Month: December 2022

Letters of recommendation are hugely important parts of your application. Having a third party assess your skill, talent, experience, accomplishments, potential, and maturity provides admissions committees with valuable data. Unfortunately, because this is an “outsources” part of the application, many applicants aren’t sufficiently thoughtful about the process, thus hurting their chances of admission. Here are the five most common mistakes that I’ve seen clients make. For additional thoughts, check out this extended YouTube video we made.

1. Requesting a letter of recommendation too late. It is critical to allow enough time for the individual writing the letter of recommendation to finish the assignment. A decent rule of thumb is to request a letter at least one month ahead of time. If you wait until the last minute, your letter may not be as effective as it may be. Remember, you’re asking someone for a favor, so do what you can to make it easy for them as possible.

2. Asking the incorrect person. It is critical to ask someone who is familiar with you and can speak to your skills and successes. This might be a lecturer, supervisor, or mentor who has worked with you closely and can offer concrete instances of your abilities and successes. Too often, applicants will seek letters from big names who might not actually know them well. In these instances, you’re going to get a pretty vanilla recommendation that just doesn’t move the needle.

3. Failure to provide adequate information. It is critical to provide the person composing the letter with all relevant information about the opportunity for which you are seeking, including the requirements and deadlines. The writer will be able to personalize the letter to the individual opportunity, making it more effective. If you have it, provide a copy of your Personal Statement and CV. Offer to sit with them for a chat about it as well.

4. Failure to follow up. After asking someone to write a letter of recommendation, it is critical to follow up to verify that the letter is finished and delivered on time. This is especially true if a deadline is approaching.

5. Failure to thank the writer. This is basic human kindness, but it’s also a smart life strategy. People like to feel appreciated, so if someone does you a favor, let them know. They’ll be more likely to go the extra mile for you in the future. It is essential to express gratitude for the time and effort that the person composing the letter has put into the assignment. A simple thank-you message or email might go a long way toward improving your relationship with the writer.

For more help with your personal statement, check us out at Gurufi.com. Our personal statement editors and consultants have decades of experience helping clients get into top Masters and Ph.D. programs in STEM, humanities, fine arts, and social sciences. Our specialty is helping you craft compelling personal statements that move the needle in your admissions process! For questions, shoot us an email at service@gurufi.com. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

More free resources:

1. “How to Request a Letter of Recommendation” (n.d.). The Graduate School. Retrieved from https://www.grad.illinois.edu/career-services/how-request-letter-recommendation
2. “How to Request a Letter of Recommendation” (n.d.). The University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved from https://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/students/graduate/request.php
3. “How to Request a Letter of Recommendation” (n.d.). The University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved from https://career.berkeley.edu/Grad/LOR
4. “Letters of Recommendation” (n.d.). Stanford University. Retrieved from https://www.stanford.edu/dept/spec_coll/uarch/exhibits/letters/letters.html
5. “Letters of Recommendation” (n.d.). The University of Michigan. Retrieved fromhttps://careercenter.umich.edu/article/letters-recommendation

People like happy people. People respond passionately to passionate people. That’s why you need to make sure that your Personal Statement has some fire in its belly! It can be helpful to show passion in your MBA personal statement, as it can demonstrate to the admissions committee that you are highly motivated and engaged with the subject matter. This can be especially important if you are applying to a competitive program, as it can help you stand out from other applicants. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the personal statement is just one part of the application process and should be viewed in the context of the rest of your application materials, such as your resume, transcripts, and recommendations. It’s also important to be genuine and authentic in your personal statement and to focus on showcasing your strengths and experiences rather than trying to impress the admissions committee with empty flattery or exaggerated enthusiasm. Ultimately, the most important thing is to carefully consider what you want to achieve through an MBA program and to clearly articulate your goals and motivations in your personal statement. If you can do this in a way that is genuine and authentic, and that demonstrates your passion for the subject matter, it can be a valuable asset in the admissions process.

For more help with your personal statement, check us out at Gurufi.com. Our personal statement editors and consultants have decades of experience helping clients get into top Masters and Ph.D. programs in STEM, humanities, fine arts, and social sciences. Our specialty is helping you craft compelling personal statements that move the needle in your admissions process! For questions, shoot us an email at service@gurufi.com. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Personal Statements are an unusual form of writing. We’re so rarely called on to write about ourselves, much less boast about our accomplishments. This is doubly difficult for people without a lot of essay-writing experience. As such, it’s natural that people make some pretty basic -and deadly-mistakes. In my decade of helping people with their personal statements, I’ve come to recognize some common errors that people make. Here are my top ten.

1. Not proofreading: It is critical to check your personal statement for grammatical, spelling, and punctuation issues. An error-ridden personal statement reflects negatively on your attention to detail and ability to speak effectively.

2. Being too generic or vague: Your personal statement should be detailed and highlight your unique experiences and accomplishments. Avoid utilizing broad or ambiguous terminology that adds no value to your application. A good way to bring specificity to your essay is to make sure your essay is built around stories.

3. Lack of focus: A personal statement should be focused and directed. Include irrelevant material and avoid going off on tangents. You have to be tough-minded when it comes to editing out stuff that doesn’t advance your core positioning as a candidate. All the time, I see candidates who just really want to tell about some award, experience, or accomplishment, so they’ll shoehorn it into their personal statement, disrupting the flow and undermining the essay’s theme. Don’t do this. Either find another part of your application where you can highlight this tangential material or leave it out.

4. Being overly wordy or long: Personal statements should be brief and to the point. Include no extraneous material or go into excessive detail about a single incident.

5. Failure to adjust the personal statement to the program: Make certain that your personal statement is tailored to the specific MBA program to which you are applying. This involves addressing how your history and experiences match with the program’s aims and objectives, as well as mentioning the program’s goals and objectives.

6. Failing to establish your program fit: In addition to adapting your personal statement to the specific program, it is critical to illustrate how you are a good match for the program. This involves talking about your professional aspirations and how the MBA program will help you get there.

7. Being overly self-promotional: While it is vital to showcase your achievements and experiences, avoid becoming overly self-promotional. Consider how your previous experiences prepared you for the MBA program and your future job ambitions. The difference between advocating for yourself (which is good) and bragging (which is bad) is subtle, but there’s an easy test you can use to distinguish. If you use a positive descriptor about yourself (I’m smart, I have good work ethic, I believe in inclusivity, etc.) without providing an example, you’re probably veering more toward boasting than advocating. Again, this is why it’s so important to build around stories.

8. Being dishonest: Be truthful in your personal statement. Puffery and dishonesty are easier to detect than many applicants think, so resist the temptation to juice your application with tall tales.

9. Failing to portray your individuality: Your personal statement is an opportunity to demonstrate your personality and distinctive qualities. Do not exaggerate or inflate your experiences or accomplishments. Allow your individuality to show through instead of being overly official or rigid in your writing.

10. Failing to seek input: Before submitting your personal statement, obtain feedback from others, such as a career counselor, mentor, or trustworthy friend or family member. This will assist you in identifying any areas for growth and ensuring that your personal statement is as good as possible. If you’re looking for professional assistance, be sure to check us out here at Gurufi.com!

For more help with your personal statement, check us out at Gurufi.com. Our personal statement editors and consultants have decades of experience helping clients get into top MBA programs. Our specialty is helping you craft compelling personal statements that move the needle in your admissions process! For questions, shoot us an email at service@gurufi.com. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Diversity statements are among the most stressful and uncertain parts of your application package, so we’re going to spend a few posts talking about them. In a recent YouTube post, I talked some about my thoughts on the topic.

Start by understanding the purpose of a diversity statement. It is a chance for you to showcase your distinct experiences, identities, and opinions, as well as how they have influenced your academic and personal development. This might assist admissions committees in understanding the value you will contribute to their graduate program and the larger academic community.
In your writing, be sincere and genuine. Admissions committees will be able to discern if you are simply attempting to check a box for diversity or if you are actually committed to diversity and inclusion. Include clear instances of how your experiences and identities have influenced your life and ambitions.
Consider your personal prejudices and how they may have shaped your viewpoint. A diversity statement allows you to demonstrate that you are self-aware and open to learning from those with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Keep it brief and to the point. A diversity statement should be 500 words or fewer, so concentrate on the most relevant and significant experiences and identities.
Give this essay the same care and attention that you would with all other written parts of your application, like your CV and Personal Statement. Edit and proofread your statement thoroughly. It is critical that you show yourself in the best possible light, so double-check for spelling and punctuation mistakes and have someone else evaluate your statement for input.

For more help with your personal statement, check us out at Gurufi.com. Our personal statement editors and consultants have decades of experience helping clients get into top Masters and Ph.D. programs in STEM, humanities, fine arts, and social sciences. Our specialty is helping you craft compelling personal statements that move the needle in your admissions process! For questions, shoot us an email at service@gurufi.com. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.