Monthly Archives: April 2010

Custom law school admission essay outline focused on motivation

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This custom essay outline and excerpt is based on information sent in by a reader of our blog network.  If you’d like your own free custom essay outline and excerpt, fill out the form to the right.

Outline:

I.  Introduction
A.  Explaining my stance when I first entered college and took up Psychology
B.  Describing my desire to help people on a deep level of conscientiousness and meaning (talking, listening, helping)
C.  Mentioning the incident with mom (will be fleshed out later in essay)
D.  Tough times helped to hone in on my passion, my drive, and my goals in life.
E.  Applying to law school

II.  Growing up and intro to high school
A.  My mother and I have always had a close relationship.
B.  Being raised in a single-parent household with 4 siblings
C.  Coming from a humble household: recounting Washington DC story, where I couldn’t go because we didn’t have money
D.  Playing a role in earning money, helping the household, and helping my mother deal with the burdens of being single mother: working two jobs at 13
E.  Explaining high school background, keeping a full-time job, taking honors classes, taking extra curricular activities, graduating with a 3.1 GPA

III.  College and the incident
A.  At the age of 17 and studying to earn my Psychology degree, my mother was suddenly fired from her job.
B.  I later found out that she was terminated under wrongful circumstances.
C.  In order to evade unemployment fees, the company lied to the government about the termination of my mother.
D.  Because my mother refused to take action against the injustice, I took the matter into my own hands, researching the case myself and finding a pro bono lawyer to represent my mother.
E.  We won the case.

IV.  My passion and my purpose for applying to law school
A.  The incident with my mother opened my eyes to injustice that many other minorities are experiencing, just as my mother had experienced.
B.  It was for this reason that I decided to take up law school.
C.  I want to play a significant role in bringing about justice, specifically by educating and defending minorities’ rights.
D.  This was the focus and clarity that I had achieved through the incident involving my mother, for it helped me realize the precise manner through which I can help those around me.

Excerpt:

When I entered into college, I made the decision to take up psychology.  This decision was based on my desire to work with people on a deep level, listening to them, talking to them, and helping them in any way I could.  When I turned 17, an unfortunate incident occurred involving my mother.  The incident resulted in tough times for the household, for my mother, and as well as for myself.  Despite the difficulties we faced at the time, it was through this incident that I learned my true calling as my dreams achieved a certain clarity and focus.  And, most definitely, it is the reason why I am now applying to law school.

Understanding the Phrase Non-Traditional Background

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Oftentimes, when you read about personal statements and admission essays, you will come across the phrase “non-traditional background”. With such a broad and subjective phrase, it can be hard to figure out exactly what people mean by “non-traditional background”. If you plan on writing an exceptional admission essay, however, it helps to know what such terms mean. Read on to learn about what a non-traditional background is and what it has to do with your essay.

The basic meaning of the phrase

Typically, coming from a non-traditional background means that there is something about your upbringing or your overall life experience that is not “normal” (for lack of a better word). Some typical examples of a non-traditional background include being part of an ethnic minority, having to deal with a debilitating disability, or coming from impoverished backgrounds. Aside from these examples, a non-traditional background can also be one wherein you were raised by a single parent, you had to overcome a serious addiction, or you have been a working student since your younger years.

What does this have to do with my admission essay?

One of the things that many colleges and universities are trying to do these days is to diversify their student body. Those who come from a non-traditional background contribute greatly to having a diverse student body, because these are people who have unique life experiences that have helped to shape their character and personality. You may also notice that many admission essay questions ask about difficult times in your life or times when you have succeeded despite adversity. These types of questions seek to coax out of you those experiences in your life that may be interpreted as having come from a non-traditional background. Remember that when writing about coming from a non-traditional background, you should always focus on positive aspects instead of dwelling on the negative. This shows your resilience, character, and optimism.

MBA sample essay based on role model theme

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This essay outline and essay excerpt is based on the information sent in by a reader of our blog network.  If you’d like a FREE custom outline and excerpt too, please fill out the form on the right side of this blog and make sure you read and agree to the terms and conditions.  First come, first served!

Outline:

I.  Introduction
A.  My father was my biggest role model and I am lucky to have grown up with him in my household and in my life.
B.  My father was an excellent family man (taught my to tie my shoes), and an extraordinary man (taught my one of my most valuable life lessons: giving back to society).
C.  How giving back to society is central to repaying the blessings it has given me
D.  My intention to give back to society by becoming an educator

II.  Explaining my father’s mission and its impact on me
A.  My father dedicates his life to fighting illiteracy.
B.  He used his time and money to sponsor other people’s education.
C.  His actions and his pure intentions helped me understand my own purpose in life: to become an educator and continue his legacy.
D.  This is why I have made a commitment to do well in my studies, so that I can pursue a career in education, teaching in institutions around the world

III.  Pursuing further education
A.  As a result to my commitment to education, I did all that I could to succeed in the academe.
B.  Won a scholarship from the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education.
C.  My studies were so important to me that I asked my boyfriend, who was in a hurry to marry me, to pursue further education and that his dowry to me should be a bachelor’s degree from a university, and I motivated him toward that goal.
C.  Proceeded to take up Human Resources Management
D.  The first time I failed a class because of unclear communication with school adviser
E.  Pursued another major in International Business
F.  Pursued a third major, Information Systems, to complete three majors in 5 years

IV.  Going to Stanford
A.  I believe that the Stanford MBA program is the best program to thoroughly prepare me to achieve my goals and dreams.
B.  Stanford has the faculty and student body to help me become the best teacher I can be.
C.  I feel that Stanford has the best educational environment, with a perspective of education much in line with my own, and my father’s.
D.  This is where I want to earn my MBA degree.

Excerpt:

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have one of the strongest and most influential role models in my life right in my own household – my father.  Not only is my father an excellent family man, but he is also an extraordinary person.  It is through my father that I learned how to tie my shoes and it is through his example that I learned how giving back to society is the most fulfilling way of repaying society for what it has given me.  Now, I seek to gain the education, training, and experience that I need to fulfill my dreams of being an educator, just like my father, yet in my own right.

Law school essay outline with community service and overcoming adversity themes

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This sample essay outline and excerpt is based on information sent in by a reader of our blog network.  If you’d like your own free custom personal statement essay outline and excerpt, please read the terms and conditions and fill out the form to the right.

Outline:

I.  Introduction

A.  “A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.” – Plato
B.  The importance of this quote to me
C.  Humility, man’s calling to fight idleness, human experience (what one has accomplished and experienced)
D.  Motivation to become an “accomplished one”, able to handle the challenges that life throws at my way and be able to help as many as I can as a lawyer.

II.  Discussing being “accomplished”
A.  I believe that being “accomplished” is not necessarily measured by one’s achievements.
B.  More than one’s achievements, being “accomplished” also has to do with one’s ability to overcome obstacles, seize opportunity, and act or react in an appropriate manner.

III.  Overcoming obstacles and my path toward becoming an “accomplished one”
A.  The most difficult thing for me to overcome was the death of my mother caused by cancer when I was 19, as she was my biggest inspiration.
B.  Another difficult time that I had to deal with was aiding people during the recent disasters in South America.
C.  Losing my best friend to an unfortunate incident and breaking my back in a fight
D.  Growing up with a non-verbal learning disability
E.  My experiences as Director of Fundraising for St. Jude Children Research Hospital
F.  A new obstacle to overcome in law school

IV.  My drive to become a lawyer
A.  As an idealist, I believe that being a lawyer is one of the most active roles toward helping society achieve a state of justice and goodness.
B.  I believe that this school has the best law school system to help me achieve my aspiration of becoming a lawyer.
C.  It is through my experiences growing up that I have learned to be resilient, that I have forged my own human experience, and reached my own achievements along my journey toward becoming an “accomplished” person, and it is through my position as a lawyer that I seek to achieve my highest levels of accomplishment as a human being.

Excerpt:

“A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.”
–  Plato

To me, this is one of the most poignant quotes in all of the recorded human experience.  To me, these words speak not only of man’s calling to fight idleness, but it also speaks words of humility and the significance of the human experience.  This quote of Plato’s has long been an inspiration to me.  It has taught me to appreciate my own human experience: all of the achievements I have striven for, all of the circumstances (good and bad) that have helped mold me into who I am.  Above all else, this quote from Plato is a great motivation for me to continue my human experience, not so much as to become a hero or a wise man, but perhaps as an accomplished one with riches of knowledge and experience to help others around me.

Using an Admission Essay Sample to Perfect Your Essay

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After your high school education, you are probably well versed in writing term papers, persuasive essays, and all sorts of essay writing assignments, but none have had as big an impact on your life as your admission essay. Your admission essay can spell the difference between getting admitted or rejected to the college of your dreams. If you’re having a hard time getting your admission essay right, then you may want to try using an admission essay sample that can greatly benefit you when writing your application essay. Here’s what the BharatBhasha education blog has to say about using admission essay samples to help you complete your essay, be it for graduate school admission or college application:

If you have been reading through the sample graduate school essays that you were able to find on the Internet, you will notice that those who succeeded in getting into the program and university of their choice always show their determination to fulfill their goals and passion for their field.

Aside from good grades, dedication is another trait that’s highly valued by academic institutions. They look for students that make great additions to the school because of their contribution to diversity, their leadership potential, and to establishing the long-held traditions of the school. They want someone who can succeed in the chosen program.

How do the writers present their philosophy and motivation for pursuing a [graduate] degree? A good essay should tell how a socially relevant event influenced a writer’s decision to earn his or her master’s or PhD….Your claim has to be supported by a review of your past experiences.

As you can probably notice in good essay samples, successful applicants don’t merely enumerate their accomplishments and reasons for choosing the university or program. They use personal experiences, anecdotes, and their own ideas to show their dedication. They cite challenging moments in their life and discuss how they were able to bounce back from such an ordeal. This gives depth to their admission essay, and shows what kind of a person they truly are.

Choosing admission essay samples to aid you

Perhaps the most important step to getting help from an admission essay sample is to choose the right essay to help you out. It would be no use to pick out essay samples that have wrong grammar, bad topics, or those that simply aren’t well-written. But no matter how well-crafted they are, you are not supposed to use these samples and declare them as your own. Resist the urge to plagiarize and only use them as a guide.

A college admissions blog has this to say on the use of essay samples:

College admission essay samples should serve as admission guide for writing. Writing is not a solitary process in this circumstance. Writing help is available in different forms and samples are just one of the many forms. While help from sample papers can do the job, the benefits of you personally putting pen to paper cannot be over emphasized. Some sample papers will offer just the basics of writing an introduction, the body and the conclusion. The extent to which you will get help from these papers will very depending on your level of education and the quality of the paper. However, when you look at these papers, look beyond the ideas to the approaches, placement of opinions and manner of conclusion.

Choose essays that are technically sound, read well, are structured appropriately, have interesting topics, and show the admissions committee that you are worthy of admission into their school. Beyond this, however, it is also essential that you choose admission essay samples that are similar to what you plan on writing. For example, choose admission essays that talk about life experiences similar to your own, that way you can analyze how these topics and themes were developed so you can use the same strategies in your essay.

A few reminders and tips

Now that you have a good idea of how these samples can help, the next step is to actually find samples to help you out. Remember that different schools have varying criteria for what makes a good essay. It would be better if you choose sample essays written for the particular college or university that you are applying to.

Only make use of essays that are openly available to you and the public. Don’t make use of essays that may have come from illegal or unfair means, or else you may be an accomplice to crimes on intellectual rights. In the end, it all comes down to writing your own, original, exceptional admission essay. Although it may not be an easy feat, once you have written your essay and you get into college, you can be proud of your accomplishment and you can be thankful for the samples that helped you along the way.

What a Statement of Purpose Should Be According to Harvard

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A lot of people dream of becoming a Harvard graduate. Admission to this prestigious university almost secures one a bright future. With a degree from Harvard, you won’t have difficulty struggling your way to the top of the corporate ladder in the future. But what does it take to get admitted to Harvard?

Allen shares some ideas on how to get admitted to Harvard with your admission essay. Read on to know the qualities of an interesting statement of purpose that could secure you a spot in this prestigious university.

The statement of purpose should display clarity of thought

A clear essay is preferred by Harvard admissions panel. Here is an excerpt from the blog explaining why your essay should be clear.

It functions as a writing sample, often the only one you submit. Make it as solid a piece of writing as possible. It can also function as your interview if none is required. It is a chance to introduce yourself and describe who you are, what your background is, and what is important to you.

Your personal statement should be clear and should not have ambiguous meanings. Your readers should be able to learn more about you– your values, skills, potentials, and goals. They should have a clear idea what kind of an individual you are to know if you can be a good match to their school standards.

The essay should display the focus and the fit

It is important that your choice of school and program is not just a random musing. You need to have a reason and the qualifications.

…are your interests in graduate study focused and is there a good fit with your interests and the particular program or school? This requires carefully researching the school or program to which you are applying.Read about the program’s emphasis, the nature of the required courses, the work or research of its faculty. The more you know about the program to which you are applying, the better. You will sound more knowledgeable and more convincing in your essay.

You need to work really hard on your application essay, because it definitely gives you an advantage over hundreds of other applicants. According to another article:

Do not underestimate the importance of this statement. It is your opportunity to inform the faculty reviewers of your qualifications, motivation, and potential to make a contribution to the field…

Your personal statement gives you an upperhand over other applicants. It tells the admissions committee if your character and skills make a good match with the school’s requirements, goals, and ideals. Through the essay, they screen applicants who are likely to succeed in the chosen program.

If you want to get admitted to Harvard University, remember that your personal statement should be clear in revealing your personality. It should also display that “focus” and “fit” with the help of research.

Making It to Med School Through Your Admissions Essay

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Making it to med school is not very easy. Aside from your GPA and test scores, one of your tickets to med school is an outstanding admissions essay. Here are some tips from SOWN on how to write an admissions essay:

Do not exaggerate the language used.Pretend that you are charged for every word you type. How can you keep the imaginary cheaper?

Aside from this, you also have to avoid the use of cliches and high falutin words. Make it easier for your readers to understand what you want to say and make sure that your essay won’t sound like all the others. Cliches can make your essay seem less creative, boring, and lacking imagination.

According to the author of the blog post:

…medical terminology is not strictly necessary to convey a point. A layman might have difficulty understanding your essay.

Using jargon and technical terms on your essay will make it sound superficial. Even if you’re applying for med school admission, the essay doesn’t have to be filled with medical terms just to impress your readers.

Know what to include in your admission essay

It is important that you plan what you want to include in your essay. You can, for instance, talk about reasons for wanting to become a doctor or qualities that make you a good one.

Mark your success but do not sound arrogant. Even a bad sense can bomb your essay and leave the Committee worried about who you are.

So you won’t sound like you’re bragging, you should not merely list down your accomplishments. You have to use anecdotes and other creative tools so you can talk about your achievements without sounding like you’re too full of yourself. Use them to support your claims and explain why you think you’re qualified. It also pays to be straightforward when you explain your point.

The author also adds:

This is the most common mistake I see people do. Keep your personal explanation for less than a standard, single-spaced page.

This will keep the readers from being bored when reading your essay. If you directly say what you want to say, you can spare a few more pages for more interesting details about yourself.

You can also try a creative approach. Here’s a tip on the use of creativity to keep the readers from getting bored.

Similarly, when thinking about creative approaches to structuring your essay, use good judgment. You might wish to experiment with structures that are more interesting and creative than the obvious ones (the chronological, the topical, and so on). A creative approach will make your essay stand out from the pack. Keep in mind, though, that all of the above advice about consistency also applies to your essay’s overall structure.

Be warned though, that creativity can backfire if not used well. Present details or stories in a more interesting manner without causing confusion and compromising clarity.

Your admissions essay can make or break your application. You need to work hard to ensure that your essay is not only acceptable but noteworthy.

Secrets of a Well Written College Application Essay

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Writing a college application essay can be a daunting task. There are rules you have to follow, research to do, and revisions to make. However, if you just take into consideration some helpful tips, writing a college application essay can be less tedious. One Life One Mic shares some helpful tips on how to write your college application essay.

Start early with your personal statement writing

Don’t wait till a month , a week, and two nights before your application is due to figure it out. By the end of junior year, your mind should be on these questions, spending the summer in self-reflection. It takes a lot of care to craft a good personal statement – carefully choosing words, creating a solid structure, and especially figuring out what you want to say. That being said, you’re probably reading this when it’s already too late. I’ll see what I can do.

Starting late will leave you no time for editing. You also have to make preparations by gathering enough information about the school to help you craft your admission essay according to its requirements. If you start early, you still have time for revisions as well, enough to make your personal statement beyond average.

Be conscious about the different elements of writing

You need to be conscious of the different writing elements when you write your application essay. These include your:

1) Diction
2) Syntax
3) Organization
4) Imagery

These are the basic things you have to be aware of when you are writing your personal statement. A lot of people overlook these essential factors and solely focus on content and topic generation. Bear in mind, however, that errors in any of the elements mentioned above will affect the meaning and clarity of your college application essay.

Here’s a tip on checking for grammar and other technical issues of your personal statement:

Have your statement checked by a teacher, counselor or other adviser for spelling, grammar and clarity.

Letting others read and comment on your essay is a great way to free it from errors. As the writer of that essay, sometimes, you tend to overlook basic errors in technicalities. This is why it pays to solicit other people’s view of your essay. Ask them if they understand your point clearly.

If you want to make it to your chosen school, write an essay that is error-free and persuasive. To give you enough time for drafting and revisions, start early. You also have to watch out for the technical details often overlooked by most writers.