Master’s and Doctoral Applicants
This program consists of 1-1 weekly meetings with students and Daniel Strom, who will guide the student through every aspect of the graduate application process.
How We Help:
Developing a Balanced School List
With Daniel’s experience as a former admissions representative at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, he has an extensive understanding of what graduate programs are looking for when analyzing students’ profiles, including courseload rigor, test scores, activities/work experience, and letters of recommendation.
Crafting an Application Brand
The best way to stand out in the application pool is to have a genuinely distinctive Application Brand, one that no other student could possibly replicate! Here is an example of a generic Application Brand:
“I enjoy reading. In my free time, I volunteer at different charities. I hope to be a doctor.”
This Application Brand isn’t specific and doesn’t tie their skills and interests together. This will make it impossible to write strong application essays that truly represent the student’s essence. Now, here is a revision of the same Application Brand:
“I am a loyal philanthropist who publishes children’s books about mental health care. I hope to start a non-profit medical facility that offers free medical care for low-income families.”
With this Application Brand, the student successfully explains the interrelations between their interests. This Application Brand serves as a compass to guide the student through every aspect of the application.
Essays: Statement of Purpose and Supplemental Essays
Once we have developed a solid Application Brand, we will use it to brainstorm topics for each school’s Statement of Purpose essay. Furthermore, most colleges require additional essays that are specific to that school or major. A commonly required supplemental essay topic is “Why do you want to attend [COLLEGE NAME]?” These essays must be concise and specific to the student’s Application Brand. For example, writing that a college has a high ranking is not going to help in this essay. Instead, it would be wise to write about the college’s unique courses and student organizations that align with the student’s Application Brand.
Resume/Activities List
There are multiple strategies to maximize the Activities List’s impact, including highlighting results-oriented accomplishments and bundling extracurriculars.
Interviews
As a former admissions interviewer at Northwestern University, Daniel is equipped to help students excel in the interview process. Through multiple mock interviews, Daniel helps students explore each college’s mission statement and how they can express a proper “fit” within that mission statement. One key to college interviews is not only explaining what the school can do for you but also what you can contribute to the school.
Letter of Recommendation Requests
It is essential for each letter to highlight specific elements of the student’s Application Brand. But how can we do this if students do not write the recommendations? While students cannot write their own recommendations, they can request that their recommenders mention specific examples that verify a student’s Application Brand. With Daniel’s guidance, students craft a thoughtful cover letter to be sent to each recommender to ensure that it is representative of the student’s Application Brand.
Waitlist and Deferral Support
When students are waitlisted or deferred from a college, it is crucial that they remain in contact with the admissions team and write a thoughtful Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI). Even for universities that don’t take demonstrated interest into account when making admissions decisions, the LOCI can be the tipping point to push a waitlisted or deferred student into the admit pile. With Daniel's help, students craft an LOCI that reinforces their Application Brand, their informed interest in the college, and meaningful updates that may impact their candidacy.