Consultants' Corner

The Post-Ph.D. Job Market (Yikes!)

academic job market — Getting an Academic Job Is the Hardest Part of the Ph.D. process!

“Academia is a killing field…” On my first day of graduate school, a fellow Ph.D. student who was a few years ahead of me provided this sobering bit of advice. Though I would eventually get a job at Harvard before deciding to do other things, throughout my time at Yale, I felt a deep sense of dread about the day when I would go out on the job market. Whether, like me, you were a humanities student or you studied social science or STEM, the chances of earning a tenure-track position after graduation are quite low. Some stats:

According to data from the National Science Foundation, in 2018, approximately just 22% of individuals who received research doctorates (including PhDs) in science, engineering, and health fields in the United States obtained a tenure-track position within one year of completing their degree.
In Computer Science, about 35% of PhD graduates obtained a tenure-track position within one year.
In Physics, only about 15% of PhD graduates did so.
My old discipline, History, was a bit better. Roughly 42% of individuals who earned a history PhD in the United States in 2020 obtained a tenure-track position within one year of completing their degree.
According to a report from the American Chemical Society, 20% of Chemistry PhD graduates who completed their degree in the 2019-2020 academic year had secured a tenure-track position as of December 2020.
A survey conducted by the American Political Science Association found that approximately 53% of Political Science PhD graduates who completed their degree in the 2019-2020 academic year had secured a tenure-track position as of September 2020.
The American Economic Association’s most recent data on employment outcomes for Economics PhD graduates indicates that approximately 45% of individuals who completed their degree in the 2018-2019 academic year secured a tenure-track position within one year.

It’s worth noting that these statistics may not provide a complete picture of the academic job market, as they only account for individuals who are actively seeking academic employment and may not include those who have pursued non-academic careers or are still seeking employment after one year. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the academic job market, with many institutions facing budget cuts and hiring freezes. This has made the already competitive job market even more challenging for new PhD graduates seeking tenure-track positions.

Overall, the statistics for PhD graduates seeking tenure-track positions are influenced by a range of factors, including the overall state of the economy, institutional hiring practices, and individual qualifications and experience. It’s important for PhD graduates to be aware of these factors and to develop a comprehensive job search strategy that includes exploring a range of employment options both within and outside of academia. This begins the day that you decide to enter graduate school. Be thoughtful and intentional about building relationships, participating in research, trying to publish, attending conferences, and otherwise doing whatever is necessary so that, in 5-8 years when you earn your doctorate, your CV reflects someone who is ready to become a leader in academia. After all, for most positions you are applying for, you will likely be competing against several hundred other applicants.

In addition to these elements, larger economic and sociological changes may also have an impact on how competitive the academic market is. A more competitive market may result from, for instance, fewer resources being available during economic downturns to hire new academics or researchers. On the other hand, when the economy is expanding, there may be more possibilities accessible, which would reduce market competition.

It might seem like I’m trying to scare you out of pursuing a Ph.D., but that’s not the case! I do believe that if you’re passionate about the field, willing to work within it, and have talent, you can make it. But, forewarned is forearmed, so understand from the start that this isn’t like medical school, law school, or getting an MBA: you may not be able to get a job after you graduate. Approach your studies, your relationship-building, and your nascent research career with a sense of urgency because landing a job and building a career after getting your Ph.D. will be an immense challenge!

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.

“The MLA Guide to the Job Search: A Handbook for Departments and Candidates.” Modern Language Association, 2021, https://www.mla.org/Resources/Career/Job-Search-Resources/The-MLA-Guide-to-the-Job-Search.
“The State of the Humanities 2021: Graduates in the U.S. Workforce.” American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2021, https://www.amacad.org/sites/default/files/media/document/2021-10/AAAS-Humanities-Workforce-Report.pdf.
“The Academic Job Market for Humanities PhDs.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-academic-job-market-for-humanities-phds/.
“Job Market Statistics.” The American Historical Association, 2022, https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-resources/data-on-the-history-profession/job-market-statistics.
“The Humanities PhD at Work: The 2020-21 AHA Career Diversity Fellowships.” American Historical Association, 2021, https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-diversity-for-historians/the-humanities-phd-at-work-the-2020-21-aha-career-diversity-fellowships.
“From Dissertation to First Book: A Practical Guide.” The University of Chicago Press, 2022, https://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/guidebook-to-publishing-in-the-humanities/for-authors-from-dissertation-to-first-book/.
“Job Market Resources.” The American Academy of Religion, 2022, https://www.aarweb.org/job-market-resources.
“The Job Market for Philosophy PhDs: A Snapshot.” Daily Nous, 2021, https://dailynous.com/2021/07/29/job-market-philosophy-phds-snapshot/.
“The Humanities PhD Project.” The Modern Language Association, 2022, https://www.mla.org/Resources/Career/Job-Search-Resources/The-Humanities-PhD-Project.
“The State of the Humanities 2018: Graduates in the Workforce & Beyond.” American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2018, https://www.amacad.org/publication/state-humanities-2018.
“The American Philosophical Association’s Guide to the Graduate Study of Philosophy.” American Philosophical Association, 2022, https://www.apaonline.org/page/guidebook.
“Advice for Job Seekers.” The Association for Jewish Studies, 2022, https://www.associationforjewishstudies.org/publications-research/job-center/advice-for-job-seekers.
“Job Market Resources.” The College Art Association, 2022, https://www.collegeart.org/career-center/job-market-resources/.
“The MLA Guide to the Job Search: Interviewing.” Modern Language Association, 2021, https://www.mla.org/Resources/Career/Job-Search-Resources/The-MLA-Guide-to-the-Job-Search.
“The Academic Job Market for Philosophers: A Snapshot.” Daily Nous, 2021, https://dailynous.com/2021/05/10/academic-job-market-philosophers-snapshot/.
“What Is the Current State of the Academic Job Market for STEM PhDs?” Inside Higher Ed, 2021, https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2021/02/12/what-current-state-academic-job-market-stem-phds-opinion.
“Tenure-Track Faculty Jobs.” Science Careers, 2022, https://jobs.sciencecareers.org/landingpage/623029/tenure-track-faculty-jobs/.
“The Non-Academic Job Search for STEM PhDs.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2022, https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-nonacademic-job-search-for-stem-phds.
“Academic Job Market Data.” The National Science Foundation, 2022, https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/acadjobinfo.cfm.
“The Job Market for New PhDs in Science and Engineering.” The National Science Foundation, 2020, https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2019/nsf19312/nsf19312.pdf.
“Careers Beyond the Tenure Track.” American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2022, https://career-resources.aaas.org/careers-beyond-the-tenure-track.
“Getting a Tenure-Track Job in the Sciences: A Guide for Graduate Students and Postdocs.” Science Careers, 2022, https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2017/02/getting-tenure-track-job-sciences-guide-graduate-students-and-postdocs.
“The Academic Job Market for Life Scientists: A Snapshot.” Science, 2018, https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.caredit.aat9021.
“Science Job Market in 2021: An Insider’s View.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2021, https://www.chronicle.com/article/science-job-market-in-2021-an-insiders-view.
“The Postdoc Academy: Career Planning Resources for STEM PhDs.” National Postdoctoral Association, 2022, https://www.nationalpostdoc.org/page/PostdocAcademy.
“The Academic Job Search for Science PhDs.” Career Pathways, 2022, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00056-7.
“The 2019-2020 Academic Job Market for Engineers.” American Society for Engineering Education, 2020, https://www.asee.org/papers-and-publications/publications/annual-conference/2020/papers/e24805/2019-2020-academic-job-market-for-engineers.
“The Academic Job Market for Computer Science PhDs: A Snapshot.” The Computing Research Association, 2019, https://cra.org/cra-wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Academic_Job_Market_for_Computer_Science_PhDs_2019.pdf.
“Preparing for an Academic Job Search.” American Chemical Society, 2022, https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/careers/career-services/job-search/preparing-for-an-academic-job-search.html.
“Navigating the Postdoc Landscape.” Nature, 2018, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07268-7.

Twenty Tips for a Powerful Personal Statement

I used to teach a summer seminar to aspiring MBA, law school, and college students about how to write a powerful personal statement. While transitioning my material to a new laptop, I recently discovered my old notes on “Twenty Quick Tips for a Great Personal Statement.” For many of them, I’ve added some YouTube videos that I did, either for my channel or for GMATClub.

Start early and give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, write, and revise.
Choose a topic that is meaningful and personal to you, and that showcases your unique perspective and personality.
Begin with an attention-grabbing opening that engages the reader and sets the tone for the rest of your essay… BUT, avoid gimmicks that are over-the-top and don’t feel authentic to you.
Use specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points and bring your essay to life.
Use descriptive language and active verbs to convey energy and enthusiasm. Identify passive constructions and “to be” verbs (am, is, were, was, etc.) and work to eliminate as many of them as possible.
Stay focused on the main theme of your essay and avoid veering off on tangents or discussing unrelated topics.
Keep your essay concise and focused. If no specific work limit is given, aim for a word count of around 500-1000 words.
Use transitions to help the reader follow your thoughts and ideas.
Proofread carefully to catch any errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation.
Show, don’t tell. Use concrete examples to illustrate your points and bring your essay to life.
Avoid cliches and overused phrases, and try to be original and authentic.
Be honest and genuine, and avoid exaggerating or embellishing the truth.
Use a strong, clear voice and avoid using passive language.
Avoid using jargon or technical terms that may be unfamiliar to the reader.
Use quotes sparingly and only if they add value to your essay.
Don’t repeat information that is already included in your application or resume.
Don’t be afraid to seek feedback from others, but be sure to keep your own voice and perspective in the essay.
Use a variety of sentence structures to keep the reader engaged and add interest to your essay.
Conclude your essay with a strong closing that summarizes your main points and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.
Finally, don’t be afraid to be yourself! Admissions committees want to get to know you, so be genuine and authentic in your writing.

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 colleges and universities. 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.

Is An MBA Worth It? A Personalized ROI Analysis

In a recent discussion I had with Andrea Flores from IE University in Madrid, we talked about the Return on Investment of an MBA. It was a fantastic discussion that allowed us to explore ROI as a broad concept, but I did receive some messages from listeners asking me for a “sample formula” for calculating ROI. So, I decided to oblige.

That said, before I lay this out, I want to stress that there are a range of intangibles that every applicant must take into account, and thus this formula should be just one factor of many. For instance, what value do you place on moving into a career that you find more fulfilling or meaningful, even if the boost in salary isn’t necessarily a positive ROI? On the other hand, using this approach will at least allow you to see what choosing a particular field (or, to put a point on it, choosing happiness) will cost you monetarily.

So, for the 1% of MBA applicants who don’t know, ROI is a statistic used in finance to gauge how profitable an investment is. Calculating the ROI in the context of an MBA can assist prospective students in determining if getting an MBA degree is a wise financial move.

Here are the variables you must take the following into account when calculating the return on investment for an MBA:

Tuition costs: Depending on the university and program, an MBA degree might be expensive. The majority of MBA programs cost $40,001 to $100,000.

Opportunity cost: Earning an MBA entails a large time commitment, usually two years of full-time study. This implies that during this period, pupils will have to pass up possibilities like working or continuing their studies. The potential money that a student may have made while in the program is the opportunity cost of an MBA.

Financial assistance: A lot of MBA schools provide financial assistance in the form of loans, grants, and scholarships. When estimating the return on investment of an MBA, it’s crucial to take them into account since they may help offset the cost of tuition and living expenses.

Salary boost: Increasing one’s earning potential is one of the main motivations for acquiring an MBA. Many MBA graduates get a large raise in pay after finishing the program. To estimate the possible financial advantages of an MBA, this rise should be considered when calculating ROI.

After taking these things into account, do the following:

Calculate the MBA program’s overall cost. This should include living costs, tuition fees, and any additional expenditures related to completing the degree. Most MBA programs will have sample budgets and also give a simple “full cost of attendance” for students. Public institutions will break it down by in-state, out-of-state, and international students, as well as by type of program (part-time, full-time, etc.)

Calculate the MBA’s opportunity cost. This represents the potential earnings the student may have made while enrolled in the program had they not been pursuing an MBA.
To calculate the net cost of the MBA program, deduct any financial help obtained from the total cost.

Calculate the income boost the student may anticipate receiving once they have finished the MBA program.

To calculate the ROI, divide the anticipated income gain by the net cost of the MBA program. The ROI, for instance, would be 33.33% if the net cost of the MBA was $60,000 and the anticipated wage gain was $20,000 per year.

It’s crucial to keep in mind that the ROI for an MBA might change based on the student and the exact school they select. After earning an MBA, some students could have a greater wage boost while others would not. The price of an MBA program might also change based on the school and the particular program. Therefore, while calculating the ROI of an MBA, it’s crucial for prospective students to carefully analyze these elements and perform their own computations.

Again, I think that this is very useful data in terms of figuring out whether it makes financial sense, BUT as our podcast conversation makes clear, you’re not a “homo economicus” that makes decisions purely on salary and financial outcome. Use this data point as one of many to determine whether an MBA is for you!

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.

Three Tips for a Great CV

A CV (or curriculum vitae) or resume is a written statement of your educational and professional accomplishments. It’s an important facet of your job hunt that may make you stand out from the competition.

@gurufi_admissions

Three Tips for a Great #CV / #Resume ! Make sure your job or #mbaapplication stands out. These simple fixes will also improve your mbainterview!

♬ original sound – Gurufi

Here are five pointers for writing an outstanding CV:

(1) Customize your CV for the position you’re going for: Do your homework on the school or employer/position before you begin creating your CV. This will make it easier for you to identify and assess the main credentials and talents the company is seeking and guarantee that your CV is customized to meet their needs.

(2) Keep it succinct and pertinent: Your CV should be focused on the material that is most pertinent to the position you are looking for. Even highly qualified candidates with extensive experience can write a single-page CV. Exclude any material that is out-of-date or irrelevant.

(3) Use appropriate terms and phrases. Many businesses use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter resumes before human recruiters even see them. Use terms and phrases that are pertinent to the position you’re going for in your CV to make sure it is identified via these systems and not disregarded.

(4) Highlight your accomplishments: Instead of just describing your duties, be sure to mention your successes. To illustrate your abilities and the influence you made in your past employment, provide specific instances.

(5) Edit, revise, check, re-revise, and check one more time before submitting it to ensure there are no typos, grammatical mistakes, or consistency issues. Ask a reliable friend or expert to examine it as well, and be prepared to make changes in response to their comments. At Gurufi.com, we have a dedicated CV expert to help you with your CV. We’ll make sure that it’s attractive, clear, and draws the reader to your core positioning points, experiences, and qualifications. With an effective CV, you’ll be well on your way to standing out from the crowd and securing admission or earning the job of your dreams! #cv #resume #admissions #mbaadmissions #lawschooladmissions #medicalschool #gre #gradschool #phd #gradstudent #phdlife #phdstudent #gradschoollife #graduateschool #phdjourney #gradschoolproblems #dissertation #academiclife #phdproblems #thesis #academia #gradlife #doctoralstudent #gradstudentlife #doctorate #masters #mastersdegree #gradstudents #dissertationlife #research #thesiswriting #gradstudentproblems #student #dissertationproblems #graduatestudent #graduate #grad #mba #businessschool #bizchool #gmatclub #gmat #wharton #hbs #stanfordgsb #stanfordbusiness #mbaadmissions #mbapersonalstatement #businesschoolpersonalstatement #personalstatement #mbatips #mbalife #mbadiversitystatement #lsat #lawschool #prelaw #lawschoollife #aspiringlawyer #1L #2L #3L #lawschooljourney #lawschooladmissions #lawschoolpersonalstatement #180lsat #175lsat #170lsat #JD #JDPHD #lawschooladmissionshelp #lawschooldiversitystatement #lawschooldiversity

Resources for Diversity Statements

Next week, I’ll be releasing two longer videos with some strategies, tips, and insights on how to write effective diversity statements. For many applicants -especially those from outside the United States- this is the most confusing and opaque part of the application process. How Americans think about diversity, what they’re looking for, and how this reality impacts people of varied backgrounds is a fraught, complicated, and high-stakes question.

Hopefully, our presentation takes some of the mystery out of the process and helps people from all groups (under-represented minorities, non-minority, and “over-represented minorities) understand how to approach this question. So stay tuned for that! In the meantime, I’ve gathered together links some links from the best public universities in America (and Notre Dame) whose statements on writing diversity statements provide genuine insight and helped to supplement my professional and personal experiences with these issues.

In addition, if you need more help with your diversity statement, personal statement, or any other admissions writing, check us out at Gurufi.com. Our personal statement editors and consultants have decades of experience helping clients get into top 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.

The University of California, Berkeley’s guide on writing a diversity statement: https://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/applying-to-berkeley/diversity-statement/
The University of Michigan’s sample diversity statement and tips for writing a strong statement: https://grad.umich.edu/admissions/applying/diversity-statement/
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s guide on writing a diversity statement: https://grad.wisc.edu/applying-for-admission/personal-statements/diversity-statement/
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://gradschool.unc.edu/apply/diversity-statement/
The University of Virginia’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://grad.as.virginia.edu/admissions/application-information/personal-statements-essays
The University of Florida’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://www.grad.ufl.edu/admissions/diversity-statement/
The University of Texas at Austin’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://www.utexas.edu/graduate/apply/diversity
The University of California, Los Angeles’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://grad.ucla.edu/admissions/application-information/diversity-statement/
The University of Notre Dame’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://gradstudies.nd.edu/admission/diversity-statement/
The University of Pennsylvania’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/admissions/admissions/diversity-statement
The University of Minnesota’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://twin-cities.umn.edu/admissions/diversity-statement
The University of Washington’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://www.grad.uw.edu/applying-grad-school/personal-statements-and-essays/diversity-statement
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://grad.illinois.edu/admissions/application-information/diversity-statement
The University of California, San Diego’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://grad.ucsd.edu/admissions/application-information/personal-statement/diversity-statement/
The University of Colorado Boulder’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://www.colorado.edu/graduateschool/admissions/diversity-statement
The University of Arizona’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://grad.arizona.edu/admissions/apply/diversity-statement
The University of Oregon’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://gradschool.uoregon.edu/admissions/diversity-statement
The University of Pittsburgh’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://www.gradschool.pitt.edu/admissions/diversity-statement
The University of Georgia’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://www.admissions.uga.edu/grad/diversity
The University of Iowa’s tips for writing a diversity statement: https://grad.uiowa.edu/admissions/diversity-statement

How to Write About Blemishes in Your Personal Statement

At Gurufi, we help applicants of all backgrounds write powerful and compelling personal statements, but if I had to pick our specialty, it would be helping people with blemishes on their record. Maybe you had a bad first year in college; maybe you got arrested when you were 19; maybe you founded a company right out of college that went bankrupt and lost your investors a ton of money. We’ve seen it all. In nearly every case, we’re dealing with people who stumbled, got up, and rebuilt their lives informed -and even powered by- the lessons they learned from their mistakes.

@gurufi_admissions

Don’t let academic or professional setbacks derail your MBA application! Here’w how to address these concerns in your personal statement. #MBA

♬ original sound – Gurufi

As you look to build your personal statement or write about a blemish in your past, here are five tips to follow:

Be sincere: When discussing flaws in your history in your personal statement, it’s crucial to be sincere and upfront. Don’t speak in vague terms or euphemisms. Being direct, clear, and frank can demonstrate maturity and self-awareness and assist you in giving the reader a more accurate and genuine picture of who you are.

Consider the lessons you’ve learned: When writing about previous transgressions, take into account the lessons you’ve learned and how they’ve helped you become a better person. This might show that you’re able to grow from your mistakes and make progress. A good rule of thumb is that you should look for a 2:1 ratio (lesson learn to describing the mistake) when talking about missteps.

Don’t concentrate on the bad: While it’s vital to acknowledge and talk about previous mistakes, you should try to avoid focusing on the bad parts of the event. Instead, concentrate on the advantages of your development and progress. Make it clear how / why you’re a better person. If you can, provide an example of an instance where you faced a similar challenge and crushed it.

Give particular instances: Give specific examples to support your views and to assist explain the lessons you’ve learnt from prior mistakes. This can enhance your writing’s vividness and interest, as well as assist the reader remember your personal statement longer.

Keep it short: It’s always a good idea to eliminate unnecessary text, but it’s 10x important to keep this section lean and direct. Be succinct and to the point while writing about flaws in your history. Stay away from delving into too much detail or focusing on the unpleasant parts of the encounter. Instead, concentrate on your main points and leave it at that.

Avoid These Mistakes When Seeking a Letter of Recommendation

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 “outsourced” part of the application, many applicants aren’t sufficiently thoughtful about the process, thus hurting their chances of admission.

At Gurufi, we can help turn your letter-writer’s recommendation into a more effective and powerful bit of writing. And, for additional thoughts, check out this extended YouTube video we made. In the meantime, here are the five most common mistakes that I’ve seen clients make.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

“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
“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
“How to Request a Letter of Recommendation” (n.d.). The University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved from https://career.berkeley.edu/Grad/LOR
“Letters of Recommendation” (n.d.). Stanford University. Retrieved from https://www.stanford.edu/dept/spec_coll/uarch/exhibits/letters/letters.html
“Letters of Recommendation” (n.d.). The University of Michigan. Retrieved fromhttps://careercenter.umich.edu/article/letters-recommendation

How to Fix a Broken Personal Statement

Congratulations! You’ve written the first draft of your personal statement. You’ve managed to distill your life, aspirations, and strengths down to a few hundred words, which is no easy thing! But here’s the bad news: you’re just getting started! But, as Ernest Hemingway famously said, “the first draft is sh**.”

Effective revision is the difference between a mediocre draft and a good one, a good one and a great one, a great one and one that blows the AdCom’s socks off! Don’t drift across the finish; take an assertive, thoughtful, and meticulous approach to revising your essay.

Read your personal statement out loud: Reading your personal statement aloud will help you spot clunky text and uncomfortable wording that you may not notice while reading silently. You also want this to be a personal statement, and if it doesn’t sound like you when you read it, it probably isn’t connected to your personality and strengths as an applicant.
Take a break and return to it later: After drafting your personal statement, take a break and return to it with fresh eyes later. Creating a sense of distance from your draft will help you see it anew. This might assist you in identifying errors that you may have overlooked earlier.
Use a spelling and grammar checker: Most word processing software products include spelling and grammar checkers that can assist you in catching problems. However, keep in mind that these tools are not perfect and should only be used as a supplement to your own proofreading efforts. I also like Grammarly. Remember, though, that no software is perfect, so don’t just blindly follow the advice on grammar, syntax, and wording that they provide. Be thoughtful and proactive about it.
Have someone else go over your personal statement: Obviously, we here at Gurufi.com think we’re the best in the business at helping you turn your personal statement into something great.  But, if you can’t afford it or you want to do it yourself, having a friend, family member, or writing instructor look through your personal statement will help you discover faults that you may have overlooked. As with point #3, listen to all advice that you’re given and think carefully in every instance whether it’s right for you and your application.
Check for consistency: Make sure your personal statement has a consistent tone, style, and layout. Avoid the Frankenstein essay where you try to incorporate too many bits of advice or try to cram too much into it, and so along the way you lose your voice and the essay’s sense of direction.
Make sure your personal statement is straightforward and easy to read. Young writers love trying to dazzle readers by blasting them with every fancy word they know. Don’t do that. Follow Ernest Hemingway’s four rules for writing. The TLDR is: keep it simple. Avoid employing jargon or sophisticated terminology that the reader may find difficult to understand. And certainly NEVER use a word or phrase unless you’re absolutely certain you know what it means.
Use a top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top proofreading method: Start by reading through your essay top to bottom, fixing anything that needs fixing. Then, begin with your final sentence, read it, and revise. Then go to the second-to-last sentence, and repeat. Do this until you’ve gone from the end of the essay to the top. Breaking it up in this way allows you to see avoid getting into the flow of the essay and instead see each sentence on its own.

Should You Go to Grad School?

Graduate school can be deeply fulfilling, put you on a path to a career you love, and allow you to study things that you’re passionate about under the mentorship of people who are genuine experts. But it’s also an intense all-encompassing experience and can be time-consuming, expensive, and professionally and personally disruptive. Far too many people don’t take into account that, in graduate school, your entire life becomes about the thing you’re studying, the university where you live, and the ideas you’re to understand and solve. This shouldn’t be done as a way to delay or avoid making hard choices about your future and you should certainly think about all aspects of the program, experience, mentorship, and professional prospects you’ll face afterward. Here are ten things to think about as your decide whether graduate school is for you.

Your academic and career goals: Think about what you want to accomplish via graduate school and how a graduate degree will help you get there. If you don’t have a clear plan for how graduate school gets you from A to B in your career, then don’t take the plunge.
The program’s reputation: Research the reputation of the graduate schools you’re interested in, including their professors, research opportunities, and job placement rates. This isn’t just about vanity or brand obsession. If you’re thinking about becoming an academic, the reputation of your program matters A TON. Similarly, many non-academic employers strongly prefer graduates of top-tier programs, and if that’s the case, getting a graduate degree from a lesser program may not get you the opportunities and R.O.I. you’re looking for.
Financial considerations: Consider the cost of tuition and other fees, as well as how you intend to finance your graduate studies. I personally don’t think that you should ever pursue a PhD without full funding, but others feel differently. For Masters programs, think about whether the bump in your expected future earnings justifies what can be an immensely expensive undertaking.
Location: Don’t EVER view graduate school as just something that you’ll endure. If you find yourself saying “I could tolerate being in City X for a few years…” then STOP! As a former PhD student and professor, I have seen many smart, driven, and ambitious people leave their programs because of lifestyle considerations. If you don’t think that you would THRIVE in a city and he happy there, don’t apply. Think over the school’s location and whether it fits your lifestyle and personal preferences. Your chances of completing the program, doing well, and continuing to feel excited about your program are all connected to whether you are happy within your city.
Program structure and duration: Learn about the program structure and length, as well as if it offers full-time or part-time choices.
Coursework and research possibilities: Think about the sorts of courses and research opportunities available in the programs you’re interested in, and how they match your interests and aspirations.
Professors and mentorship: Research the faculty in the programs you’re interested in, and evaluate if you’ll have access to mentors and advisers who can help you advance academically and professionally. This relationship between you and your mentor will ultimately define your level of graduate school success. An engaged, demanding, helpful, and caring mentor can put you on a path to success; a distant, demeaning, uninterested, or unsuccessful mentor who doesn’t believe in your ideas or potential will make graduate school nearly impossible to excel within.
Admission criteria: Learn about the admission requirements for the programs you’re interested in, such as transcripts, test scores, letters of recommendation, and any other application materials.
Time commitment: Consider the time commitment necessary for graduate school, which includes courses, research, and any other responsibilities.
Career prospects: Think about the professional possibilities for graduates of the schools you’re interested in and whether they correspond with your career ambitions. Overall, before going to graduate school, it is critical to conduct extensive study and carefully analyze all of these variables.

How to Avoid “Frankenstein Essays”

Within 20 seconds of reading a draft personal statement, I can tell whether the author has a clear sense of what they want to say or whether they’ve spent far too much time asking for advice, deep-diving into forums, or otherwise overthinking it. These “Frankenstein essays” are a misfit mishmash of parts because the author tries to cover every base and make sure they provide something for everyone.

@gurufi_admissions

When a #personalstatement stops being a reflection of *your* voice and life, and instead tries to do too much, it becomes a “Frankenstein essay.

♬ original sound – Gurufi

When it comes to personal statements, you’re much better off writing a few things well than saying a lot of things briefly or poorly. As such, it is important to be judicious about where you seek advice. A strong personal statement represents you and your accomplishments and if focused on your future. It’s clear and simple, and not meandering and complicated.

Yes, when drafting a personal statement, it’s important to have an open mind and be prepared to take constructive criticism. Choosing wisely where to seek guidance for your personal statement will significantly improve the caliber and efficacy of your essay. Consult professionals, academics, peers, internet resources, family members, and friends for help, but also trust your gut and be loyal to who you are. Don’t forget that your personal statement should reflect your unique personality, so don’t be scared to experiment and be original. And, with EVERY piece of advice, make sure that the final decision is yours.