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Accepted.com Odds 'N Ends
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What's New at Accepted.com |
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Changes at the Accepted.com Blog
We've made it easier for you to use the Accepted.com blog by setting
up RSS feeds for different categories. You can now subscribe to a
general, MBA, Law School, Medical School, Grad School, or College
Admissions feed. See only the posts that interest you. Or, subscribe to
the general feed for all the latest in admissions news.
Recent Blog Posts:
Business School Relevance. Again.
Medical Student Satisfaction: Opposing Views
Law School Application Volume Declines Slightly
US News College Rankings
Leadership through Sailing
Upcoming Chats
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Wharton: Sept. 8 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/6:00
PM GMT with Thomas Caleel, Wharton's new Director of Admissions and
other Wharton reps.
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MBA Talent Seekers Speak: Sept. 21 10:00
AM-12:00 PM PT/1:00 PM-3:00 PM ET
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Forte: Sept. 28 5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET
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USC
Marshall: Oct. 6, 2005 10:00 AM ET/1:00 PM PT/6:00 PM GMT with
Kellee Scott, Associate Director MBA Admissions and other USC
Marshal representatives.
I want to highlight "MBA Talent Seekers Speak: Why
We Value the MBA." To my knowledge, this is the first time that MBA
recruiters are making themselves available to chat and interact with MBA
applicants. We will have recruiters from firms like Deloitte, BCG, Booz
Allen, JP Morgan, Bear Stearns, Deutsche Bank, Johnson & Johnson,
Wal-Mart and General Mills. Don't miss it.
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Essay Tip |
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Lively Language
"My position as an analyst at Big Firm X offered me the ability
to handle many demanding situations."
You can't get much blander than the preceding sentence. No metaphors. No
references to the senses. Wordy. Snore.
Despite realizing that your application essays should be interesting and
engaging, personal statements are full of gray prose. Use these five tips
to add some pizzazz to your writing:
- Use sensory language. Even the references to "color" and "gray"
in the previous paragraphs are visual despite referring to concepts,
not something with physical presence. Like metaphors, sensory
language concretizes abstractions and brings black-and-white text to
life. For example, so far in this article my use of "bland" refers
to taste. "Exhortations" conjures up memories of an orator or
preacher giving fiery speeches pushing you to try a little harder.
They all involve the senses and make writing more vivid.
- Incorporate
metaphors. They will make your experiences and
writing more vibrant.
- Choose active, descriptive verbs. You can write, "The kite
went up." Or you can write, "The kite soared." The latter evokes the
image of a kite climbing gracefully high into the sky. The former
could refer to anything . well going up.
- Avoid stuffy prose using lots of adverbs and adjectives. Does
food "have a severely elevated temperature," or is it "too hot to
handle," "steaming," or "burning my tongue"?
- Use
specifics and details. I know that I harp on this a lot, but
I can't say it often enough. Going back to my opening example of
dull writing, what was the "situation"? Why was it demanding? Who
was involved? Or was it a technically demanding project? Give me
some details.
These five key tips will help you avoid the bland, dull prose that
plagues so many essays. Follow them to ensure that your essays portray
your experiences in vivid, life-like color.
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Resume Tip |
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Resume Quiz
Think you know the "rules" of effective
resume writing? Here's your chance to prove it--a
multiple-choice quiz. Guess all five of the following questions
right and we may ask you to write next month's Resume Tip (not):
1. When business schools request a "business" or
"professional" resume, you should send them (a) the most
up-to-date version of your regular job-hunt resume, (b) an
academic-style curriculum vitae, (c) a new version of your
resume that follows the format and structure of a business
resume but is tailored to the school, (d) whatever you have
handy.
2. Your volunteer and community service involvements
should appear on your application resume (a) always, (b) only if
the school specifically asks for them, (c) only if you have
space, (d) only if the school has a social impact or
community-oriented culture.
3. The best way to enhance the visual appeal of your
application resume is to use (a) art, graphics, or a photo, (b)
generous amounts of italics and underlining, (c) judicious
amounts of white space, (d) special lettering, different colored
type, or raised or embossed type.
4. The bullets of your application resume should detail
your job responsibilities without mentioning accomplishments if
(a) the school specifically asks for responsibilities, (b) you
don't have many accomplishments to talk about, (c) your
responsibilities are particularly impressive, (d) never.
5. You can use application resumes to (a) show you fit the
school's culture, (b) reinforce the career goals you stated in
your essays, (c) offset any weaknesses in your application, (d)
all of these.
The correct answers are below "Wrap Up."By Paul
Bodine, Senior Editor at Accepted.com
Author of
Great Application Essays for Business School
(forthcoming).
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| Wrap Up
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Answers to Resume Quiz
1. c, 2. a, 3. c, 4. d, 5. d
Our Services
Writing a personal statement is a tough challenge. A former
client, an NBC journalist with over twenty years of experience
in the field, once said that his personal statement "was the
toughest thing I ever had to write." He sought our help.
Shouldn't you?
Accepted.com's editors are here to help you write your best
essays -- eloquent, compelling essays that distinguish you from
the competition and transform you from a transcript and test
score into a competitive applicant and unique individual.
Check us out. Complete information on our services, including
prices, testimonials, and information about our top-notch
professional staff, can be found at
our services page.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at
info@accepted.com or 310-815-9553.
We look forward to serving you.
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Information provided in this document
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