make writing your application considerably easier. Matching your strengths with those that the program presents, through either the current student body or recent alumni, really does help you stand out. If a particular program is competitive, tailoring your individual application to the exact profile of candidates is a very important strategy in the admissions process.
While the admissions criteria for almost all international graduate programs are published widely, either online or in university prospectuses, they generally give none of the real flavour of what makes the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful application. At the world’s top universities, countless applications with the right minimum standards are rejected every year, much to the disappointment of those who have submitted them. While some of these negative decisions are the result of not meeting the appropriate academic standards, a range of strategies exist to make your application stand out
from the crowd.
First and foremost, more students fail to read the application guidelines in enough detail, missing out vital information, making mistakes and sending in the wrong or inappropriate supporting material. With so few students now being interviewed before they are accepted, a paper or online application is effectively the only opportunity to convince admissions staff of your qualities and, while academic criteria will always dominate the heart of a decision, first impressions do count. If your application is incomplete it provides an academic selector with an impression of you that may or may not be fair. Take every aspect of your application as seriously as possible, check your material against the guidelines and always read through every piece of written material before you hit the “submit” button.
Secondly, your personal statement or supporting essay has to reflect your background, as it is relevant to the subject or grad school you are applying to. Successful applicants will represent themselves accurately and with passion, blending details from their academic and personal lives that add real value to the application as a an academic selector to take the application seriously. The key theme for any applicant is relevancy in their statement of purpose – whether this touches on professional experience, how the program of study will support a future goal or personal development. Excellent personal statements take months to write, go through a number of revisions and can stand-alone as a high quality piece of writing. If your writing feels unnatural, or you feel uneasy with the style, it’s unlikely to do you
justice as part of a high quality and compelling graduate application.
Finally, and perhaps most obviously, make sure your application reflects your knowledge of the program or academic area you are applying to. Academic selectors read your material with the view that you will be a student in their classroom or laboratory, willing to make an active contribution to the graduate learning experience and be confident in your scholarship. At the Masters and PhD levels, students are expected to contribute to the discussion and development of academic and intellectual themes in a way that rarely happens in undergraduate degrees, requiring a level of expertise amongst all students as soon as they begin.
Your application should include any information that demonstrates your mastery of, or interest in, a field of study. For example any papers you have published, relevant practical work you have undertaken or discussions you have developed independently of your studies. If you have written extensively on a subject, submit a writing sample in addition to the other required elements of the application. In this context, successful matches the program you are applying to. Keep these steps in mind and your chances of success are improved. A statement with character, commitment and flair will stand out from the crowd and will leave an academic selector with a complete picture of their interests and their expertise.
Find out more vital information
about studying abroad at: http://graduateschool.
topuniversities.com
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