRE scores
Admissions essays
Interview
Secondary application (if necessary)

Preparing for the medical school admissions process

As can be seen in the lists above, the requirements for medical school and undergraduate schools are quite similar.  In most cases, however, medical schools are stricter when it comes to evaluating, assessing, and accepting students.  For many schools, the number of slots they have available are far fewer than the number of applicants, which is why medical schools normally have high standards.  To get ahead of the competition, try to follow some of the following tips for your medical school application:(6)

Make sure to complete and compile all of the requirements in a neat and organized manner.  Presentation surely isn’t everything, but a clean and neat application package is certainly more welcome than one that has a bunch of markings and crossed-out entries.
Make a schedule so you can keep track of submission deadlines and important meetings, such as interviews or meetings with those who are writing your evaluation and recommendation letters.  Always submit before the deadline, but make sure that you have put in enough time and effort to make the best application package you can.

Try reading some sample medical school admissions essays to get an idea of the questions asked, topics written about, the overall format, and the tone of the essays.  When writing your own essay, be sure to write more than just your achievements.  Tell the story of how your achievements have changed you and helped you develop virtues and values that are essential for medical school and medicine practice in general.(7)

Medical school interviews

One of the most important medical school requirements is the interview.  If you make it to the interview stage of the admissions process, then you are probably on track to getting into the school.  The fact that the school called you in for an interview means that you are actually worth their time and effort to interview.  Here are some tips on how to do a great job on your medical school admission interview:

Try to get to know the school that you are applying to.  Gather information on the history of the school, the courses offered at the school, and what makes it different from other schools.(8)  Take some time to read, understand and formulate answers to some of the commonly asked interview questions.(9)  Finally, try to be confident, but not arrogant.  If you know your goals and why you want to go to medical school, then you will probably do a great job on your interview.  Just relax and have confidence in yourself.

(1) http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/about/start.htm
(2) http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/
(3) https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx
(4) http://www.sampleadmissionessay.com/category/college-university-admissions/
(5) http://www.sampleadmissionessay.com/category/medical-school-admissions/
(6) http://careers.dyc.edu/guide/sec5/med_and_law_school_app_tips.htm
(7) http://www.cmu.edu/hpp/achieve/pstips.html
(8) http://gradschool.about.com/od/medicalschool/f/InterviewMS.htm
(9) http://career.berkeley.edu/Health/MedInterview.stm

Getting into the MBA school of your choice can be quite challenging.  Not only do you have to have reasonable grades to get admitted into a good MBA school, but you are also expected to write MBA admission essays.  Most schools have specific questions or topics for you to answer in your MBA essay, such as “what is your career vision?” or “how have you engaged with a community or organization?”(1)  Whether or not the school you are applying to has specific essay questions or topics, it can still be difficult to go about writing your MBA admissions essays.  One of the best areas to focus on in your MBA essays is your entrepreneurial endeavors.  Here are some tips on how to write about and develop topics of entrepreneurship and professional experience in your MBA essays:

MBA essay questions: know what to expect

Before you get started with your MBA essays, it’s important to have a good idea of what admissions committees expect from you and your essays.  First, check out the admissions requirements of the school you are applying to and make sure that you know exactly what questions or topics they expect you to write about in the essay.  Some schools require multiple essays, each one answering a different question.  While some essay questions will ask specifically about your career life or professional experience, others will focus on more general topics.(2)

Try to take a look at the questions independently and collectively to get an idea of what the admissions committee is expecting of you.  For example, some questions may be more centered on values and virtues, while others are focused on achievements and success.(3)  Knowing what to expect and knowing what is expected of you will help you set clear and precise goals for your MBA admission essays.

Looking at sample MBA essays with the theme of entrepreneurship: getting ideas from an MBA essay sample about how to develop the topic of entrepreneurship

Now that you have a basic idea of what to write about in your MBA essays, you may want to gather information and ideas on how to successfully develop the theme of entrepreneurship in your essay.  Perhaps the best way to begin your research is by reading sample MBA essays of those who have been successful in getting into the business school of their choice.  You can find sample essays from numerous sources, such as co-workers, friends, and relatives.  Aside from asking those around you, consider using the Internet to search for sample MBA essays.  In fact, some websites have listings of sample application essays submitted to particular MBA schools.(4)

When you locate some useful sample MBA essays with the entrepreneurship theme, make sure to take note of how they developed the theme.  What types of endeavors does the sample mention? Did the writer use a creative or unique angle to express his or her ideas? You will probably notice that many of the successful MBA essays based on a theme of entrepreneurship are those that go beyond a simple enumeration of the writer’s achievements, endeavors, and successes.  Try to get ideas of what to write about and how to express it successfully.(5)

Writing about your business or entrepreneurial endeavors in your MBA admission essays

When writing your MBA essay, make sure to keep in mind the form and substance of your essay.  The form is how the MBA essay is written and organized.  It is important to effectively convey your message, while keeping your essay concise and coherent.  The substance of your essay, while focusing on your entrepreneurial endeavors, should also speak for some of the values and virtues that you have learned along the way.

Possible topic #1: Stating in your MBA admissions essay how an MBA degree can further help your business

You may want to start by writing about some of the business experience that you have gained throughout the years.  Remember that the admission resume already serves as a list of your achievements, so try to focus on only one or two of your experiences in entrepreneurship.  You may want to give a little background, but make sure to keep your focus on how an MBA degree can help you with your current entrepreneurial ventures.  Try to explain why you think it’s the right time for you to get an MBA degree in the context of your business.  Finally, you may want to conclude your MBA essay with a few sentences about what you plan to do once you complete your MBA education.(6)

Possible topic #2: Indicating in your MBA admissions essays how an MBA degree can equip you with skills to finally start your own business

MBA admission essays can make or break your chances of getting accepted into the MBA school of your choice, so be sure to take the time and effort to write excellent essays.  Indicating in your essay how an MBA degree can help you establish your own business is another good topic.  By using this as a topic, you’re actually letting the admissions officers know about your future goals as a first-time entrepreneur.

Remember that writing an essay will not only help you convince the admissions committee to accept you, but it will also be a great way of reflecting upon your success, career, and life in general.  Writing an MBA admission essay may seem like a daunting task at first, but, with a little inspiration and motivation, you can write an excellent essay that can get you in the MBA school of your choice.

(1) http://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/writtenapplication.html
(2) http://www.admissionsessays.com/business_school.html
(3) http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/duke_mba/daytime/apply_daytime/
(4) http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/mbainsider/sample_essays.html
(5) http://www.sampleadmissionessay.com
(6) http://businessmajors.about.com/od/admissionessays/