Frequently Asked Questions 

First, it's important to know that the outline is not a euphemism for an essay or an essay draft.

The outline consists of bullet points and sentence fragments. Its job is to provide you with the structure and direction necessary for you to write. It provides guidance, but is not a straightjacket. The essay is at all times your essay.

No.

We have clients throughout the world, and thanks to email, Skype, and phone, we can communicate with you efficiently and effectively.

If you live outside the U.S., we try to minimize your telephone expense by using Skype or by asking for background information via email. (International telephone expenses are the client’s responsibility.)

We have found that time differences pose minor problems, and we have worked with people literally from around the world – from Kazakhstan to Cameroon, Argentina to India.

It typically takes one to two weeks. Please keep in mind that quick completion heavily depends on you promptly returning drafts to your consultant.

No. Once you purchase an Initial Statement of Purpose Package, all essay packages that you purchase at a later date are Additional Statement of Purpose Packages.

You can also start with a Statement of Purpose Package for the first school and then switch to hourly services for later schools if you feel you will be better off. We try to be flexible, because we recognize that different clients have different needs and budgets.

With Accepted's Hourly Statement of Purpose Plan, you will submit your statement of purpose draft to your consultant, who will critique it on a content level. Although we don’t interview you, we do request a recent resume or CV.

When reviewing your statement of purpose, your consultant will ask the following questions:

• Do you have a clear theme, a logical structure, an engaging opening, and a conclusion that nicely wraps up the essay?
• Did you answer the essay question, if there is one?
• Have you made clear why you need this graduate degree from this program to achieve your goals? 
• Have you revealed something distinctive and interesting about yourself?
• Have you made effective use of specifics to distinguish yourself from your competition, support your main points, and add interest to your essay? 

If you submit multiple essays for one program (statement of purpose plus an optional essay, for example), your consultant will also check that the essays complement each other. 

After reviewing your essay, your consultant will then provide you with feedback and suggestions for improvement, and you will revise the essay. 

After you revise your essay, you again send it to your consultant who focuses now on grammar, spelling, style, and word usage – the nit-picky details of writing. Your consultant returns the edited copy to you within two business days of receiving it. Typically clients request 2-4 reviews of an essay before they are satisfied with it.

Two business days for each round of editing. If you require faster turnaround, we offer Rush Services with a one-business-day turnaround and an approximate 30% upcharge.

If you really aren’t sure how to approach the essays, lack confidence in your ability to write well, or want to save time more than money, I recommend a Statement of Purpose Package.

If you know what you want to write or already have a draft, have confidence in your writing ability, and want to save money more than time, I recommend an Hourly Statement of Purpose Plan.  

Yes, we are happy to review your drafts. Your adviser will then tell you whether your draft is a good foundation for continuing with an Hourly Statement of Purpose Plan or whether you would benefit from the Initial Statement of Purpose Package.

Not at all. The fees you pay Accepted could be one of the best investments you’ll ever make! Consider the possibility of increased earnings if you attend a more highly ranked school as opposed to the cost of Accepted’s one-on-one assistance.

"But," you say, "you don’t know if I would be accepted without your help." True. And we cannot guarantee your acceptance. But a brief look at our feedback page will tell you that many of our clients are convinced they would not be in their top choice schools without Accepted’s editorial and strategic help. They repeatedly and emphatically state that we are worth the money. Furthermore, some clients feel that working with us enabled them to get scholarships and grants that are valued at many multiples of our fees.

We don’t use a template at all, nor do we recommend one. We are dedicated to bringing out the individuality and distinctiveness of our clients and strive to make our clients stand out from the crowd by emphasizing distinguishing experiences, distinctive perspectives, and details. We are convinced that portraying your uniqueness is the primary task of the essays.

With a General Letter of Recommendation Package, your advisor interviews the recommender. Then your advisor will send you a draft of the letter for your review. After receiving feedback from you, s/he will edit and finalize the letter and you can submit it.

For Interview Coaching, you can go either route. Some clients prefer someone new so that the mock interview will better simulate the real thing. Others prefer to work with the adviser who knows them best. It’s up to you.

However if you prefer to work with a new consultant and purchase a mock interview, you will need to purchase the New Client Mock Interview.

It’s easy. Go to our catalog and choose the services you need. Click on the “Add to Cart” button next to the services you need and fill out the order form. You will receive an email asking for academic information. Your order will be processed within one business day. Your credit card will be billed immediately.

Billable time includes time spent reviewing materials, editing, and consulting with you via any media including but not limited to telephone, Skype, and email. Yes, it includes time spent composing the emails.

Essentially, we bill for all time spent working with you except when we are advising on which Accepted service to use or responding to billing questions. Your consultant will do his or her best to keep you informed of time used throughout the engagement. 

If you are concerned about us racking up the billable hours, please request an estimate up front.

Our Rush Service is for clients who need faster than two-business-day turnaround. Before commencing work, we will determine if we have availability to meet your deadline and set up a schedule with you. If you purchase Rush Services and we don't have consultant available who can work within your timeframe, we will notify you before we start work. If at that time you no longer want Accepted's assistance, we will refund your payment.

No. Rush prices require the approval of the client, the consultant, and Accepted management.

We want you to be happy! If you aren’t satisfied with your consultant, you can ask to switch to a new consultant. If you want a refund, please refer to our refund policy.

Here is how you will benefit from using Accepted for your applications:

1. Your consultant will serve as a sounding board and mentor as you go through the process of applying. S/he will help you unlock your competitive advantage. You need someone experienced saying that the optional essay does not really add value to your application. You will benefit from someone saying that you need to clarify the connection between your internship and your goals. You will have an advantage if someone knowledgeable tells you that you are focusing too much on a negative and not enough on your achievements, or perhaps suggests that Experience A is more impressive than Experience B, or reveals how you can weave both into the application. To see what our clients say about our services, please read our feedback page.
2. You will have a professional, seasoned consultant making sure that you present yourself articulately and correctly. One of Accepted’s strengths is the professionalism and experience of its staff, which consists of former admissions directors, professors, writers, and highly experienced admissions consultants. To judge our consultants’ qualifications for yourself, please read more about our team.
3. Using Accepted can save you time. Applicants frequently go through multiple drafts, a lot of nail-biting, tearing up of the multiple drafts, rewriting, hearing contradictory advice, and rewriting again. You will greatly reduce the amount of time you spend on your essays by choosing Accepted.