HELP Graduate admissions.

[Evergreen]

I am applying to the Marine Science program at SUNY Stony Brook (Where i am finishing up my BS) and at UConn. I am having trouble with the admission statement, and was wondering if anyone has any pointers. A lot of the online sites offer samples that are just way too.. dramatic for me.

It asks you to write information that wasn't included on the normal application form, and things you would want to express in an interview (which I did have already anyhow). I used to be a teacher (French and Spanish 7-12) and the reasons I switched to Mar Sci are complex. There is a lot to write, and the draft I wrote is over 3 pages long. Should I concentrate on the future or the past, my motivations, or all of them equally? ANY tips would help.. if you want I will even send you my draft..:rolleye1:

[skeletor121]

I personally would write a very little about the past and a lot about the future and your motivations. I think that the motivations and the past tend to go together sometimes, which helps shorten things up. When I wrote applications to get into College (about 7 years ago) I concentrated on why I wanted to be there and why I would be a good match (hard worker, experience, etc.). I'm not sure if it helped me to get in, but I was accepted to the Marine Environmental Science program at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in CT, which is the most selective school in the U.S. It gets approximately 5000 applications a year and only accepts 5-10% of them.

[Evergreen]

Hmm I suspected that. Its hard to tie my other degree in with the current one, as to why i switched careers and all. I am going to try to bring more or my plans and motivation and things. Thanks

[neuroracer]

When I wrote my personal essay to get into my physician assistant Master's Deg. program last October, it was long too. The important thing is that is grabs their attention and at the same time is very representative of YOU. Mine might have been long, but that's what size 8 fonts and 0.5 margins are for...:rolleyes: if that is what it takes to make an essay get down to size, roll with it. Also remember, make it fun to read, make it funny, or make it heart-warming, but in any case, make it different. You have to stand out. Grad school can be very competitive - we have a woman in my class that applied to our program for 7 years straight. I cannot imagine...:eek:
Sounds like your original job was far from where you are now intending on going. I would take time to explain that if there was a very particular incident or "awakening" that occurred, that led you to this point. Switching jobs and majors are a big decision, so they could be interested in seeing what it was that made you come full-circle. Then focus on the positives, and your intentions in the future. Tell them WHY you want to go there.

[neuroracer]

Forgot something ;-) - Another quick point that our admissions committee has said in the past is that they want to see how you have uprooted your life to prepare yourself for your program. It sounds funny, but they want to see how far you went to do what you needed to do to be considered competitive. They want to see that drive - they want to hear how you switched from a high-paying unrelated career to a low-paying career to get your experience up, or they want to hear how you got an extra job, or volunteered on top of your fulltime job. They want to hear about the extra classwork, etc. They want to see how far you had to go.

[hubris007]

If you were successful in your previous career, you will want to mention not only that, but also the reason you are changing careers. Noone wants to read an ap where people blow their own horn, but, when a person shows clear success in other fields and shows serious thought has been given to their reasons for wanting something else, it can speak volumes in a small area.

I would try to condense to one page, two at most. If you begin the second page, fill it. Blank space kills.

Failures and how you overcame them can show a lot about your character as well, so long as you don't emphasize the failure.

Expressing interests outside of a given field can be helpful or make you seem flighty or distracted. Showing them you have a well balanced life can emphasize your ability to multitask, handle stress, and not obsess.

Just a couple things i learned applying for vet school and then sitting on the admission committee.

[Evergreen]

The idea about changes made to make yourself competitive is a great idea. I got it down to 2 pages at 1.5 space with 1.2inch margins. The problem is I have SO much in past relating to marinebio, bio, and made the mistake of not following through on it earlier. When i got the chance, I went for it.
I tried making it a "story" with funny anecdotes, and attention-grabbing phrases, and the professor who proofread said it was kind of corny. Oh well.

[neuroracer]

try posting it, ;) or email it by PM if you want a second eye on it.

[hubris007]

ditto that