The personal statement or college admission essay is probably one of the most essential admission requirements that you will submit to the schools that you will apply to. Not only can you use the such essays to showcase your writing skills, but it is also a chance for you to introduce yourself, your character, and your personality to the admission committee.(1) If you want to write an excellent admission essay, then you should know what mistakes to avoid. Here are top three fatal mistakes as seen in some bad examples of personal statements:
Writing a full-length biography of your life
The admission committee doesn’t want to know about your entire life, from birth to the present. You have to keep your goal in mind, when writing your admission essays, that is, to introduce yourself and state why you want to go to the school you are applying to. Based on some examples of personal statements, you can see how writers specifies how can do well in the school.(2) Even if you have a very interesting biography, you have to make sure that the experiences and instances that you talk about are relevant to the topic at hand.
Talking about just dreams and not real experiences
Another mistake that people often commit on their college admission essay is focusing too much on their dreams and aspirations. While some personal statement examples mention dreams and aspirations, you should also talk about the experiences that you have actually been through. Talk about how some of the challenges and opportunities you have faced in the past have prepared you for college. After explaining a little about your real experiences, you can then go into how you plan to use your college education to reach your future goals and aspirations.(2)
Making bad connections between experiences and goals
It is a good idea to link your experiences to your future goals, but it is important that you avoid making a bad connection. By reading examples of personal statement online, you can see how writers mention experiences that don’t actually coincide with their future plans. When making relating your experiences with your aspirations, try to make your essay flow. A good idea would be to briefly describe an experience, then go into how this forged certain values and virtues into your character, and then describe how such virtues and values are essential for your college life and your future in general.(3)
(1) http://www.depauw.edu/admission/documents/college-essay.pdf
(2) http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/application.html
(3) http://www.yale.edu/yalecol/academics/fellowships/application/essays.html
When applying to any post-secondary educational institution, one of the significant admission requirements is the personal statement. It can either work for or against you, depending on how well written your essay is. Perhaps your most important aim when composing your personal statement is to write an essay that will grab and hold the attention of the reader–the admissions committee. So here are three sure-fire ways to get admission officers to read your essay:
Tip 1: Don’t waste time, go directly to the point
If you take some time to read a few personal statement examples, you’ll find that it should be direct to the point. When you write your essay, try not to go around in circles or explain things too much. Instead, try to be concise, straightforward, and honest.(1) By keeping it simple but engaging, admission officers are more likely to keep reading.
Tip 2: ‘Show’ instead of ‘tell’
A common mistake that you will find in poorly-written examples of personal statement is that the writer simply ‘tells’ or reiterates their achievements or experiences. However, your goal is not to enumerate your achievements, because all of that information is already in your application form and CV. Instead, capture the reader’s attention by telling an engaging story of how the challenges in your life have helped you grow as an individual.(2)
Tip 3: Make your essays sound sincere but still interesting
It can be hard to be sincere, straightforward, and direct to the point, because doing so can sometimes result in an essay that is less interesting or downright boring, as seen in some bad personal statement examples. Still, you can keep your reader interested by letting your personality shine through your writing.(3) Be patient, and take time to learn from examples of personal statements that you can check out online. This way, you can find interesting ways to write what you want to say.
(1) http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/apply/essay_tips/
(2) http://www.bates.edu/essay.xml
(3) http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/application.html
People often go on and on about how great it is to go to MBA school and earn a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Students from around the world apply to some of the most prestigious B-schools in the country in hopes of earning an MBA. For those who decide against going to business school and for those whose applications got rejected by MBA schools, there isn’t much to fret about. Here are some of the top reasons not to attend MBA school:
The recession
The current recession has sent numerous huge companies and brands tumbling down. Plummeting along with these huge names are the bank accounts of people all around the world. With the recent economic recession, jobs for MBA graduates have become rather iffy at best. For example, investment bankers have lost a lot of their business due to the effects of the recession. As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find well-paying jobs as an MBA graduate. Besides, even if you could find a good job, it’s hard to find clients who will trust you with their money nowadays.(1)
Working around the clock
Another problem with going to MBA school is that you will be working towards a career and lifestyle that is constantly filled with stress. Sure, endless hours are spent by doctors who save lives and lawyers who deal with legal cases, but businessmen and bankers have to handle the stress of turning over multi-million dollar deals. A lot of the time, the careers that MBA graduates end up in are those that fill their lives with work and stress.(2)
The pressure to achieve more
One of the perks of getting an MBA degree is that you can work your way towards a relatively well-paying job. The problem is, you may never feel as though your accomplishments are enough. The competitive nature of many business schools out there leaves graduates in constant competition with their colleagues, co-workers, and other business grads. When you end up hearing all of the success stories of past classmates, it is easy to get caught up in the pressure and competition, making you feel inadequate or unappreciative of your own achievements.
Mounting expenses
MBA schools pose another problem: cost. MBA schools usually get away with charging an arm and a leg, because they promise that an MBA degree will help you to earn big. The problem is, you’ll probably start out with a huge debt, as you borrow money to get through B-school. After earning your degree, you’ll probably spend a number of years just working to pay-off your debts and loans. Next thing you know, you’re working to pay off a new car, a house and lot, or a new yacht. In the end, you forget about all of the great ideals that you had about what you would do as an MBA graduate. It all becomes an endless cycle of paying off expenses and debts.(3)
Next time you consider taking up an MBA degree, give it some good thought, because you may just end up a victim of one of these reasons not to go to MBA school.
(1) http://www.businessworld.in/index.php/B-School/In-Recession-US-MBA-Students.html
(2) http://gradschool.about.com/cs/new/a/studentstress.htm
(3) http://news-info.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/13263.html
Harvard University is one of the most reputable and well-known educational institutions in the world. Year after year, students apply to Harvard, hoping to get into the prestigious and historical university. While a minority of the applicants get accepted into the school, there is a large number of Harvard applicants who get rejected. All is not lost if you are one of the people who did not get into Harvard. Aside from the fact that you can still go to one of the many other great schools around the world, here are some other reasons why you shouldn’t go to Harvard University:
Infamous Harvard graduates
Harvard has produced some of the most influential people in the world, including numerous Nobel laureates, a range of Pulitzer Prize winners, and no less than eight US Presidents.(1) Aside from some of these role model figures, however, some Harvard alumni have gained fame through their not-so-admirable feats. Theodore Kaczynski, for example, received his Harvard undergraduate degree only to go on and become the world-famous Unabomber. Kaczynski’s neo-Luddite philosophy ultimately resulted in him carrying out numerous bombings on airliners and universities around the country.(2) Isoroku Yamamoto, who studied in Harvard from 1919 to 1921, later became the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Yamamoto played a crucial role in planning and executing the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway.(3) Some other infamous Harvard alumni include Charles K. Lee, who embezzled over $100,000 from a charity for children with leukemia, and Ernst Hanfstaengl, who became a close friend and confidant of Adolf Hitler.(4,5)
A Harvard education in exchange for an arm and a leg
Another reason you may not want to attend Harvard is because the school’s tuition cost too much. Sure you’re getting premium education, but does that mean you have to sell off your arm, leg, and both kidneys to pay for tuition? In 2007, the school had a tuition increase of about 3.9%, bringing the tuition to over $31,000.(6) In February, 2009, the school announced a 3.5% increase on tuition for the 2009-2010 school year, which means that the tuition would cost over $33,500.(7) Before you break your bank, you may want to look into other, more affordable academic institutions.
Snobbish student body
Harvard is full of snobbish and spoiled rich kids who can be quite arrogant. Aside from the annoying name-dropping, you will probably also have to deal with a bunch of high-brow peers who act as though something is stuck up their behinds. You can probably find a few friends you can get along with, but, for the most part, you’ll probably be dealing with a bunch of brats who are used to getting their way – even if it means having to step over you.
Just want to graduate
Yes, we all know that Harvard has produced a bunch of graduates who have helped to change the world, inspire world peace, or make some great change that has affected the lives of many. Not everyone is planning to be on the list of the 100 most influential people though. If all you want is an education, then you may want to settle for a different school. All of the hype about making the world a better place may just not be your thing. Next time you feel bad about not studying in Harvard University, take a quick peek back at this list and rest assured in the fact that Harvard has its downsides too.
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Harvard_University_people
(2) http://edition.cnn.com/US/9604/03/unabomber/index.html
(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku_Yamamoto
(4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chas_Lee
(5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Hanfstaengl
(6) http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2007/03.22/03-tuition.html
(7) http://www.news.harvard.edu/r/tuition.html
