Sample Admission Essays

Also available is an expanded Table of Contents.

PART 1
CREATING PERFECT PERSONAL STATEMENTS

• The Questions
• Preparing to Write Your Essays
• Writing Your Personal Statement—Content and Theme
• Writing Your Personal Statement—Style and Format
• Submitting Supplementary Materials
• The Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Writing Personal Statements
• Personal Statements and Medical School Applications
• Personal Statements and Electronic Media

PART 2
RECOMMENDATION LETTERS AND IN-PERSON INTERVIEWS

• Recommendation Letters
• In-Person Interviews

PART 3
THIRTY GREAT PERSONAL STATEMENTS
(BY SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS)

• Essays that Relate a Personal Anecdote (sample—for an M.A. program)
• Essays that Admit Shortcomings (sample—for law school)
• Essays that Connect the Applicant's Past, Present, and Future
• Essays by Risk-Takers with Distinct Points of View
• Essays by Applicants Clearly Focused on Goals
• Essays by Applicants with Unique Life Experiences
• Essays that Explain why the Applicant Chose This Particular School
• Essays that Explain Deficiencies or Blemishes
• Essays by Applicants who are Committed to a Cause
• Essays by Multifaceted Applicants (sample—for B-school)

PART 4
ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS

Advice From the Law Schools
• Boalt Hall (University of California at Berkeley, School of Law)
• Cornell University Law School
• Georgetown University Law Center
• The University of Michigan Law School
• The University of Texas at Austin, School of Law
• UCLA School of Law

Advice From the Business Schools
• Columbia University, Graduate School of Business
• The Fuqua School of Business (Duke University)
• University of Illinois M.B.A. Program
• Leonard N. Stern School of Business (New York University)
• Stanford University, Graduate School of Business
• Amos Tuck School of Business Administration (Dartmouth College)

Advice From the Medical Schools
• Stanford University School of Medicine
• New York University School of Medicine
• University of Michigan Medical School
• The Pritzker School of Medicine (The University of Chicago)
• University of Washington, School of Medicine