Graduate Admissions Essays, Fourth Edition: Write Your Way into the Graduate School of Your Choice

I would definitely recommend this book! This book was great for several reasons...First, it gives you a LOT of context. You get a better picture about who is reading your essay, what they are looking for, what the purpose of the essay is, and a better understanding of the application process in general. Obviously, you will need to pick and choose what applies to your field/program because certain things won't necessarily apply (which the author mentions). There is a lot of input from admissions committee members about what they do and don't like reading, which I thought was particularly helpful.The writing exercises are excellent because they are less daunting than trying to write the essay all at once, and once you complete these short prompts, you will find the scaffolding of your essay is already there for you. There were also a lot of helpful suggestions for the revision process. I would not waste time reading tons of the sample essays. I would find a couple that are in your field of study (or something similar) and look over how they were structured and to get ideas for style. If you are in a crunch though, just read chapters 4-7.The author does a great job helping you draw on your entire life experience to help you supplement your essay and make you stand out as a genuine and interesting person. I was really worried about my application being unimpressive. Never underestimate the power of a great essay! So far I have heard back from 5 of my schools and have been offered 5 interviews! I really think I owe a lot of that to this book and having an essay that stood out.

I purchased this book after having decided on a whim to apply to grad schools for this fall. I had no idea where to begin and what I was doing, with application deadlines only a month away.Right away, this book offers better general advice than anything you'll find on the web, all in one place. Forget all those web searches and read this first. It helped me make sense of the process quickly and gives excellent information. Suggestions for how to begin the process of writing a SOP were invaluable, as were the many examples given in the book.I ended-up applying to three very competitive programs in my field. After one rejection, I was accepted to one of the three schools and was then offered a full scholarship by the third (my first choice at that). I can't wait to start!I was accepted on my merits, but absolutely credit this book with helping me strengthen my applications. Don't hesitate to get it, it might be the best $14 you ever spend.,

This is generally a helpful guide with a few caveats. Be aware that the book is designed for HIGHLY COMPETITIVE, ELITE grad programs at Ivy League schools where the essay/personal statement is weighed more than usual. I probably didn't even need it. I wrote a "standard" essay detailing my background and goals without any "cute" stories or anecdotes and I got into both educational doctorate programs I applied for (both are top private universities with national reputations). Honestly, you can Google "graduate school admission essay tips" and get the same advice for free. Yes, there were some good nuggets and examples, but some of the essays weren't as impressive as the author claims (in my view). Again, unless you're applying for a program where 100 people are expected to apply and they only take 2, you're fine on your own, assuming your GPA, recommendations, GRE score, etc. are good.

This book really helped me with my statement of purpose for graduate school. I'm not sure exactly how I stumbled upon this book but it really helped demystified the topic of writing graduate essays! The prose is also super supportive! I don't have any close contacts that have graduate degrees, so I was wading into uncharted territory... But this book broke the steps down and helped me write with confidence and passion!! Certainly, this book is no replacement for proper credentials, solid grades, and work experiences that graduate school requires. But if you have the background, this book will help you pull out your relevant experiences and make them shine!!!

This book is chock full of current, practical information for applying to graduate schools. It guides you step-by-step through writing a high-quality admissions essay, that you can then tailor to the different schools you're applying to. The constructive tips helped me write an essay that was unique in a good way, and highlighted all the reasons I wanted to get a higher degree in the first place. It has information that is useful for both master's and PhD applicants, which was a refreshing change from guides that seem to primarily focus on PhD applicants and include master's degrees as an afterthought.This was the most useful guide I purchased when I was applying to graduate school.

I taught a workshop on purpose statements for grad school applications to those entering their final year of undergrad through the McNair Scholars Program, and this book was vital to the success of my workshop. I really wish I had known about this book when I was writing own grad school applications.The book explains things clearly to help understand what is effective, but also why it is so. But the biggest strength of this book is the many samples of essays for many types of graduate level academic programs.I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is even considering applying to grad school. It will be your greatest resource!

super helpful, lots of great advice! Do also use additional books and youtube to check out the specific field you're applying to, as some of these things said in the book do vary by field even if it doesn't specify that next to that specific part

Este libro tiene los puntos claves para hacer un ensayo de aplicación, me encantó que tiene ejemplos y te da un paso a paso de como escribir. Buena lectura y consejos desde como pedir una carta de recomendación hasta como empezar a prepararte y cuestionarte si de verdad quieres hacer un posgrado.

muito bom. métodologia interessante na forma de construir um roteiro evolutivo da escrita para ensaios. Recomendo como guia de exercícios diários.

After seeing book of Donald Asher I ain't getting doubt at all. Nationally and internationally comprehensive well covered all aspects of acceptance theories and advice towards College students who is looking for graduate schools. Why they fitting to Graduate schooling or not? How overcome financial difficulties in case of lack of sufficient financial support? Which kinda essays will be fit for acceptance and dazzle school admission acceptance? and more

I found both the quality and content of this book better than what I had expected. I advice all my friends to try it once. cheers

I used this guide to write my own graduate admission assays in Europe. Although some advice must be taken with a pinch of salt, as European style admission essays are sometimes more subdued than American ones, the general advice and structure as well as the brainstorming ideas and useful phrases were very helpful to me. Can fully recommend this guide to anyone applying to a PhD program!