academic applications Archives - Consultants' Corner

Securing Letters of Recommendation as an International Applicant

A group of diverse international students holding academic documents, including diplomas and recommendation letters, stands in front of an abstract globe symbolizing global education. The background features subtle university symbols, representing the challenges of securing letters of recommendation for graduate school as international applicants. — International Applicants Have Special Challenges When It Comes to Letters of Rec

Securing a strong letter of recommendation is a crucial part of your graduate school application. Having a personal, third-party assessment of you provides depth to your application and a more granular look at who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are. In the 15+ years we’ve worked with graduate school applicants, we have revised scores of letters of recommendation.

Though letters of recommendation are pretty standard globally, international applicants face particular challenges in this process, especially when your recommenders are not familiar with the expectations of U.S. graduate schools or do not speak or write English.

This guide offers advice on requesting and obtaining compelling letters of recommendation from professors or employers in your home country.

Selecting the Right Recommenders

Choosing the right recommenders is the first step in obtaining solid letters of recommendation that move the needle on your application. Here are some tips to help you select the most suitable individuals:

1. Choose Individuals Who Know You Well

This is the most important thing. More important than getting a big name is finding somebody who can speak with specificity about you, your strengths, and what you’ve accomplished. In many countries, particularly in Asia, more weight is perhaps placed in the name and title of the recommender, but that’s not really the case in America. The content of the letter is far more important. Having a pro forma, cliché, and short letter from a big name won’t usually help you as much as a thoughtful, in-depth letter featuring examples from somebody who knows you better but is perhaps not well-known or doesn’t have a fancy rank.

Prioritize Academic Recommenders

Whether applying to grad school or seeking employment, it’s usually a good idea to find somebody whose relationship to you most closely aligns with the kind of thing you’re aspiring to join. In other words, if you’re looking to pursue a BioChem PhD, the head of the lab you worked in would be great. Similarly, if you’re looking to complete a History Ph.D. have a history professor who knows you well write it. In short, if you are applying for an academic program, prioritize professors who have taught you in relevant subjects or supervised your research projects. Of course, most schools require three recommendations, so reserving one of those for a professional recommender who knows you well isn’t necessarily a bad idea. BUT, make sure you have the most relevant bases covered.

3. Consider Professional Recommenders

Building on the above point, if you have significant work experience, consider asking employers or colleagues who can provide insights into your professional skills and accomplishments. The test should be, “can this person talk in depth about what I bring to the table?” If so, then when you speak to them, perhaps highlight some skills or accomplishments that they would know about that align with how you’re pitching yourself in your application.

4. Ensure Recommenders Are Respectable
All things being equal, having an impressive recommender is better than an unknown one, BUT note point #1 above. Having read letters from impressive people who didn’t actually know the candidate (or worse, didn’t think much of them), it’s obvious when you’re just getting a pro forma letter that’s not really substantive.

How You Can Help

Follow their lead

The first thing to keep in mind is that you’re asking somebody to do you a favor. So, whatever help they ask for, or whatever process they prefer, it’s up to you to accommodate them. When I was a university professor, I probably wrote 100 letters of rec, so I was pretty familiar with all the different processes and was fine navigating things myself. I had questions I would ask, but didn’t need much help; it was part of my job, so I did it. Not everybody has this attitude and not everybody feels comfortable with their writing. Many times your recommenders will ask you to either create for them an outline or even a full draft. Ethically, they should at least read whatever letter they sign their name to so that they can plausibly say it represents their ideas. But, remember that some people want more help, others less. Conform to their requests when it’s ethical to do so.

Use language translation services

Many people applying to American schools from overseas will want recommenders who are not English speakers to write their letters. That’s fine and a common thing. There are multiple ways do this. You can have them write the letter and then either you translate it (honestly, of course) or you pay for a translation service to do it for you. Or, you can get them to provide you an outline and you write it for them.

If you send a translated letter, some people like to add a note that says something like, “translated from Chinese by XYZ translation service.” You can attach the original if you want; doing so can help to ensure that what’s translated is honest.

Either way, we live in a highly globalized world now, so it’s not shocking that your recommenders don’t speak English.

Ask Early

Reach out to potential recommenders well in advance, ideally at least two months before the application deadline. I would consider two weeks the minimum. This gives them ample time to write a thoughtful letter. Anything shorter than that should begin with an apology.

Explain the Purpose

Clearly explain why you need the letter and the significance of the recommendation in the context of your application. Provide details about the program you are applying to and why you have chosen them as a recommender.

Provide Necessary Information

Supply your recommenders with all the necessary information to write a strong letter. This includes your resume/CV, personal statement, transcripts, and any specific points you would like them to address.

Ask them explicitly, “Can you write me a strong letter?”

As a university professor, I always viewed writing letters of recommendation as part of my job. If you took my class, I would write you one. BUT, I wouldn’t necessarily write you a strong one. I always had a frank conversation with students and would say something like, “Jane, you got a B- in my class, so this letter would be pretty mediocre.” When you ask for a STRONG letter, that allows the writer to let you know that maybe you’re just going to get a bare-bones mediocre letter… so perhaps ask somebody else.

Offer to Discuss in Person

If possible, arrange a meeting or a call to discuss your application and how their recommendation can best support your candidacy.

Be Respectful and Grateful

Acknowledge that writing a recommendation letter is a favor and express your gratitude for their time and effort.

Helping Your Recommenders Write Strong Letters

While your recommenders will ultimately write the letters, you can provide support to ensure they highlight your strengths effectively:

1. Provide Specific Examples
Share specific examples of your achievements and experiences that you would like them to mention. These examples help make the letter more concrete and impactful.

2. Highlight Relevant Skills and Qualities
Emphasize the skills and qualities that are most relevant to the program you are applying to, and ask your recommenders to focus on these aspects.

3. Clarify the Format and Submission Process
Inform your recommenders about the preferred format for the letter and the submission process. Some programs may have specific forms or online portals for submitting recommendations.

4. Remind Them of Deadlines
Politely remind your recommenders of the submission deadlines to ensure the letters are sent on time.

Thank Them Sincerely
– Once the letters have been submitted, send a heartfelt thank you note to express your appreciation for their support.

6. Update Them on Your Progress
Keep your recommenders informed about the outcome of your applications. They will be interested to know where you have been accepted and your future plans.

Securing strong letters of recommendation is a vital component of your graduate school application. By carefully selecting your recommenders, effectively communicating your needs, and supporting them in writing compelling letters, you can enhance your chances of being admitted to your desired program. Remember to show appreciation for their time and effort, as their endorsement is a valuable part of your academic and professional journey.

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.

How Is a Graduate School Personal Statement Different?

A graduate school applicant sitting at a desk filled with books and papers, looking thoughtful and focused while writing a personal statement. The background shows shelves with academic journals, a computer with academic websites open, and a bulletin board with notes about different universities. The setting is a cozy study room with warm lighting, reflecting dedication and intellectual engagement. — A grad school personal statement is different!

How Is a Graduate School Personal Statement Different?

Once you’ve decided to pursue a Ph.D., one of the challenges that you’ll face is that, unlike undergraduate, medical, law, or business school applications, there isn’t really a robust ecosystem offering lots of guidance to would-be applicants. Indeed, Gurufi is one of the few companies that provides consultation and assistance to graduate school applicants. Part of this has to do with subject matter fragmentation. That is, it just seems like an application for a doctoral Physics program at MIT should be very different than, say, a History program at Stanford. There is some truth to this (which is why we have consultants who are STEM PhDs as well as humanities and social science), and there are important subtle differences for how you should approach different kinds of graduate school applications, but graduate school applications as a whole differ in important ways from applications for colleges and professional schools.

I am that rare breed of expert who first attended law school (University of Michigan) then, after practicing briefly, I earned my PhD in History (Yale University). When I applied to graduate school, the process was far more nuanced and complicated, and I benefited immensely from the advice of people who had gone before me, whereas I had found law school applications quite straightforward. In future posts, I’ll cover some other aspects of graduate school applications that many applicants don’t know about, but today I just want to note what I see as the five most important factors that differentiate graduate school personal statements from professional school (law, medical, business, etc.) or college personal statements.

Get the Tone Right

For many applicants, the only advice they’ve ever been given about personal statements came when they were applying to college. College personal statements tend to be very much what you expect from a teenager who’s never actually done or experienced much in their lives: emotionally overwrought, zany, and all about having great “hooks” and a lot of puffery about what they’ve already accomplished and all that they’re going to achieve in life. There is a heavy emphasis on “personal,” and very little that could be classified as substantive. Fair enough, they’re 17 years old! But, if you’re applying to a high-level doctoral program, this is NOT the route you want to take!

You can (and should) incorporate storytelling, and your essay should be engaging, optimistic, and passionate, but it also has to be mature and clear-eyed. In short, you need to show that you’re capable of doing high-level original thinking about a thin slice of a complex subject, and this means projecting gravitas. Humor, purple prose, or stories for their own sake are risky, and often ill-advised.

When working with clients, I’ll often say, “this is for graduate school, not your Tinder profile.” In other words, the Admissions Committee isn’t trying to find a life partner or figure out the machinations of your soul; they’re trying to assess whether you have the talent to do difficult scholarship and an interesting perspective and set of germane experiences to build upon.

You Need to Demonstrate Subject Matter Familiarity

Unlike law school, where you can arrive with little to no real knowledge of the law, graduate programs operate under the assumption that you know something about the field and will arrive on Day 1 ready to engage with it. As such, how you discuss your field and the questions you want to pursue are really important. If you can signal work that you think is important and position yourself relative to scholars whose work you think is interesting, then that helps. Doubly so if those scholars you’re talking about are at the school you’re applying to (more on this next). A good rule of thumb is that the closer you can get in your personal statement to articulating what your eventual dissertation thesis will be, the better. Another way of thinking about this is that you are going to graduate school to acquire the intellectual tools to answer a question; what is that question? What do you think the answer is? Why? These are the sorts of questions that you can only really discuss if you’re familiar with the field.

Applying to a Program, not Really to a School

Okay, this one isn’t REALLY about the Personal Statement, but it’s worth keeping in mind. It’s hard not to be impressed by a brand name, but while top schools do have lots of top programs, don’t fall in love with brands. If the precise thing that you’re passionate about isn’t a strength at Harvard, don’t apply to Harvard. It may be that the University of Indiana or Georgia Tech (two perfectly good schools) are actually the best at what you’re interested in. Over and over, I’ve had clients who will either try to shoehorn their interests into what is offered at an Ivy League school or decide to pursue something else that they’re less interested in because it’s offered at a school they think is great. These are bad ideas. First, graduate school is a long hard slog, and if the school can’t support your particular intellectual interests, you’ll get frustrated and, frankly, you’ll probably quit. Likewise, if you elect to pursue something else just so that you can get a Princeton degree, it’s likely that in year 4 of your 7-year PhD program you’ll be so miserable that you’ll just decide you’ve had enough. A major contributor to the fact that only slightly more than 50% of doctoral candidates earn their PhD is that people aren’t thoughtful about selecting their program.

Talk with specificity about why THAT program

Given that you’re applying to a program, and not a school, you need to articulate why you want to attend thatschool. Importantly, this means avoiding generic sentences like, “Columbia’s excellent faculty, fist-rate facilities, and strong curriculum make it a compelling choice for me.” That just reeks of copy-paste text that could apply to any school. Instead, get specific about which professors you want to work with (I’ll have more on this later this week) and why, the specific programs and facilities that you want to use, and maybe even some of the coursework you hope to complete. So, the generic section above should instead say something like:

“I would be excited to study under the direction of Prof. Jones, whose work on the instability of zeta particles in the CERN superconductor-supercollider poses complex questions about string theory. While working in the Jones Lab, I hope to have access to Columbia’s new high-frequency spectroscopy device so that I could explore whether similar conditions manifest in high-radiation environments.”

Note how (fake physics gibberish aside), a reader knows exactly “why Columbia?” and can picture what the applicant’s time within the program would look like.

It’s Both an Intellectual and Personal History

As I noted above, it’s great to use storytelling to establish how you came to be interested in this particular subject. After all, graduate programs want people who will finish, and if you’re not passionate and excited about the field, you likely won’t. So, having early or formative experiences within a subject be the frame for your essay is a great idea.

But you also need to weave in your intellectual journey. What questions triggered this exploration? What books, ideas, studies, or intellectual problems have you found engaging, exasperating, or in desperate need of solution? If you answer these sorts of questions, and can fuse them with your personal narrative, you can produce an essay that moves the reader and allows them to understand your potential within the field and, importantly, like you as a person who shares their excitement for the subject.

You can see why I said that graduate school personal statements are more nuanced and complicated. And, frankly, my experience is that they’re just harder to write. Given the general rule that you shouldn’t exceed two single-spaced pages, this means you need to write with economy, structure, clarity, and punch. This is a high bar to clear, but if this is really your life’s passion (and if it isn’t, you shouldn’t apply), it’s well worth the work it requires to write, revise, and perfect a dynamite personal statement!

Ten Tips for Your Grad School Writing Sample

Colorful cartoon of students working on their graduate school writing samples in a cozy study space with the help of an experienced editor from Gurufi. The students are smiling and focused, surrounded by books, laptops, and coffee cups, while the friendly editor offers guidance. Text overlay: 'Refine Your Writing Sample with Gurufi – Your Path to Graduate School Success! — Your writing sample is a central part of your application… so you better get it right!

Many graduate programs, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, request that applicants submit a writing sample. At Gurufi, our experienced editor have helped scores of successful applicants refine their writing samples and earn admission to top schools. Here we go over ten common questions that people have about writing samples and provide ideas for how you can make this a strength of your application.

Overview:

Graduate school writing samples are an integral part of many applications, providing a window into your academic abilities, research skills, and potential for success in a rigorous academic environment. In this blog post, we address ten common questions about graduate school writing samples, offering guidance on how to select, craft, and present a strong sample that enhances your application.

1. What is the purpose of a graduate school writing sample?

The purpose of a graduate school writing sample is to demonstrate your writing ability, analytical skills, and readiness for graduate-level work. It allows the admissions committee to assess your capacity to engage with complex ideas, conduct thorough research, and communicate your findings effectively. The writing sample provides a concrete example of your academic capabilities and helps the committee determine if you are well-suited for the demands of their program and have sophisticated insights into the kind of complex issues that people engage with, especially within Ph.D. programs.

2. How do I choose the best writing sample for my graduate school application?

In short, you need to pick a writing sample that is germane, excellent, polished, and ideally is also representative of the kind of work you aspire to do. Showcase your strengths. To this end, consider the following tips:
1. **Relevance:** Choose a sample that is relevant to the field of study you are applying for. This demonstrates your knowledge and interest in the subject area. Even if you wrote an awesome paper for your American History class, that might not be the best choice for a Sociology graduate program.
2. **Quality:** Select a well-written piece that reflects your best work. Ensure it is free of errors and well-organized. Importantly, even if you got strong marks on the essay, you should spend a week or two refining it and revising it. Perhaps even think about tweaking it to align perfectly with the school you’re submitting it to and the strengths of that program.
3. **Length:** Follow the program’s guidelines regarding the length of the writing sample. If no guidelines are provided, a typical length is 10-20 pages.
4. **Originality:** Choose a piece that highlights your original thinking and research skills. This could be a research paper, a thesis chapter, or a critical essay.

3. What should I include in the introduction of my writing sample?

First, remember that if you are choosing a topic that’s germane to the field you’re applying to, you can expect for your reader to be quite familiar with the core ideas. That said, it would be helpful to include the prompt / assignment description if there is one. Otherwise, the writing should speak for itself as a coherent and internally consistent document, so the things that make a strong introduction in any essay apply to this one.

The introduction of your writing sample should provide a clear and concise overview of the topic, the research question or thesis, and the significance of your work. It should set the context for your research and outline the structure of the paper. The introduction should engage the reader and provide a roadmap for what to expect in the rest of the document.

4. How can I demonstrate my research skills in my writing sample?

To demonstrate your research skills, ensure your writing sample includes a well-defined research question or thesis, a comprehensive literature review, and (if relevant) a robust methodology section. Use credible sources and provide proper citations to support your arguments. Present your findings clearly and analyze the data effectively. Highlight your ability to synthesize information and draw insightful conclusions from your research.

It’s a good idea to talk to the professor for whom you originally wrote the paper and ask them for additional input on how they can strengthen the text for this particular purpose and school. Think about additional research you can do, if necessary, to demonstrate knowledge of the field.

5. What are common mistakes to avoid in a graduate school writing sample?

Common mistakes to avoid in a graduate school writing sample include:
1. **Poor Organization:** Ensure your paper is well-structured with clear headings and logical flow.
2. **Weak Thesis:** Present a strong and focused thesis or research question.
3. **Insufficient Analysis:** Provide thorough analysis and avoid simply summarizing sources.
4. **Lack of Clarity:** Write clearly and concisely, avoiding jargon and overly complex sentences.
5. **Grammatical Errors:** Proofread your sample multiple times to eliminate any spelling or grammatical errors. This really should not happen. For a paper of this importance, you should go over it a dozen or more times, looking for any errors.

6. How long should my graduate school writing sample be?

Most applications will specify a length. The length of your graduate school writing sample should follow the guidelines provided by the program you are applying to. If no specific length is mentioned, a typical writing sample ranges from 10 to 20 pages. Ensure that the sample is long enough to demonstrate your ability to conduct in-depth research and analysis, but not so long that it overwhelms the reader. Quality is more important than quantity, so focus on presenting a well-written and cohesive piece.

If your best writing came in a 60-page thesis, for instance, then think about whether your best approach is to reduce that down to 20 pages or whether you should select an excellent 20-page representative section. Ideally that section would be relatively self-sustaining, perhaps with a page or so of explanation that it was taken from a larger text for which you provide sufficient context and explanation.

7. How can I make my writing sample stand out?

To make your writing sample stand out, focus on the following aspects:
1. **Originality:** Present original ideas and perspectives that demonstrate your intellectual curiosity and critical thinking skills.
2. **Clarity:** Write clearly and concisely, ensuring your arguments are easy to follow.
3. **Relevance:** Choose a topic that is relevant to your field of study and showcases your expertise.
4. **Analysis:** Provide thorough and insightful analysis that goes beyond surface-level observations.
5. **Professionalism:** Ensure your sample is polished, well-formatted, and free of errors.

8. What role does the writing sample play in the admissions process?

The writing sample plays a crucial role in the admissions process as it provides tangible evidence of your academic abilities and potential for success in graduate school. It allows the admissions committee to evaluate your writing skills, research capabilities, and ability to engage with complex topics. A strong writing sample can significantly enhance your application by demonstrating your readiness for graduate-level work and your fit for the program.

In many programs, the writing sample determines which professor reviews your application, so be sure to account for that in terms of how you frame your admissions strategy.

9. How should I format my graduate school writing sample?

Personally, I don’t think this one matters much. As long as your formatting is clean and consistent, you should be fine. That said, some people believe that you should format your graduate school writing sample following academic standards and any specific guidelines provided by the program. Here are some general tips:
1. **Font and Spacing:** Use a standard font such as Times New Roman, 12-point size, and double-spacing.
2. **Margins:** Use 1-inch margins on all sides.
3. **Headings:** Use clear headings and subheadings to organize your paper.
4. **Citations:** Follow a consistent citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) and include a bibliography or reference list.
5. **Title Page:** Include a title page with your name, the title of the paper, and any other required information.

10. How do I address feedback and revisions in my writing sample?

Addressing feedback and revisions is an important part of preparing a strong writing sample. Here’s how to approach it:
1. **Seek Feedback Early:** Share your draft with professors, mentors, or peers to get constructive feedback.
2. **Be Open to Criticism:** Accept feedback with an open mind and consider how it can improve your work.
3. **Revise Thoroughly:** Make necessary revisions to strengthen your arguments, clarify your writing, and correct any errors.
4. **Proofread Again:** After revising, proofread your sample multiple times to ensure it is polished and error-free.

Conclusion

A well-crafted graduate school writing sample is a key component of your application, showcasing your academic abilities and research skills. By addressing these common questions and incorporating the advice provided, you can select and prepare a writing sample that effectively demonstrates your potential for success in graduate school. Remember to be thoughtful, thorough, and reflective in your writing, and you will create a compelling sample that enhances your application.

For more help with your writing sample, CV, or 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.

What is a Frankenstein Essay, and Why Will It Destroy Your Application?

Cartoon of Frankenstein sitting at a desk, writing a personal statement with a quill, portraying a humorous juxtaposition of a monstrous figure engaged in a scholarly task — Avoid turning your personal statement into a ‘Frankenstein essay’. Even Frankenstein knows the importance of thoughtful, careful editing!

After nearly 20 years of reading, assessing, revising, and consulting on personal statements, I have seen every variety of mistake an applicant can make. More importantly for you, though, is that I am pretty good at identifying the upstream source of the problem and providing guidance on how to fix it. One of the most common mistakes might seem counterintuitive: the author sought too much help… or at least too much of the wrong kind!

Once you’ve finished your personal statement, you may feel a little apprehensive about what you have written, and as such it is only reasonable to seek out second and third opinions to make sure that you have overlooked nothing, the prose is tight, and you have made a compelling case for your candidacy. But, just as an excellent revision and editing can make an average essay excellent, bad editing can wreck an essay. On such occasions, one is smart to heed the old aphorism that ‘too many cooks spoil the broth.’

Once you have completed your first draft, you need to think carefully about how you go about using advice from other people. Here are six pointers for how to get the best advice in order to turn your draft into an excellent final version you are proud of and happy with.

1.) Be careful about who you pick.

Obviously, you want to get advice from someone who writes well, can be frank with you, and has some understanding of the field to which you are applying. If you choose to get advice from a boyfriend or your mother, for example, then be careful because they might give you an overly glowing review because of their esteem and love for you or may lack the qualifications to point out minor problems with your approach. Similarly, asking your English major friend to look at your Engineering graduate school essay is not a bad idea, but if you go that route, also have someone involved in Engineering (preferably in an academic capacity) is a good idea.

Good people to talk to are your academic advisor (if you are applying to graduate or professional schools) or guidance counselor (if you are applying to college). I know that many people will take their essays to message boards and post them to see what people think of it. The problem here is that you have no real way to gauge someone’s level of expertise and you may get too much feedback from too many sources.

Which leads us to point #2…

Don’t give it to too many people.

If you get critiques on your essay from 8-9 different people and you incorporate all of their suggestions, you will be pulled in too many directions and the essay will lose its sense of voice and focus. The old joke that a camel is a horse designed by committee applies here. Your essay cannot be everything to everyone, and you have to accept this fact. There will always be something that someone would have done differently, so they will often naturally advise you that you should do something different than what you are doing.

Ask follow-up questions

Whenever someone suggests a change, don’t be afraid to ask them about it. Sometimes you will agree with their rationale, but disagree with the execution of the change. Also, through a conversation people will often help you see larger problems that you may have missed. People are often hesitant to give tough advice, and a friendly conversation can help you to avoid this problem because by talking to someone, the person will see that you are serious about valuing their advice.

Don’t be afraid to ignore advice.

At the end of the day, this is *your* personal statement, and *your* future depends on how well you execute it. When someone suggests changes, consider their level of expertise, think about it carefully and if you disagree, then don’t do it. Not every piece of advice given is good; often, you will receive terrible advice.

The final decision is yours, so take your role as the gatekeeper of advice seriously, and only let the best suggestions that work well with your theme, tone, approach and goal through.

BUT, try to avoid pride of authorship

In my capacity as an admissions essay consultant, I often encounter customers who are furious when I tell them that they have things that they need to work on. It is almost as if they paid me $200 for me to tell them that their work was perfect, and they should not change a single letter.

Because a personal statement is so, well, personal, it can sometimes sting when someone gives you some pointed advice. Try to see the bigger picture and embrace the process that will help you to move towards a better and stronger essay. Do your best not to see a critique of your essay as a criticism of you as a person, and rather see it as a positive moment that moves you one step closer to your goal.

Consider using an essay editing service

They can be a bit expensive, but in the end, it makes sense to spend a hundred dollars to give yourself a better chance of getting into the graduate program of your dreams. Getting into a top school, as opposed to an average one, is worth investing in, especially when the cost is less than a pair of fancy Nikes or a new purse.

Some things to consider:

-Make sure that they guarantee your satisfaction.

-Ask if they will work with you beyond just receiving a single revision back from you. Often, it will take 2-3 exchanges with your editor to completely understand what you want to say, how you want to say it, and what core message you want to convey.

At Gurufi, we don’t put a cap on the number of revisions you get, and we’re not happy until you are. That’s why we get such consistently excellent reviews!