Providing Wisdom, Insight, Stewardship, and Expertise to prospective graduate students worldwide.
What do you need help with?
Expertise. Intuition. Ingenuity.
Do you want to apply to graduate school but don’t know where to begin? Let me guide you. Take a look at the list of my services below, and contact me if you have any questions or would like to meet with me for a free 30-minute consultation.
Graduate Application Guidance
My services are customized to meet the specific needs of each client. I work collaboratively throughout the entire process and can advise students on the complete process of applying to graduate school in various areas of study.
As you get ready to apply to graduate schools, you must first get organized. Chances are you will be applying to more than one program. You will want to be sure you have a plan to keep track of all the important information you need in order to submit a complete application to each school and meet its deadline. I can help you improve your time management and organizational skills and navigate the complexities of the application process in a way that works for you. Together, we can develop a strategy to address the application requirements of the schools you will be applying to and keep track of their application deadlines.
Academic Advising
The people I work with are my number one priority, and my services prove just how committed I am to their success. Even if you're a year or two away from applying to graduate school, I can help advise you on how best to position yourself for graduate school applications during that time, such as being strategic about summer planning, course selection, research, and internship opportunities.
In addition, letters of recommendation are a critical part of your application. Knowing how to identify appropriate letter writers is very important. Letters of recommendation give a lot of added information to the admissions committee about your academic and research experience and capabilities and about what you are like to work with (a heavily-weighted and often under-appreciated factor in admissions decisions). I can help you decide who your letter writers should be, especially if you have been out of school for a while, as well as how and when to approach them.
Graduate School List Development
One of the first steps in applying to graduate school is to decide which schools and program(s) are the right fit for you. For example, do you want to apply to a program that will lead you to a master's degree or to a Ph.D.? You will also need to determine what area of study you want to specialize in and what schools will offer you the program that matches your academic interests. What a student is looking for and what a program has to offer is an important consideration when choosing what schools to apply to. A school's reputation, ranking, and geographical location might also be important to you. I can help you create a list of schools that are well-suited to your academic and career aspirations.
Statement of Purpose/Essay Strategy
Students often fail to do justice to their experience and potential in their statement of purpose. This is a serious pitfall because the statement of purpose is often the single most important component of your application package. Your statement should contain all of the information the admissions committee needs in order to determine if you are a good fit for the program (and/or for the advisor) you are applying to. Do not assume, just because some information is contained in another part of your application, that you can safely leave it out of your statement. Admissions committees look for specific things in an applicant’s statement, and I can help you to make sure that you highlight your strengths and tailor your statement to the program you are applying to.
Résumé/CV Editing
Students are often asked to submit a résumé or a CV as part of their application packets. Many applicants leave valuable aspects of their experiences or qualifications off of their résumé (or CV) because they don't realize these aspects are important. I can help to make sure that you are including everything you need to, such as pinpoint your strengths and accomplishments and show you where to include them in your résumé (or CV). Additionally, I can help make sure you are communicating your research or professional experiences in a way that is likely to stand out to reviewers on the admissions committee.
Interview Preparation
Preparing and practicing for an interview ahead of time is critical, and will make a difference in the impression you make when you meet with professors or Graduate Admissions Directors. I can help you strategize and prepare you for the interview by talking you through the interview process, alerting you to what questions they are likely to ask you, and how to answer those questions based on your previous work experience and academic background.