Writing a strong application always requires lot of hard work, dedication
and concentration. As we are getting close to round 1 deadline pressure to
stand out of the crowd, to convince ad-com of your story and, at the same time,
to write a compelling application is enormous. With my rigorous work load
I'm not able to give much time to application so I decided to follow a
strategy. With this strategy whatever the little time I'm having I'm able to
make most efficient use of it. I call it RAD (Research, Analyse and Draft).
1. Research - I collect all the material available about a school to better
understand the application process. This involves breakdown of essay, videos
from admission counsellors and ad-com and conversation with current students
and alumni.
2. Analyse - The problem with doing extensive research is that we get lots
of advice and expert opinions, which actually are good, however, not every
advice or strategy works for everyone. Such as, I was not much involved in
extra-curricular activities during my under-grad and have only one story to
showcase my involvement in my under-graduate study. If I were to formulate
story to show that I had great achievements in extra-curricular activities
during under-grad that will come superficial from me. The story will not have
the same soul as I portrayed in my other stories.
3. Draft - Yes I said draft, not writing actual essay. Drafting the
structure of whatever you are writing is very much necessary. By drafting you
can formulate the link between your one story to another, decide on importance
of your story and structure your thoughts to convey the holistic picture of
yourself. Draft is very necessary as one can't write everything one has
accomplished or achieved. Every prospect of your application comes with restrictions
and you have to respect them while delivering the best of you in those
limitations. Draft is also a great point to brainstorm about your application
and revise the structure of your idea that you're formulating to write.
This strategy helped me to structure my thought and see a holistic picture
of my accomplishments. I hope it may be of some help to all of you out there.
If you want to know anything specific of my application progress or want to
learn about my research, do drop me a message.
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