Posts Tagged Admissions
Do You Really Need a College Financial Aid Consultant?
Would you pay $200 to save $10,000? Or $25,000? Or $40,000? Let me start off by saying that hiring a college financial aid consultant is not absolutely necessary. Many families manage to put in the time and effort to research the financial aid process, and end up doing just fine. Having said that, I’ve seen firsthand how being uninformed and making mistakes when it comes to financial aid can lead to devastating consequences.
A friend of mine (we’ll call him Rob) is a prime example. He hired a “financial aid consultant” to help him navigate the bewildering financial aid system when his oldest son was applying to colleges. I don’t know the exact qualifications for the man who showed up at Rob’s house to “help” him, but, he was clearly not qualified. Rob’s son was subsequently admitted to the expensive private school of his choice (which was no surprise, since it wasn’t a selective school), and they paid full price for the privilege. The son graduated, and now, 4 years later, both Rob and his son are still struggling every month to cover the payments on over $80,000 in student loans. I look incredulously at Rob and ask him, “What were you thinking?!?” His response: “We just didn’t know.”
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Writing Graduate Application Essays Made Easy
Unlike college application essays, questions for graduate personal statements or admission essays, are more inclined to ask for career plans and research experiences. Since applicants are already past the undergraduate years, they are expected to have more concrete ideas regarding what they want or like to pursue in life. Some universities ask common questions that make the applicants elaborate on their academic interests or what specific area or discipline they would like to venture on. You might want to briefly discuss interesting reasons that made you decide to take up a particular field. Say something about how taking up a certain post-graduate course is an essential part in achieving your long-term career goals. When asked about research experiences, relate research topics you’ve enjoyed doing in the past. Remember that research is a big thing in graduate school so make sure you highlight your superb research skills, if ever. Similar to the college admission essay, candidates for a post-graduate also need to include academic background, achievements, and extra-curricular in their essays.
One of the several topics graduate school applicants can write about is their field and clinical experiences. Assuming candidates already have previous working experiences, they can say something about the practical values they gained in the process. It is best to relate job experiences in line with your career plans. Avoid mentioning on-the-job experiences which are not directly related with the field you are applying for. This may give evaluators an impression that you don’t have a clear sense of your goals or whatever it is you want to achieve. Admissions officers want to make sure applicants are really serious in pursuing post-graduate course and are not merely out to dabble and leave after a few semesters. They want to admit applicants who may be potential additions to the university’s roster of prominent and successful alumni. Convince them that you deserve a slot by producing an essay that requires little additional queries. Needless to say, the expectations and standards of admissions officers are higher for those aspiring for post-graduate degrees.
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