best grad school essays

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Graduate School Application Essays

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Types of Essays

Regardless of the type of school you are applying to, you will be required to submit an admissions essay as part of the application process. Graduate programs want students with clear commitment to the field. Essay prompts typically ask applicants to discuss their previous experience, future professional goals, and how the program can help them in achieving those objectives. The essay gives the applicant the chance to articulate these goals and display strong writing skills. Remember to tailor your essay to each school and the faculty committee that reviews your application. But first, take note of what kind of essay is being requested of you. Here are the two main admission essays:

Personal Statement

A personal statement is a narrative piece describing how your character and experiences have formed you into someone who will contribute positively and effectively to not only the department but the academic discipline as a whole. This is often achieved by detailing social, educational, cultural, and economic obstacles you have overcome in your journey to get to where you are today and your future objectives. A personal statement is also an opportunity to highlight what is unique about you and how you will advance diversity within the institution.

Check out Personal Statement Resources for Graduate School Applications in the Resources section of Handshake for a brainstorming activity and essay samples that can help you get started on your personal statement.

Statement of Purpose

Interchangeably called a “research statement”, a statement of purpose will prompt you to describe your research interests and professional goals, how you plan to accomplish them, and why a specific program is best suited for you to do so. Be specific about your specialized interests within your major field. Be clear about the kind of program you expect to undertake, and explain how your study plan connects with your previous training and future goals.

Use the Outlining Your Statement of Purpose guide in the Resources section of Handshake to get started on your statement outline.

How to Write a Powerful Admission Essay

Whatever required format, your essay should be thoughtful, concise, compelling, and interesting. Remember, admissions officers read hundreds of personal essays. Below are some tips for your admissions essay writing process:

Before Writing

• Read the question:  Be sure you are aware of all aspects of the prompt. Failing to pay attention to details in the prompt won’t reflect well on you as a potential candidate.
• What is distinct, special, and/or impressive about me and my life story?
• Have I overcome any particular hardships or obstacles?
• When did I become interested in this field and what have I learned about it?
• What are my career goals?
• What personal traits, values, and skill sets do I have that would make me stand out from other applicants?
• Create an outline:  You might have a lot that you want to say, but you will need to whittle down your many thoughts and experiences to a concrete thesis with a select number of examples to support it. Create an outline for your draft, not only to organize your points and examples, but to help tailor your essay for your readers.
• Know your audience:  Consider how your narrative can best meet the expectations of admissions committee members. Will faculty be reading this? Administrators? Experts in the field? Knowing your audience ahead of time will assist you in addressing the prompt appropriately.

While Writing

• Grab your reader’s attention:  Start your essay with something that will grab the reader’s attention such as a personal anecdote, questions, or engaging depiction of a scene. Avoid starting things off with common phrases such as “I was born in…” or “I have always wanted to…” Consider the experiences that have shaped you or your career decision, and delve into them with a creative hook.
• Write well:  Your essay is a sample of your writing abilities, so it’s important to convey your thoughts clearly and effectively. Be succinct—you don’t need to write out your full autobiography or resume in prose. Exclude anything that doesn’t support your thesis. Gentle humor is okay, but don’t overdo it. Also, don’t make things up! Be honest about your experiences.
• End strong:  End your essay with a conclusion that refers back to the lead and restates your thesis. This helps unify your essay as a whole, connecting your detailed experiences back to the reason you are writing this essay in the first place—to show your qualifications for your graduate program of choice.

Final Touches

• Use resources: The MIT Communication Labs have a CommKit that collects all of the Comm Lab resources relevant to the grad application process , including recommendation letters & interviews
• Revise:  Give yourself enough time to step away from your draft. Return with a fresh pair of eyes to make your edits. Be realistic with yourself, not your harshest critic. Make a few rounds of revisions if you need.
• Ask for help:  Have your essay critiqued by friends, family, educators, and the  MIT Writing and Communication Center or our Career Services staff.
• Proofread:  Read your essay out loud or even record yourself and listen to the recording, to help you catch mistakes or poor phrasing you may have missed when reading to yourself. Also, don’t rely exclusively on your computer to check your spelling.

Which program are you applying to?

Grad school personal statement examples.

Get accepted to your top choice graduate school with your compelling personal statement.

You are a thoughtful, intelligent, and unique individual. You already know that – now you just need to convince top grad school adcoms that you’re a cut above the rest.

By reading the sample graduate school essays provided above, you should get a clear idea of how to translate your qualifications, passions, and individual experiences into words. You will see that the samples here employ a creative voice, use detailed examples, and draw the reader in with a clear writing style. Most importantly, these personal statements are compelling – each one does a fine job of convincing you that the author of the essay is a human being worth getting to know, or better yet, worth having in your next top grad school class. Grad school statement of purpose sample essays should be engaging and attention grabbing.

Here are the 5 things to include in a grad school personal statement:

• Engaging opening
• Consistent use of opening imagery
• A clear theme that ties the essay together
• Solid structure
• Good use of transitions

Grad school essay example #1: The environmental studies student

Two scenes stand out in my mind from my visit to Brazil’s Wetland: Forests burning before seed planting and trees as hedgerows. Before the planting season, I could see the leafless remnants of burnt trees still standing.  READ MORE>>>

• Attention-grabbing opening: The author immediately grabs your attention by placing them in the midst of the scene and vividly conveying what the author saw.
• Vivid, visual opening: You can almost smell the burnt trees and see the ranches and farms thriving behind their protective forests.
• A clear theme that ties the essay together: The writer clearly states an interest in the clash between economic and environmental concerns throughout the essay. Discussion of coursework taken and how it influenced the author’s decision to pursue both master’s and PhD in Environmental Studies also flows through the essay.
• Solid structure: Thanks to the continued theme of the clash between economic and environmental concerns, this is a very easy essay to read. Mentions of different courses that piqued the writer’s interest also help to hold this essay together.
• Good use of transitions: Transitions help your reader move from one topic to the next as you connect the topic in the preceding paragraph to the topic in the next. They can consist of a few words or a phrase or simply the repetition of the topic by name as opposed to using a pronoun.  The writer used the terminology connecting economics and the environment at the end of the first paragraph, and uses the same words at the beginning of the second one.

Grad school essay example #2: The engineering student

A simple bridge truss was the first structure I ever analyzed. The simple combination of beams that could hold cars, trains, and trucks over long spans of water fascinated me. Having the tools to analyze the loads on the truss further increased my interest in structures.  READ MORE>>>

• Attention-grabbing opening: This writer immediately shared his fascination with bridge truss designs and makes the reader want to learn more about structural engineering.
• Consistent use of opening imagery: The writer begins his essay with the image of the first structure he ever analyzed – a simple bridge truss. This bridge truss becomes the basis for all of his future study of structural engineering and design. Toward the end of the essay, he states that design structure has fascinated him since he saw that first image of a bridge truss for his first engineering class.
• A clear theme that ties the essay together: The theme of structural design runs throughout the essay. It is mentioned right at the beginning of the essay, in following paragraphs and in the final paragraph as well. Toward the end of the essay, the writer discusses how a grad degree in engineering will help him reach both his short- and long-term goals. 
• Solid structure: Since the theme of structural design and engineering are so strong throughout the essay, it is easy to follow along as the writer talks about different classes he has taken, an internship he did, and even an experience as a student volunteer. 
• Good use of transitions: The author ends his first paragraph talking about the textbook for his first engineering class, and continues on this theme in the next paragraph. He then transitioned from classes he took to student volunteer research he participated in. When discussing what he plans to study in grad school, the same terminology is used again, joining the whole essay into one cohesive whole. 

Grad school essay example #3: The public health student

What if people lived healthier lives, practiced preventive medicine, and took precautions against illness and disease? My days in the physical therapy department often made me think about the prevention of injuries as well as the injuries themselves. I was already doubting my future career choice as a physical therapist.  READ MORE>>>

• Attention-grabbing opening: The author of this essay makes an early case for why he wants to leave the field of physical therapy and move to the public health arena. You can almost feel the writer’s frustration with physical therapy and their need to find a way to reach a broader population, provide primary care to them, while challenging and motivating the writer to improve.
• Consistent use of opening imagery: The idea of providing primary care to large populations and the benefits the population could get from this care are woven through the whole essay. Finding ways to improve the health of underprivileged populations is also found throughout the essay.
• A clear theme that ties the essay together: Provision of primary care to large communities is a theme that runs throughout the essay. The author’s work at a county health clinic cemented this idea and led to him choosing to pursue an education and career in public health.
• Solid structure: The theme of providing primary care to large underprivileged populations is a theme that ties this personal statement together.
• Good use of transitions: The words “public health” occur in every paragraph. The author ends the second paragraph talking about work in the field, and begins the next paragraph by mentioning field experience. This makes it easy to follow the flow of the essay.

Grad school essay example #4: The physician assistant student

I was nine years old and in the middle of Mrs. Russell’s third grade class when my stomach began to itch uncontrollably. I remember thinking to myself, “Did I get bitten by a bug?” Completely distracted by the incessant itching, I asked Mrs. Russell if I could go to the nurse’s office. When the nurse lifted my shirt, I saw the biggest “bug bites” I had ever seen covering the majority of my stomach.  READ MORE>>>

Note:  The character limit for the CASPA PS is 5,000 characters with spaces. You need to keep this limit in mind as you write your personal statement.

• Attention-grabbing opening and consistent use of opening imagery: The writer of this essay immediately grabs the reader’s attention by making them feel her fear and frustration of having an undiagnosed medical condition. You can also feel her relief when she is finally diagnosed – and treated – by a PA.
• Vivid, visual opening and consistent use of opening imagery: Your heart beats a little faster as you read how a 9-year-old girl’s medical condition couldn’t be diagnosed until a visit with a PA who helped her discover her passion. She continues to illustrate her love of all things medical throughout the essay.
• A clear theme that ties the essay together: Her essay has a clear theme – her interest in medicine and healthcare, and her connection with PAs. This theme is touched upon in every paragraph of her personal statement. Whether discussing her love of learning or the skills learned through sports, the ultimate goal of becoming a PA comes through. 
• Solid structure: The author’s themes of love of learning and medicine, and the desire to become a PA to help others flow through this essay. They make it cohesive, readable, and interesting. 
• Good use of transition: The writer shows how her interest in being a PA grows throughout her life through a series of events – her illness, attending a youth leadership forum where she first saw infected human organs, and finally her mother’s own illness and the care given by the same PA who diagnosed the author at the age of 9. The imagery of the “itchy little” girl from the first paragraph appears again in the last paragraph, pulling the entire personal statement together.

5 FATAL FLAWS TO AVOID

In your grad school statement of purpose, get expert help with your graduate school application.

Our world-class team helps you stand out from the competition and get accepted.

APPLICATION STRATEGY / PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ESSAY REVIEW / INTERVIEW PREP

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AN OUTSTANDING GRADUATE SCHOOL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE IS CRITICAL IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS

You want to get accepted to a top school, but you need to show you're more qualified than other applicants. U.S. News reports the average graduate school acceptance rate is 20% for the top 10 engineering programs and 15% for the top 10 education programs, but our grad school clients enjoy an  85% ACCEPTANCE RATE.  How can you best your competition? By writing an excellent statement of purpose.

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Breadcrumbs

How to write a standout graduate admissions essay, article highlights.

• Reflect before you begin your application essays.
• Outline your ideas before you put pen to paper.
• Write freely, and then return to edit your essay on the second draft.
• Take your time. Break between writing and editing for a fresh perspective.
• Gather feedback from a trusted source.
• Read your essay aloud to identify needed edits.

Everyone has a story to tell, and we know there’s more to you and your talents than what’s on your resume.  But how will you stand out from the crowd when applying to Johns Hopkins Carey Business School?  

The essay portion of the application is your opportunity to expand beyond your transcript and resume. Share your unique strengths, your background, your growth, or whatever else makes you a strong candidate for Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.  

In this article, you will find a detailed explanation of how to write a standout admissions essay.  

How to prepare

Before you begin writing, read the essay prompts carefully.  Take a moment to reflect and explore why you’re pursuing a graduate business degree. Consider having a pen and notepad nearby as you participate in this reflection exercise. Think about your path thus far and pinpoint moments of growth and learning. Take note of how these moments have shaped you and how these experiences will guide you through your graduate business degree at Carey.  

Map your ideas: 

Now that you have an idea of how to share your story within the context of the essay prompts, it’s time to draft an outline . Map out your key points and outline the supporting examples. As you map the direction and flow of your essay through the outline, keep in mind your audience. Our admissions officers read thousands of application essays, so you want to find a creative hook to make your story stand out.  

Don’t overthink it! Start writing:  

As you start to write your first draft, let the words flow.  At this stage, don’t fixate on grammar or finding the perfect word– just get your thoughts on paper. You will finesse and polish your essay in the second draft.  

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What to read next.

Take a break: 

Once you complete your first draft, take a day or two before returning to edit it. Coming back to your writing with fresh eyes allows you to read it with a new perspective. Tackle the details of grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary during this second pass. Consider reading your essay backward to help catch typos. 

Get feedback: 

Once you feel your essays are in a good place, it is highly recommended that you share them for review.  Share them with your advisor, a trusted colleague, friend, or even  your recommender . Getting insights from a trusted source can help you make your essay stronger, as well as catch any typos or small edits.  

Finalize and submit:  

You are almost done. Before submitting your essays, do a final review. Run a spell check and read the essays out loud to yourself. This trick allows you to identify areas that may need clarification or tweaks. As you review your final draft, make sure that you actually answered the question posed on the application.  

Remember, the essay portion of your application is your chance to stand out from the crowd. By sharing who you are as a person, your growth thus far, your passions, your goals, and your voice, you can make a lasting impression. Best of luck with your application process!  

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Articles & Advice > Graduate School > Articles

6 Tips for Writing a Killer Grad School Application Essay

You don't have to write the great American novel to get into grad school. You probably only have 500 words or fewer! Here are six ways to make them count.

by Dawn Papandrea Freelance Writer

Last Updated: Mar 16, 2023

Originally Posted: Jan 15, 2014

As any graduate school admission officer will tell you, numbers don’t always tell the complete story. If that was the case, students would be admitted or denied solely on their numerical grades and test scores. Instead, graduate school applications usually require an essay component so that school officials can get a sense of a student’s personality, ideals, and commitment to their studies. Depending on the type of program you wish to enter and the essay question itself, the writing portion of your application could be a chance to tout your achievements, offer a lighthearted glimpse into your personality and writing style, and/or explain what contributions you’d make as a student. Don’t fret: you don’t have to write the great American novel to get into grad school. On the contrary, you probably have to share your thoughts in 500 words or fewer. Here are six ways to make those words count.

1. Don’t become a graduate school essay cliché

Grad school essays may require you to answer a specific question (i.e., Discuss a piece of literature that changed your life.); ask you for a general statement (Tell us about yourself.); or about your goals (What do you hope your graduate studies will help you achieve?). No matter the question, you don’t want to end up boring the admission committee with a clichéd response. They have already read thousands of submissions detailing how a traumatic childhood experience influenced your career goals or how a volunteer endeavor changed the way you see the world. Don’t write about lofty ideals or brag about academic triumphs either, just because you assume it’s what admission officers want to hear. Instead, write about something that’s honest, reveals your personality in some way, and makes you a standout applicant.

Related:  7 Ways to Stand Out as a Graduate School Applicant

2. Follow the directions

Forget about the content of your essay for a second. The quickest way to blow it is to ignore the directions. If there is a suggested word count, aim to come as close to it as possible. If there is a direct question, answer it without veering off on a tangent. If you are asked to submit the essay as a single-spaced document in Comic Sans font (okay, probably not, but you never know), then so be it.

3. Keep it clean

You should have impeccable spelling, grammar, and punctuation throughout your essay, and avoid texting slang or vulgar language unless there is an absolutely compelling reason why it needs to be in your story. (Hint: there’s probably not.) If you’re sending in a hard copy, it should be on also be on crisp, white paper without fold marks, crumples, or pizza stains. If you’re emailing or attaching a file, be sure it’s named appropriately, and keep the formatting simple (or as directed).

4. Tell your story, in your words

Ditch the thesaurus. Admission folks will not be impressed by a litany of 14-syllable words or Shakespearean quotes, unless there is a reason why they tie into your story. Use conversational language and a consistent, friendly tone. Try reading your essay out loud to make sure it sounds natural. And this probably goes without saying, but it’s a good reminder anyway—never, ever plagiarize or lift words from another source in your personal essay. With the exception of a quote, which you’ll attribute appropriately, the words in your essay must come from your brain. Better yet, they should come from your heart. Try these brainstorming techniques to help get past writer’s block.

Related:  Good Strategies for Writing Grad School Personal Essays

5. Take the Instagram approach

No, we’re not saying to use photos and hashtags in your essay. It’s just a modern way of telling you to “show, don’t tell” (remember that from Creative Writing 101?). In other words, be descriptive and detailed, use colorful metaphors, and avoid superlative terms. You want to try to take your reader to a place or time and help them understand who you are and what makes you tick. Generalized statements like “attending BLANK University will help me achieve my dreams” or “BLANK made me the person I am today” are throwaway sentences.

6. Know your audience

You should never write a one-size-fits-all essay if you’re applying to multiple programs and schools. Even if the topics are similar, you still want to tailor your writing so that each university you're applying to feels like you’re writing it for them. For instance, you might take a different approach for a small Christian university like Olivet Nazarene in Illinois as opposed to a large urban public institution like New York University or a more specialized program like at the Rhode Island School of Design .

Related:  3 Great Grad School Application Essay Examples

Writing your grad school essays needs to be handled with care. They carry big weight in the graduate admission process, and you only have one chance to submit them, so you want to get it right. Now that you’re armed with these prose pointers, you can put them into practice and wow any grad school admission officer. Happy writing!

While you’re working on your essays, make sure you’re on track with your other steps in the application process with our Essential Grad School Search and Application Timeline .

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15 Tips for Improving Your Writing in Graduate School

A few weeks ago I submitted an application for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award , commonly known as the ‘F31.’ While the experience is fresh in my mind, I figured I’d share reflections and resources for writing in graduate school. Since I’m certainly not an expert at this yet, I also reached out to friends at my own institution and around the country to see what peers I respect have to say on the subject. While this list leans heavily towards advice specific to grant writing, many of the lessons can be applied broadly to academically writing such as the qualifying exam, the thesis, or publications. Please comment or tweet at us with suggestions of your own!

Getting Started

• You can’t start too early. I struggle with allotting enough time for big projects like writing and presentation preparations. I make any excuse I can, and sometimes end up cleaning my entire apartment (which I’ve dubbed “procrasti-cleaning”) before sitting down to write. But the reality is that academic writing requires time and revision. And lengthy grant applications often have multiple sections—you don’t want to be one day from submission and discover there is a section you hadn’t noticed before. You’ll also likely find that as you do the background reading that you’ve been meaning to do forever in order to write your introduction, that you might come up with new ideas for experiments. You’ll need time for major edits like this. I suggest setting internal deadlines for yourself, for example, pick a date for sending a draft to friends and actually hold yourself accountable to sticking to it. This will cut down on stress in a big way.
• Make a timeline & tack on extra days for the non-science sections. My graduate school has grant writing workshops which force you into a timeline of working on specific sections of the application at specific times. I think this was a great idea, although I suggest giving yourself extra time for any non-science sections. Grant applications can have multiple sections other than the actual research proposal. For example, the F31 requires a ‘Facilities and Resources’ document and an ‘Equipment’ document. It may seem like the research proposal is the only part of the application that should really matter, but all the other sections are still part of your evaluation. Whatever time you think it will take to write these sections, add a few extra days—you may be surprised how long it takes you to complete these documents.
• Motivate yourself with scheduling tricks. Of course, setting internal deadlines is a great goal, but you may still find it hard to get started. Fellow PLOS ECR editor Mary Gearing suggests scheduling specific time for uninterrupted writing. No running a gel or incubating samples at the same time—just writing. She also sent along this link about the “Pebble Rock Boulder” method of timing yourself in increasingly long increments to help you get started and stay on task. For something a bit more whimsical, I suggest you add cats .
• Take breaks and try new writing locations. This hearkens back to my point about starting early. It’s important to be able to take a break from writing so that you can return to it with fresh eyes and a rested mind. It’s also not a bad idea to try out different locations for your writing. Think about what matters to you in a work spot (outlets, snacks, and a nearby bathroom are the trifecta for me) and then try out places until you see where you work best.

The Actual Writing

• Read good writing! The more you read the more you will gain a knack for writing like a scientist, and you’ll be able to pick up on things you like and don’t like. My friend Vidur Garg, a fellow PhD candidate at Weill Cornell Medical College, suggests that to get a better insight into the style of science writing for your field, read reviews and previews in the journals your field respects most. These are generally put together by experts in the field, and as Vidur said via email, “They put the scope and results in a simpler format and are also more informal in style with the goal of communicating to a broader audience.” You can set email alerts for these summaries and briefings for pretty much any journal, and if you discover authors whose writing you really respect, you can set a PubMed alert so you don’t miss anything they publish.
• Know your terminology. Vidur also pointed out that making sense of scientific terminology can be a major challenge for new writers. Word choice and usage can lead to confusion at best and fierce debates at worst. Read as much as you can to get a sense of what terms currently mean in your field (definitions change as new discoveries are made), and if you aren’t sure about something speak up and ask your mentors.
• Be aware of how different writing training experiences compare and contrast . While working on my grant application, I found that I was treating it like a qualifying exam—discussing the potential pitfalls in great detail to demonstrate I could think critically about the project. This is great for a qualifying exam, but labmates pointed out to me that when you are trying to get funding, you need to focus more on the reasons why your project will work than why it might not work. You still need to discuss pitfalls of course, but be careful to drive home why you have confidence in your plan.
• Talk to students who have applied successfully . I was fortunate to have this built into my graduate school’s grant writing workshop, as they had surveyed past grant awardees to get their advice for us. Your graduate school likely has kept track of who has won in previous years and can connect you if you ask.
• The more eyes the better. Asking a friend to proofread a draft is always a good idea, since they introduce a level of objectivity that cannot be achieved by self-editing. They are familiar with science, and maybe even your field, but they don’t know the minute details of your project until they read your proposal. I find it most valuable to ask labmates who are older (and wiser) than I am for advice, and then someone in a different lab or program to diversify my proofreader portfolio. I have found discussing my work with my grad school friends has led to some of my favorite moments of my PhD thus far. Of course, if your work contains proprietary information of some kind, getting proofreaders may be more difficult. And for a qualifying exam, there may be restrictions on who can read your work. Before getting proofreaders, always be sure of any rules in the grant or exam and discuss with your PI who is authorized to read the work.
• Keep your sources organized.  I remember in undergrad, before I learned to use a citation manager, I tried to keep track of all my sources myself and typed out each citation. Do not do this!! You’re making unnecessary work for yourself and are likely to forget a citation or make other mistakes. I love Mendeley for keeping track of citations, and it’s free too. There’s also a number of programs like Endnote where you can keep track of your citations; some of these programs do cost money, but some university libraries can offer discounts. Try a few until you find one that works for you. I’ve been using Mendeley long enough now that I have a nice record of all the publications I’ve ever used in my writing. This was helpful for my NIH Biosketch, where I had to document previous contributions to science. I was able to easily go back and refresh my memory by skimming through the papers I read for my undergrad thesis.  

Where to Turn for Help  

• Draw on the resources your graduate school offers. My graduate school offers many programs throughout the year to improve writing, which allow for discussion with peers and provide useful handouts and online resources. Keep your eyes peeled for emails from your institution about workshops or classes, and then actually go. You may feel like you had enough experience writing in undergrad and don’t need further instruction, but these programs can offer great value. My school’s F31 workshop brought in previous awardees from our school to discuss how to apply, and brought in professors who had served on study sections to share advice. If your institution doesn’t have something like this, try petitioning to get one started. It’s in the best interest of the institution to have graduate students winning grants, both from a reputation and a financial standpoint, so there’s no harm in going for it.
• Look for workshops in your community. If your aren’t finding adequate resources through your graduate school, check for events at other local universities and institutions. For example, the New York Academy of Sciences is having a grant writing event later this fall open to members and non-members alike (for a fee). Agencies such as NYAS and even journals may have webcast events like this as well, so you can tune in from around the globe. Alternatively, you can find online workshops too.
• Read old applications if you can. You’ll be able to get a feel for good formatting, language, and logical flow. I find this is a good way to get started, since reading the work of others who’ve been there can help you get your head in the game and get inspired. Of course, this should go without saying, but when reading old applications never, ever plagiarize and make sure the format of the grant/exam hasn’t changed since their submission .
• Carefully read the instructions for the grant. Following from my last point, read the instructions well and be wary of modeling your work off of a friend’s old submission rather than the actual instructions. The NIH and other granting agencies can change the required forms or instructions from year to year. The ‘Funding Opportunity Announcement’ or FOA is dense and confusing to read, but you must slog through it carefully. The NIH also has ‘Grant Writing Tips Sheets’ which can help you prepare.
• Ten Simple Rules for Getting Grants by Philip Bourne and Leo Chalupa, published February 24, 2006.
• Ten Simple Rules for Writing a Literature Review by Marco Pautasso, published July 18, 2013.
• Ten Simple Rules for Writing Research Papers by Weixiong Zhang, published January 30, 2014.
• Ten Simple (Empirical) Rules for Writing Science by Cody Weinberger, James Evans, and Stafano Allesina, published April 30, 2015. Note that this is not an opinion piece, but a survey of literature to see if common advice for writing actually led to more citations.
• Submit even if you don’t think you’ll win. As Wayne Gretzky (and then Michael Scott) once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Grant writing is not just about winning the funding and the ensuing resume glory. It’s a way to force yourself to sit down and think hard about your project on a grander scale than the daily grind of running experiments. You’re likely to get into some great discussions with your sponsor and your proofreaders which may lead to new ideas. Some of the non-science sections require you to discuss your future plans, so you will have an opportunity to reflect on your goals, which may have changed since writing your grad school application essays. Also, failed submissions may come back to you with useful comments to help you improve. They may also come back with some tough love (minus the love), which has its place too. And you might surprise yourself — but you won’t know if you don’t try.

NIH Individual Fellowships https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/fellowships/F31 , NIH, 2016.

Writing Rocks http://www.facultydiversity.org/?page=MM_WritingRocks , Kerry Ann Rockquemore, National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity, The Monday Motivator.

Written Kitten http://writtenkitten.co/ , Josh Walcher.

How do I set up auto alerts from PubMed/Medline? https://library.uthsc.edu/faqs/current-awareness-services-email/how-do-i-set-up-auto-alerts-from-pubmedmedline/ , The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, January 30, 2012.

Mendeley https://www.mendeley.com/ .

Endnote http://endnote.com/ .

Workbooks http://www.grantcentral.com/workbooks/ , Grant Writers’ Seminars & Workshops LLC, Training in the Art of Grantsmanship, 2016.

Grantsmanship for Students and Postdocs http://www.nyas.org/Events/Detail.aspx?cid=acfa5398-dfd5-4b3a-a5b4-c1cf68d2d7e1 , The New York Academy of Sciences, 2016.

About https://suwtuesdays.wordpress.com/about-2/ , Shut Up & Write Tuesdays, Siobhan O’Dwyer, 2016.

Grant Writing Tips Sheets https://grants.nih.gov/grants/grant_tips.htm , NIH, March 30, 2012.

Bourne PE, Chalupa LM (2006) Ten Simple Rules for Getting Grants. PLoS Comput Biol 2(2): e12. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.0020012

Pautasso M (2013) Ten Simple Rules for Writing a Literature Review. PLoS Comput Biol 9(7): e1003149. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003149

Zhang W (2014) Ten Simple Rules for Writing Research Papers. PLoS Comput Biol 10(1): e1003453. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003453

Weinberger CJ, Evans JA, Allesina S (2015) Ten Simple (Empirical) Rules for Writing Science. PLoS Comput Biol 11(4): e1004205. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004205

Featured image: Photo of the author’s workspace during the writing process of her qualifying exam, modified from her Instagram post .

very nice post this blog is realy helful for me and u reach this blog every day when i open my laptop because this is the blog where we find good though. nice work admin..

[…] Source: 15 Tips for Improving Your Writing in Graduate School […]

Meredith, thank you for these insightful tips! It is always smart to have a plan and be stick to your writing schedule.

When there is a way to bring some extra motivation to your writing, you should use this chance in any case.

WrittenKitten is a wonderful tool, it brings cuteness to such serious process as scientific writing! It helps to stay motivated during the all stages in the writing process. You mentioned that you use Mendeley – I think that it is awesome too. Keeping all your citations in a one place is essential, if you want to create a really well-researched article.

Another tool which I find useful for research purposes, because it gives an honest feedback on your writing, is Unplag https://unplag.com . It is an intuitive plagiarism checker, that have some cool features such as detecting citations and references and ability to exclude them from the similarity report.

P.S. Michael Scott has got the point. Beau Taplin once said: “Better an oops than an what if”. Well said, truly.

[…] Formatting a CV for a faculty job application (Link) 15 Tips for Improving Your Writing in Graduate School (Link) […]

Thanks Christine! I’ll have to check out Unplag. Glad you caught the Michael Scott reference 🙂

[…] 15 Tips For Improving Your Writing In Graduate School – Meredith Wright […]

Thank you for the useful tips, Meredith. Motivation and schedule are the hardest thing for me.

very nice post this blog is really helpful for me

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The Beginner's Guide to Writing an Essay | Steps & Examples

An academic essay is a focused piece of writing that develops an idea or argument using evidence, analysis, and interpretation.

There are many types of essays you might write as a student. The content and length of an essay depends on your level, subject of study, and course requirements. However, most essays at university level are argumentative — they aim to persuade the reader of a particular position or perspective on a topic.

The essay writing process consists of three main stages:

• Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline.
• Writing : Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion.
• Revision:  Check your essay on the content, organization, grammar, spelling, and formatting of your essay.

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Table of contents

Essay writing process, preparation for writing an essay, writing the introduction, writing the main body, writing the conclusion, essay checklist, lecture slides, frequently asked questions about writing an essay.

The writing process of preparation, writing, and revisions applies to every essay or paper, but the time and effort spent on each stage depends on the type of essay .

For example, if you’ve been assigned a five-paragraph expository essay for a high school class, you’ll probably spend the most time on the writing stage; for a college-level argumentative essay , on the other hand, you’ll need to spend more time researching your topic and developing an original argument before you start writing.

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Before you start writing, you should make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to say and how you’re going to say it. There are a few key steps you can follow to make sure you’re prepared:

• Understand your assignment: What is the goal of this essay? What is the length and deadline of the assignment? Is there anything you need to clarify with your teacher or professor?
• Define a topic: If you’re allowed to choose your own topic , try to pick something that you already know a bit about and that will hold your interest.
• Do your research: Read  primary and secondary sources and take notes to help you work out your position and angle on the topic. You’ll use these as evidence for your points.
• Come up with a thesis:  The thesis is the central point or argument that you want to make. A clear thesis is essential for a focused essay—you should keep referring back to it as you write.
• Create an outline: Map out the rough structure of your essay in an outline . This makes it easier to start writing and keeps you on track as you go.

Once you’ve got a clear idea of what you want to discuss, in what order, and what evidence you’ll use, you’re ready to start writing.

The introduction sets the tone for your essay. It should grab the reader’s interest and inform them of what to expect. The introduction generally comprises 10–20% of the text.

1. Hook your reader

The first sentence of the introduction should pique your reader’s interest and curiosity. This sentence is sometimes called the hook. It might be an intriguing question, a surprising fact, or a bold statement emphasizing the relevance of the topic.

Let’s say we’re writing an essay about the development of Braille (the raised-dot reading and writing system used by visually impaired people). Our hook can make a strong statement about the topic:

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

2. Provide background on your topic

Next, it’s important to give context that will help your reader understand your argument. This might involve providing background information, giving an overview of important academic work or debates on the topic, and explaining difficult terms. Don’t provide too much detail in the introduction—you can elaborate in the body of your essay.

3. Present the thesis statement

Next, you should formulate your thesis statement— the central argument you’re going to make. The thesis statement provides focus and signals your position on the topic. It is usually one or two sentences long. The thesis statement for our essay on Braille could look like this:

As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness.

4. Map the structure

In longer essays, you can end the introduction by briefly describing what will be covered in each part of the essay. This guides the reader through your structure and gives a preview of how your argument will develop.

The invention of Braille marked a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by blind and visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Write your essay introduction

The body of your essay is where you make arguments supporting your thesis, provide evidence, and develop your ideas. Its purpose is to present, interpret, and analyze the information and sources you have gathered to support your argument.

Length of the body text

The length of the body depends on the type of essay. On average, the body comprises 60–80% of your essay. For a high school essay, this could be just three paragraphs, but for a graduate school essay of 6,000 words, the body could take up 8–10 pages.

Paragraph structure

To give your essay a clear structure , it is important to organize it into paragraphs . Each paragraph should be centered around one main point or idea.

That idea is introduced in a  topic sentence . The topic sentence should generally lead on from the previous paragraph and introduce the point to be made in this paragraph. Transition words can be used to create clear connections between sentences.

After the topic sentence, present evidence such as data, examples, or quotes from relevant sources. Be sure to interpret and explain the evidence, and show how it helps develop your overall argument.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

See the full essay example

The conclusion is the final paragraph of an essay. It should generally take up no more than 10–15% of the text . A strong essay conclusion :

• Returns to your thesis
• Ties together your main points
• Shows why your argument matters

A great conclusion should finish with a memorable or impactful sentence that leaves the reader with a strong final impression.

What not to include in a conclusion

To make your essay’s conclusion as strong as possible, there are a few things you should avoid. The most common mistakes are:

• Including new arguments or evidence
• Undermining your arguments (e.g. “This is just one approach of many”)
• Using concluding phrases like “To sum up…” or “In conclusion…”

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

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Checklist: Essay

My essay follows the requirements of the assignment (topic and length ).

My introduction sparks the reader’s interest and provides any necessary background information on the topic.

My introduction contains a thesis statement that states the focus and position of the essay.

I use paragraphs to structure the essay.

I use topic sentences to introduce each paragraph.

Each paragraph has a single focus and a clear connection to the thesis statement.

I make clear transitions between paragraphs and ideas.

My conclusion doesn’t just repeat my points, but draws connections between arguments.

I don’t introduce new arguments or evidence in the conclusion.

I have given an in-text citation for every quote or piece of information I got from another source.

I have included a reference page at the end of my essay, listing full details of all my sources.

My citations and references are correctly formatted according to the required citation style .

My essay has an interesting and informative title.

I have followed all formatting guidelines (e.g. font, page numbers, line spacing).

Your essay meets all the most important requirements. Our editors can give it a final check to help you submit with confidence.

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An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates.

In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills.

Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence, analysis and interpretation.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main point of a paragraph . Everything else in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

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Gre prep online guides and tips, 3 successful graduate school personal statement examples.

Looking for grad school personal statement examples? Look no further! In this total guide to graduate school personal statement examples, we’ll discuss why you need a personal statement for grad school and what makes a good one. Then we’ll provide three graduate school personal statement samples from our grad school experts. After that, we’ll do a deep dive on one of our personal statement for graduate school examples. Finally, we’ll wrap up with a list of other grad school personal statements you can find online.

Why Do You Need a Personal Statement?

A personal statement is a chance for admissions committees to get to know you: your goals and passions, what you’ll bring to the program, and what you’re hoping to get out of the program.  You need to sell the admissions committee on what makes you a worthwhile applicant. The personal statement is a good chance to highlight significant things about you that don’t appear elsewhere on your application.

A personal statement is slightly different from a statement of purpose (also known as a letter of intent). A statement of purpose/letter of intent tends to be more tightly focused on your academic or professional credentials and your future research and/or professional interests.

While a personal statement also addresses your academic experiences and goals, you have more leeway to be a little more, well, personal. In a personal statement, it’s often appropriate to include information on significant life experiences or challenges that aren’t necessarily directly relevant to your field of interest.

Some programs ask for both a personal statement and a statement of purpose/letter of intent. In this case, the personal statement is likely to be much more tightly focused on your life experience and personality assets while the statement of purpose will focus in much more on your academic/research experiences and goals.

However, there’s not always a hard-and-fast demarcation between a personal statement and a statement of purpose. The two statement types should address a lot of the same themes, especially as relates to your future goals and the valuable assets you bring to the program. Some programs will ask for a personal statement but the prompt will be focused primarily on your research and professional experiences and interests. Some will ask for a statement of purpose but the prompt will be more focused on your general life experiences.

When in doubt, give the program what they are asking for in the prompt and don’t get too hung up on whether they call it a personal statement or statement of purpose. You can always call the admissions office to get more clarification on what they want you to address in your admissions essay.

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What Makes a Good Grad School Personal Statement?

A great graduate school personal statement can come in many forms and styles. However, strong grad school personal statement examples all share the same following elements:

A Clear Narrative

Above all, a good personal statement communicates clear messages about what makes you a strong applicant who is likely to have success in graduate school. So to that extent, think about a couple of key points that you want to communicate about yourself and then drill down on how you can best communicate those points. (Your key points should of course be related to what you can bring to the field and to the program specifically).

You can also decide whether to address things like setbacks or gaps in your application as part of your narrative. Have a low GPA for a couple semesters due to a health issue? Been out of a job for a while taking care of a family member? If you do decide to explain an issue like this, make sure that the overall arc is more about demonstrating positive qualities like resilience and diligence than about providing excuses.

Specific Examples

A great statement of purpose uses specific examples to illustrate its key messages. This can include anecdotes that demonstrate particular traits or even references to scholars and works that have influenced your academic trajectory to show that you are familiar and insightful about the relevant literature in your field.

Just saying “I love plants,” is pretty vague. Describing how you worked in a plant lab during undergrad and then went home and carefully cultivated your own greenhouse where you cross-bred new flower colors by hand is much more specific and vivid, which makes for better evidence.

A strong personal statement will describe why you are a good fit for the program, and why the program is a good fit for you. It’s important to identify specific things about the program that appeal to you, and how you’ll take advantage of those opportunities. It’s also a good idea to talk about specific professors you might be interested in working with. This shows that you are informed about and genuinely invested in the program.

Strong Writing

Even quantitative and science disciplines typically require some writing, so it’s important that your personal statement shows strong writing skills. Make sure that you are communicating clearly and that you don’t have any grammar and spelling errors. It’s helpful to get other people to read your statement and provide feedback. Plan on going through multiple drafts.

Another important thing here is to avoid cliches and gimmicks. Don’t deploy overused phrases and openings like “ever since I was a child.” Don’t structure your statement in a gimmicky way (i.e., writing a faux legal brief about yourself for a law school statement of purpose). The first will make your writing banal; the second is likely to make you stand out in a bad way.

Appropriate Boundaries

While you can be more personal in a personal statement than in a statement of purpose, it’s important to maintain appropriate boundaries in your writing. Don’t overshare anything too personal about relationships, bodily functions, or illegal activities. Similarly, don’t share anything that makes it seem like you may be out of control, unstable, or an otherwise risky investment. The personal statement is not a confessional booth. If you share inappropriately, you may seem like you have bad judgment, which is a huge red flag to admissions committees.

You should also be careful with how you deploy humor and jokes. Your statement doesn’t have to be totally joyless and serious, but bear in mind that the person reading the statement may not have the same sense of humor as you do. When in doubt, err towards the side of being as inoffensive as possible.

Just as being too intimate in your statement can hurt you, it’s also important not to be overly formal or staid. You should be professional, but conversational.

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

Our graduate school experts have been kind enough to provide some successful grad school personal statement examples. We’ll provide three examples here, along with brief analysis of what makes each one successful.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 1

PDF of Sample Personal Statement 1 – Japanese Studies

For this Japanese Studies master’s degree, the applicant had to provide a statement of purpose outlining her academic goals and experience with Japanese and a separate personal statement describing her personal relationship with Japanese Studies and what led her to pursue a master’s degree.

Here’s what’s successful about this personal statement:

• An attention-grabbing beginning: The applicant begins with the statement that Japanese has never come easily to her and that it’s a brutal language to learn. Seeing as how this is an application for a Japanese Studies program, this is an intriguing beginning that makes the reader want to keep going.
• A compelling narrative: From this attention-grabbing beginning, the applicant builds a well-structured and dramatic narrative tracking her engagement with the Japanese language over time. The clear turning point is her experience studying abroad, leading to a resolution in which she has clarity about her plans. Seeing as how the applicant wants to be a translator of Japanese literature, the tight narrative structure here is a great way to show her writing skills.
• Specific examples that show important traits: The applicant clearly communicates both a deep passion for Japanese through examples of her continued engagement with Japanese and her determination and work ethic by highlighting the challenges she’s faced (and overcome) in her study of the language. This gives the impression that she is an engaged and dedicated student.

Overall, this is a very strong statement both in terms of style and content. It flows well, is memorable, and communicates that the applicant would make the most of the graduate school experience.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 2

PDF of Sample Graduate School Personal Statement 2 – Musical Composition

This personal statement for a Music Composition master’s degree discusses the factors that motivate the applicant to pursue graduate study.

Here’s what works well in this statement:

• The applicant provides two clear reasons motivating the student to pursue graduate study: her experiences with music growing up, and her family’s musical history. She then supports those two reasons with examples and analysis.
• The description of her ancestors’ engagement with music is very compelling and memorable. The applicant paints her own involvement with music as almost inevitable based on her family’s long history with musical pursuits.
• The applicant gives thoughtful analysis of the advantages she has been afforded that have allowed her to study music so extensively. We get the sense that she is insightful and empathetic—qualities that would add greatly to any academic community.

This is a strong, serviceable personal statement. And in truth, given that this for a masters in music composition, other elements of the application (like work samples) are probably the most important.  However, here are two small changes I would make to improve it:

• I would probably to split the massive second paragraph into 2-3 separate paragraphs. I might use one paragraph to orient the reader to the family’s musical history, one paragraph to discuss Giacomo and Antonio, and one paragraph to discuss how the family has influenced the applicant. As it stands, it’s a little unwieldy and the second paragraph doesn’t have a super-clear focus even though it’s all loosely related to the applicant’s family history with music.
• I would also slightly shorten the anecdote about the applicant’s ancestors and expand more on how this family history has motivated the applicant’s interest in music. In what specific ways has her ancestors’ perseverance inspired her? Did she think about them during hard practice sessions? Is she interested in composing music in a style they might have played? More specific examples here would lend greater depth and clarity to the statement.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 3

PDF of Sample Graduate School Personal Statement 3 – Public Health

This is my successful personal statement for Columbia’s Master’s program in Public Health. We’ll do a deep dive on this statement paragraph-by-paragraph in the next section, but I’ll highlight a couple of things that work in this statement here:

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• This statement is clearly organized. Almost every paragraph has a distinct focus and message, and when I move on to a new idea, I move on to a new paragraph with a logical transitions.
• This statement covers a lot of ground in a pretty short space. I discuss my family history, my goals, my educational background, and my professional background. But because the paragraphs are organized and I use specific examples, it doesn’t feel too vague or scattered.
• In addition to including information about my personal motivations, like my family, I also include some analysis about tailoring health interventions with my example of the Zande. This is a good way to show off what kinds of insights I might bring to the program based on my academic background.

Grad School Personal Statement Example: Deep Dive

Now let’s do a deep dive, paragraph-by-paragraph, on one of these sample graduate school personal statements. We’ll use my personal statement that I used when I applied to Columbia’s public health program.

Paragraph One: For twenty-three years, my grandmother (a Veterinarian and an Epidemiologist) ran the Communicable Disease Department of a mid-sized urban public health department. The stories of Grandma Betty doggedly tracking down the named sexual partners of the infected are part of our family lore. Grandma Betty would persuade people to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases, encourage safer sexual practices, document the spread of infection and strive to contain and prevent it. Indeed, due to the large gay population in the city where she worked, Grandma Betty was at the forefront of the AIDS crises, and her analysis contributed greatly towards understanding how the disease was contracted and spread. My grandmother has always been a huge inspiration to me, and the reason why a career in public health was always on my radar.

This is an attention-grabbing opening anecdote that avoids most of the usual cliches about childhood dreams and proclivities. This story also subtly shows that I have a sense of public health history, given the significance of the AIDs crisis for public health as a field.

It’s good that I connect this family history to my own interests. However, if I were to revise this paragraph again, I might cut down on some of the detail because when it comes down to it, this story isn’t really about me. It’s important that even (sparingly used) anecdotes about other people ultimately reveal something about you in a personal statement.

Paragraph Two: Recent years have cemented that interest. In January 2012, my parents adopted my little brother Fred from China. Doctors in America subsequently diagnosed Fred with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). My parents were told that if Fred’s condition had been discovered in China, the (very poor) orphanage in which he spent the first 8+ years of his life would have recognized his DMD as a death sentence and denied him sustenance to hasten his demise.

Here’s another compelling anecdote to help explain my interest in public health. This is an appropriately personal detail for a personal statement—it’s a serious thing about my immediate family, but it doesn’t disclose anything that the admissions committee might find concerning or inappropriate.

If I were to take another pass through this paragraph, the main thing I would change is the last phrase. “Denied him sustenance to hasten his demise” is a little flowery. “Denied him food to hasten his death” is actually more powerful because it’s clearer and more direct.

Paragraph Three: It is not right that some people have access to the best doctors and treatment while others have no medical care. I want to pursue an MPH in Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia because studying social factors in health, with a particular focus on socio-health inequities, will prepare me to address these inequities. The interdisciplinary approach of the program appeals to me greatly as I believe interdisciplinary approaches are the most effective way to develop meaningful solutions to complex problems.

In this paragraph I make a neat and clear transition from discussing what sparked my interest in public health and health equity to what I am interested in about Columbia specifically: the interdisciplinary focus of the program, and how that focus will prepare me to solve complex health problems. This paragraph also serves as a good pivot point to start discussing my academic and professional background.

Paragraph Four: My undergraduate education has prepared me well for my chosen career. Understanding the underlying structure of a group’s culture is essential to successfully communicating with the group. In studying folklore and mythology, I’ve learned how to parse the unspoken structures of folk groups, and how those structures can be used to build bridges of understanding. For example, in a culture where most illnesses are believed to be caused by witchcraft, as is the case for the Zande people of central Africa, any successful health intervention or education program would of necessity take into account their very real belief in witchcraft.

In this paragraph, I link my undergraduate education and the skills I learned there to public health. The (very brief) analysis of tailoring health interventions to the Zande is a good way to show insight and show off the competencies I would bring to the program.

Paragraph Five: I now work in the healthcare industry for one of the largest providers of health benefits in the world. In addition to reigniting my passion for data and quantitative analytics, working for this company has immersed me in the business side of healthcare, a critical component of public health.

This brief paragraph highlights my relevant work experience in the healthcare industry. It also allows me to mention my work with data and quantitative analytics, which isn’t necessarily obvious from my academic background, which was primarily based in the social sciences.

Paragraph Six: I intend to pursue a PhD in order to become an expert in how social factors affect health, particularly as related to gender and sexuality. I intend to pursue a certificate in Sexuality, Sexual Health, and Reproduction. Working together with other experts to create effective interventions across cultures and societies, I want to help transform health landscapes both in America and abroad.

This final paragraph is about my future plans and intentions. Unfortunately, it’s a little disjointed, primarily because I discuss goals of pursuing a PhD before I talk about what certificate I want to pursue within the MPH program! Switching those two sentences and discussing my certificate goals within the MPH and then mentioning my PhD plans would make a lot more sense.

I also start two sentences in a row with “I intend,” which is repetitive.

The final sentence is a little bit generic; I might tailor it to specifically discuss a gender and sexual health issue, since that is the primary area of interest I’ve identified.

This was a successful personal statement; I got into (and attended!) the program. It has strong examples, clear organization, and outlines what interests me about the program (its interdisciplinary focus) and what competencies I would bring (a background in cultural analysis and experience with the business side of healthcare). However, a few slight tweaks would elevate this statement to the next level.

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples You Can Find Online

So you need more samples for your personal statement for graduate school? Examples are everywhere on the internet, but they aren’t all of equal quality.

Most of examples are posted as part of writing guides published online by educational institutions. We’ve rounded up some of the best ones here if you are looking for more personal statement examples for graduate school.

Penn State Personal Statement Examples for Graduate School

This selection of ten short personal statements for graduate school and fellowship programs offers an interesting mix of approaches. Some focus more on personal adversity while others focus more closely on professional work within the field.

The writing in some of these statements is a little dry, and most deploy at least a few cliches. However, these are generally strong, serviceable statements that communicate clearly why the student is interested in the field, their skills and competencies, and what about the specific program appeals to them.

Cal State Sample Graduate School Personal Statements

These are good examples of personal statements for graduate school where students deploy lots of very vivid imagery and illustrative anecdotes of life experiences. There are also helpful comments about what works in each of these essays.

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However, all of these statements are definitely pushing the boundaries of acceptable length, as all are above 1000 and one is almost 1500 words! Many programs limit you to 500 words; if you don’t have a limit, you should try to keep it to two single-spaced pages at most (which is about 1000 words).

University of Chicago Personal Statement for Graduate School Examples

These examples of successful essays to the University of Chicago law school cover a wide range of life experiences and topics. The writing in all is very vivid, and all communicate clear messages about the students’ strengths and competencies.

Note, however, that these are all essays that specifically worked for University of Chicago law school. That does not mean that they would work everywhere. In fact, one major thing to note is that many of these responses, while well-written and vivid, barely address the students’ interest in law school at all! This is something that might not work well for most graduate programs.

Wheaton College Personal Statement for Graduate School Sample 10

This successful essay for law school from a Wheaton College undergraduate does a great job tracking the student’s interest in the law in a compelling and personal way. Wheaton offers other graduate school personal statement examples, but this one offers the most persuasive case for the students’ competencies. The student accomplishes this by using clear, well-elaborated examples, showing strong and vivid writing, and highlighting positive qualities like an interest in justice and empathy without seeming grandiose or out of touch.

Wheaton College Personal Statement for Graduate School Sample 1

Based on the background information provided at the bottom of the essay, this essay was apparently successful for this applicant. However, I’ve actually included this essay because it demonstrates an extremely risky approach. While this personal statement is strikingly written and the story is very memorable, it could definitely communicate the wrong message to some admissions committees. The student’s decision not to report the drill sergeant may read incredibly poorly to some admissions committees. They may wonder if the student’s failure to report the sergeant’s violence will ultimately expose more soldiers-in-training to the same kinds of abuses. This incident perhaps reads especially poorly in light of the fact that the military has such a notable problem with violence against women being covered up and otherwise mishandled

It’s actually hard to get a complete picture of the student’s true motivations from this essay, and what we have might raise real questions about the student’s character to some admissions committees. This student took a risk and it paid off, but it could have just as easily backfired spectacularly.

Key Takeaways: Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

In this guide, we discussed why you need a personal statement and how it differs from a statement of purpose. (It’s more personal!)

We also discussed what you’ll find in a strong sample personal statement for graduate school:

• A clear narrative about the applicant and why they are qualified for graduate study.
• Specific examples to support that narrative.
• Compelling reasons why the applicant and the program are a good fit for each other.
• Strong writing, including clear organization and error-free, cliche-free language.
• Appropriate boundaries—sharing without over-sharing.

Then, we provided three strong graduate school personal statement examples for different fields, along with analysis. We did a deep-dive on the third statement.

Finally, we provided a list of other sample grad school personal statements online.

What’s Next?

Want more advice on writing a personal statement ? See our guide.

Writing a graduate school statement of purpose? See our statement of purpose samples  and a nine-step process for writing the best statement of purpose possible .

If you’re writing a graduate school CV or resume, see our how-to guide to writing a CV , a how-to guide to writing a resume , our list of sample resumes and CVs , resume and CV templates , and a special guide for writing resume objectives .

Need stellar graduate school recommendation letters ? See our guide.

See our 29 tips for successfully applying to graduate school .

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Author: Ellen McCammon

Ellen is a public health graduate student and education expert. She has extensive experience mentoring students of all ages to reach their goals and in-depth knowledge on a variety of health topics. View all posts by Ellen McCammon

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Graduate Blog / Graduate Admissions

5 tips for nailing your graduate school essay.

By Johanna Beers | August 24, 2018

When applying for graduate school, the essay is a great way to stand out from the rest of the applicants. Johanna Beers , associate director of Graduate Admissions, at Babson College gives an insider perspective on what makes a graduate school essay that will set you apart.

Find your story

In the application process, the essay is a key opportunity to round out the admissions committee’s understanding of who you really are. Your résumé and recommendation focus on your professional life, and your test scores and transcripts focus on your academics, but the essay is where we get to know you. This is a chance to share your values, what your goals are, and why you are specifically interested in pursuing a graduate degree at our college. While you are forming a picture of what life might be like as a student, the essay helps us to picture you as a member of the community.

Find the “X” factor

Every graduate school you will be applying to is different. They all have unique offerings and mindsets of what a graduate degree means. When you are writing your essay, make sure you understand what makes that specific school unique. It can be tempting to copy and paste an essay from another school that is similar, but resist the temptation. For example, at Babson, one of the essay prompts asks about “entrepreneurs of all kinds,” understanding what that means in the context of Babson will be vital to a great essay. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to a graduate school essay, each one needs to be personalized and tailored to the specific school and program.

Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!

This may sound obvious, but never forget the final review of your essay. This is crucial to catch any last mistakes, like using the wrong school name, or using a word in the wrong context that spell check did not catch. Something as simple as using the word “university” vs. “college” can turn off an admissions counselor and come off as careless. Sometimes it is the little things!

Take ‘optional’ literally

Most schools have an optional essay, and some people may tell you that you should always complete it. We do not believe that is the case. The optional essay should be for explaining anything in your professional or academic offerings that needs additional information. Is there a gap in your résumé? Did you have a year in undergraduate that did not go particularly well? This is the place where you can give context to anything that might stand out. If you do not have anything of that nature, do not force yourself to write the optional essay. Just because it is there, does not mean that you need it.

Be authentic

We know there is a lot of pressure around the essay to hit all the important topics: leadership, teamwork, professional development, and others, but do not just tell us what we want to hear. We want to hear a story about you, a story that only you can tell. Trying to write to what you think we want to hear does not come off as authentic. We want to make sure that the details do not get in the way of your personality. We should be able to know who you are from the story of your essay.

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Graduate Essay Examples

Examining 10+ Winning Graduate Essay Examples of Top Universities

19 min read

Published on: May 4, 2023

Last updated on: Jan 30, 2024

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Crafting a winning graduate essay is a daunting task for prospective students. With so many applicants vying for limited spots, standing out can be a challenge.

Without the right guidance, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the pressure to create a unique and compelling essay. Many applicants struggle to identify the key components that make an essay successful, leaving them feeling lost and discouraged.

Luckily, our analysis of successful graduate essay examples provides a roadmap for success. 

With our guidance, you can tackle the challenge of the graduate essay with confidence and increase your chances of admission to your dream program.

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Top Graduate School Examples 

Here are some example essays from some of the thousands of students we've helped get accepted to their dream schools.

Graduate School Essay Example For Yale

Here is a sample grad school personal statement for Yale. 

Here are three reasons why we think the above personal statement stands out: 

• Strong Introduction: The essay opens with a clear and concise introduction that sets the stage for the rest of the essay.
• Specific and Personalized: The applicant provides specific examples of their experiences and interests, demonstrating their knowledge of the field and their unique perspective.
• Coherent and Cohesive: The essay is well-organized and flows smoothly, with each paragraph building upon the previous one to create a cohesive narrative.

Graduate School Admission Essay Examples For Harvard

Three reasons why this example got the student into Harvard are: 

• Emotional Appeal: The essay uses personal anecdotes and emotional language to draw the admissions committees in.
• Clear Motivation: The applicant clearly articulates their motivation for pursuing graduate studies at Harvard's Education program.
• Specific Goals and Experiences: The essay includes specific examples of the applicant's experiences and goals, demonstrating their knowledge of the field.

Graduate school essay examples for MIT 

Here is a graduate school statement of purpose for MIT. 

Here is why we think this essay is a top fit :

• Clear Focus: The essay has a clear focus on the applicant's interest in materials science and renewable energy.
• Alignment with MIT's Values: The essay highlights how the applicant's personal goals align with MIT's commitment to solving global challenges.
• Interdisciplinary Approach: The essay emphasizes the applicant's interest in MIT's interdisciplinary approach to graduate education.

Graduate School Essay Examples For Stanford 

This essay stands out because : 

• Clear Motivation: The essay effectively communicates the applicant's passion for astrophysics and their desire to apply computer science to the field.
• Strong Fit for Program: The essay demonstrates a strong fit between the applicant's background and goals and the offerings and values of Stanford's graduate program in Computer Science.

Graduate School Essay Example for California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

We think this essay is a great fit because : 

• Passionate and Motivated: The essay demonstrates the applicant's passion for science and their desire to pursue a career in research. Their enthusiasm for Caltech's graduate program is evident, making them a great fit for the institution's academic environment.
• Values and Community: The essay highlights the applicant's appreciation for Caltech's ethos of collaboration and community. Their desire to be part of a supportive community of peers aligns with Caltech's values.

Graduate School Essay Example for Columbia University

This essay got accepted because : 

• Emotional and Engaging: The essay is written in a personal tone, drawing the reader into the applicant's journey. This helps to create a memorable and impactful essay.
• Clear Career Goals and Fit for Program: The applicant demonstrates a clear understanding of their career goals and how Columbia's graduate program and aligns with their interests. 

Graduate School Essay Example for University of Chicago

We think the essay stands out because : 

• Personal Connection: The essay conveys the applicant's personal connection to economics and their desire to make a positive impact.
• Academic and Professional Preparation: The essay highlights the applicant's research experience and academic achievements, demonstrating their readiness for graduate study at the University of Chicago.

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Graduate School Essay Example for Duke University

The two reasons that make this essay a top example are : 

• Compelling Storytelling: The essay features a personal story that engages the reader and highlights the applicant's unique experiences.
• Demonstrates Passion and Purpose: The essay showcases the applicant's strong passion and motivation for the field, which is a key factor in their potential success in a graduate program.

Graduate School Essay Example for University of Pennsylvania

The above essay has : 

• Strong alignment with the program's values and goals, as demonstrated by the applicant's passion for sustainability and commitment to environmental advocacy.
• Clear articulation of the applicant's academic and professional experiences. These are highlighted their potential for success in the program and their ability to contribute meaningfully to the field of environmental studies.

Graduate School Essay Example for Northwestern University

The essay has : 

• Strong alignment with the program's values and goals, as demonstrated by the applicant's passion for education.
• Clear articulation of the applicant's academic and professional experiences, which highlighted their potential for success in the program.

Here are a few more free downloadable graduate school essay examples for you to read and get inspired. 

Postgraduate Essay Example

Graduate School Essay Examples Mba

Graduate Scholarship Essay Examples

In conclusion, writing a standout graduate school essay is a challenging task, but it can be done with dedication and hard work. 

As shown by the examples above, a successful essay should be compelling, articulate, and demonstrate a strong alignment with the program's values and goals.

If you're struggling with your own graduate school essay, don't worry - our AI essay writing tools are available! 

CollegeEssay.org offers professional essay writing help . Our writers will craft a winning essay that showcases your unique qualities and potential for success.

So don't wait any longer - visit our graduate essay writing service today and take the first step toward achieving your academic and professional goals!

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What is graduate school (and should you go)? An in-depth guide

Answering the question, “What is graduate school?” isn’t actually as simple as you might think. 

Well, one person might think going to grad school means pursuing an advanced degree, such as a PhD in Chemical Engineering or an MA in Political Science. Someone else might include programs that lead to an MBA, JD, or MFA in Photography.

All of which makes the question “Should I go to grad school?” an even trickier one!

On the one hand, going to graduate school can help you to reach professional and personal goals. But… going to grad school can also be a waste of time and money if you don’t carefully consider how it aligns with your long-term goals. (For example, is an MBA worth it? Depends…) 

To help you make an informed decision, we’ve created this guide digging into everything you should consider before applying for grad school. Specifically, this guide will help you learn:

The different types of graduate programs 

The differences between college and grad school

What you do as a graduate school student 

How to decide whether to go to grad school

Answers to frequently asked questions regarding grad school

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is grad school, types of grad schools/programs, differences between college and grad school.

• What do you do in a graduate school program

FAQ regarding graduate school

Final thoughts on grad school.

“Grad school” refers to any postgraduate degree program. Unlike undergrad (aka college), which prepares students for a broad understanding of various subjects and develops foundational skills, grad school prepares students for in-depth expertise and advanced research within a specific discipline. 

Graduate students dive deeply into their chosen field, conducting extensive research, and often contributing to their respective academic communities through scholarly publications, presentations, and projects.

Your options for graduate programs are numerous and diverse. However, the following broad categories roughly encompass all of the graduate school programs to consider.  

Business School

Business schools grant degrees such as Master of Business Administration (MBA) or other specialized master's degrees on business-related topics (e.g., Finance, Marketing). 

Business school students graduate with the analytical, leadership, and decision-making skills required to navigate and excel in dynamic professional environments.

Business school programs vary in length , but full-time MBA programs often take around two years to complete. Part-time and executive MBA programs, designed for working professionals, have a more flexible schedule and a longer duration. There are also accelerated MBA programs that students can complete in one year. 

Law school provides advanced education in law, awarding the Juris Doctor (JD) degree. Many law schools also grant master’s degrees in specialized legal fields, such as Master of Law (LLM) in areas like International Law, Tax Law, or Intellectual Property Law.

Law school students develop a deep understanding of legal principles and analytical thinking. Students graduate with a solid foundation for various careers, including legal practice, business, politics, and advocacy. 

How long law school takes can vary : A full-time JD program in the United States usually spans three years. Part-time options are available for those balancing other commitments. There are also accelerated JD programs that take around two years to complete.

Medical school, commonly referred to as med school, grants the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. Students undergo comprehensive study and practical training to become healthcare professionals, such as physicians, surgeons, and medical researchers.

In medical school, students study a broad range of subjects, including anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, and clinical medicine. 

The typical length of a full-time MD program in the United States is four years. After completing medical school, graduates undergo a residency program in their chosen specialty.

Master’s vs PhD

Master's and PhD programs are distinct paths for advanced education, each offering unique benefits. 

Master's degrees, such as an MA (Master of Arts), MS (Master of Science), or MFA (Master of Fine Arts), provide specialized knowledge and skills in a particular field. These programs typically take one to two years to complete, emphasizing coursework and sometimes a thesis, final project, or comprehensive exams.

On the other hand, a PhD, or Doctor of Philosophy, is the highest academic degree and involves more extensive research and contribution to the chosen field. PhD programs often take around five to seven years to complete, including coursework, comprehensive exams, and the completion of a doctoral dissertation.

Master's programs are suitable for those seeking specialized expertise for professional advancement. PhD programs best suit individuals aspiring to contribute significantly to research and academia.

If you want to explore further, here’s a full guide to Master’s vs PhDs .

A common misconception about grad school is that it’s just a continuation of undergraduate studies from college. But that’s pretty far from the truth. 

Keep in mind the following differences to ensure you have appropriate expectations for graduate school.

More independence. In grad school, students are expected to take greater control of their learning, conducting more self-directed research and exploration of their chosen field.

More research-focused. Unlike college, where coursework is often the primary focus, grad school places a higher emphasis on original research, requiring students to contribute to the existing body of knowledge in their field.

Smaller class sizes. Graduate school classes tend to be more intimate, allowing for more interaction with professors and a collaborative learning environment among peers.

More work, less time . Grad school demands a higher level of commitment, with intensive coursework, research, and projects often requiring more effort in a condensed time frame compared to undergraduate studies.

Professional development. Graduate programs often integrate professional development opportunities, preparing students for advanced roles in academia, research, or relevant industries.

What do you do in a graduate school program?

Your day-to-day life in graduate school will depend on the specific program and field of study you choose. Still, there are some commonalities across most graduate school programs.

Advanced skills

Graduate programs aim to cultivate advanced skills in your chosen field through specialized coursework, research projects, and practical experiences. 

For example, as a graduate student in an MBA program, you might enhance your strategic decision-making abilities, leadership skills, and financial acumen.

Mentoring and advising

Graduate students often benefit from personalized mentoring and advising relationships with experienced faculty members, guiding them in research, career planning, and more.

Therefore, it’s crucial to thoroughly investigate the faculty's mentorship approach and the availability of advising resources when researching potential graduate programs.

Graduate programs offer valuable networking opportunities, allowing students to connect with peers, faculty, and professionals in their field.

The networking component of graduate programs is particularly crucial for students in fields such as business and law. 

Building connections during grad school can open doors to internships, job opportunities, and long-term career success.

Specialized coursework

In grad school, your coursework is highly specialized, concentrating on specific aspects of your chosen discipline and providing in-depth knowledge and skills within a narrow focus.

For example, typical coursework for a graduate student in computer science might include advanced algorithms, machine learning applications, and data mining techniques. 

On the other hand, a graduate student in environmental science might focus on courses related to climate modeling, environmental policy analysis, and sustainable resource management.

Teaching assistantships and fellowships

Graduate teaching assistantships and fellowships help students gain valuable teaching experience, mentorship, and financial support while pursuing their studies.

Teaching assistantships are particularly integral for graduate students in fields leading to careers in academia. 

Grad student TAs gain hands-on experience in classroom settings, opportunities to develop pedagogical skills, and preparation for future roles as educators and researchers.

Academic publishing and conferences

Academic publishing and conferences allow graduate students to contribute to their field's scholarly discourse, share their research findings, and connect with professionals and researchers in their domain.

For example, a Ph.D. student in psychology might publish a study on cognitive behavioral therapy outcomes in a reputable journal and present their findings at major conferences such as the American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention.

Comprehensive exams, thesis, or dissertation

Grad school culminates in comprehensive exams, a thesis, or a dissertation. These comprehensive assessments require students to demonstrate mastery of their subject matter through in-depth exams or original research contributions.

The type of assessment will depend on each program’s curriculum. However, most PhD programs require the completion of a dissertation.

Don’t avoid this topic. You should think carefully about whether going to grad school is the right decision for you. Why? Because it’s not for everyone. 

According to a 2019 report from Payscale, two thirds of graduate degree holders have some regret about their decision to attend grad school. 

Most of the people surveyed experienced the most regret about student loans. However, graduate degree holders also reported regretting their chosen area of study, poor networking opportunities, the time taken to obtain the degree, school choice, and more. 

Does that mean going to grad school is a bad decision? Not at all. With thoughtful planning, grad school can help you:

Develop the necessary credentials to advance your career

Increase your job prospects in your current career or a new field

Gain the skills and licensure to be a specialist in a particular field

If those are your motivations, graduate school can be advantageous. 

However, many prospective grad students fail to consider whether a graduate degree actually aligns with their personal and professional goals before applying. Instead, they choose to go to grad school for reasons such as:

Pursuing higher education just to delay entering the job market

Using grad school as a way to avoid making career decisions

Seeking a graduate degree solely for the prestige without a clear career goal

If you choose to attend graduate school for one of those reasons, you're likely to face challenges and potential regret. 

Should you go to grad school? Ask yourself these questions

Consider the following questions and recommendations to help you determine whether attending grad school is the right move for you. 

1. What are your long-term dreams and career objectives? How does a graduate degree fit into the broader picture of your aspirations?

The last thing you want to do is invest time and resources in a graduate degree that doesn't align with your long-term goals or contribute meaningfully to your professional journey. 

So, it’s essential to consider whether a graduate degree can indeed play a pivotal role in achieving your aspirations.

Conversations with mentors, industry professionals, or career counselors can offer valuable insights into the alignment between your dreams and pursuing a graduate school education.

2. What is the job market like for your intended field of study? What are the average salaries and employment rates for individuals with similar graduate degrees?

Researching the job market for your intended field can help you gauge the potential return on your investment in a graduate degree.

Look for industry reports, employment statistics, and projections for the future. How competitive is the job market? What are the growth prospects for your field?

You can also network with professionals in your intended field, attend industry events, and leverage online platforms to gather insights. Alumni from your prospective program can provide valuable real-world perspectives on career outcomes and salary expectations. 

3. What is the estimated cost of your graduate program? How does it compare to the potential increase in earnings? Are you comfortable taking on student loans?

Understanding the financial aspects ensures you are well-prepared for the economic realities of pursuing graduate school. 

As we just mentioned, graduate degree holders who expressed regret about attending grad school had the most regret about student loans .

Research the total cost of each prospective graduate program, including tuition, fees, and living expenses. Compare this with the potential increase in earnings that a graduate degree may offer in your chosen field. 

Additionally, consider your comfort level with student loans by evaluating your financial situation and future repayment plans.

For more, you can check out this guide on how to pay for grad school , and explore options like the Federal Work-Study Program .

4. How well does the faculty and department expertise align with your academic and research interests?  How can their knowledge contribute to your educational and professional goals?

You should only attend a graduate program where the faculty's expertise complements your research interests. If not, you risk compromising your research focus and potentially settling for a direction that may not align with your true academic and professional passions.

So, research the faculty members' areas of expertise, ongoing projects, and publications before applying. Assess how their knowledge aligns with your academic and research interests. 

You can also connect with current students or alumni to understand how the graduate department faculty contributes to students' academic and professional development. 

Attend informational sessions or open houses. You can also reach out directly to faculty members for discussions, which can further help in evaluating the compatibility of your goals with the expertise available in the department.

5. What resources and support services does the program offer?

Access to resources, such as professional development, cutting-edge laboratories, and research stipends, can significantly enhance your experience in grad school.

Therefore, reading through the program's website, speaking with current students or alumni, and attending open houses to gather information about academic support, career counseling, and any additional resources are essential.

6. What is the program's graduation and job placement rate?

No matter the program, graduate school is a means to an end. Graduation rates and job placement statistics can provide valuable insights into the program's success in supporting students to achieve their academic and career goals.

Check the program's official statistics or contact the admissions office for information on graduation rates and job placement outcomes.

7. Am I ready for the rigor of a graduate program?

Be honest with yourself to avoid wasting time and resources. Reflect on your reason for wanting to attend grad school, personal and professional commitments, time management skills, and work ethic. 

Consider seeking advice from current graduate students or professionals in your intended field.

How does grad school compare to college/undergrad?

While college provides students with a solid foundation across a range of academic disciplines, and some degree of focus with your undergraduate major, grad school involves specialized coursework, intensive research, and smaller class sizes. It's more independent and research-focused, preparing you for advanced roles in your chosen field.

Where should I apply to graduate school?

Deciding where to apply for graduate school is a personal decision. Consider factors such as program reputation, faculty expertise, available resources, and location. 

Reach out to current students or alumni for insights and prioritize grad programs that align with your academic and career goals. 

When should I apply to graduate school?

If possible, we recommend starting the application process about a year before you plan to begin your graduate program. This timeline will give you enough time to gather documents, prepare for standardized tests, and tailor your application materials to each graduate program. 

Graduate school application deadlines vary, so check each program's website for the most accurate information. For an in-depth guide, you can explore this post on grad school application deadlines .

How many grad schools should I apply to?  

The number of grad schools to apply to depends on your preferences, goals, and resources. Consider a mix of reach, match, and safety schools—typically, a range of 3 to 8. 

How do I apply for graduate school?  

To apply for grad school, you’ll need to research prospective programs, gather required documents (transcripts, recommendation letters, CV, statement of purpose, etc.), and prepare for any standardized tests (e.g., GRE , LSAT , GMAT , MCAT ). 

Visit each graduate program's website for specific application requirements and instructions.

How do I write a statement of purpose?

Writing a statement of purpose for grad school involves expressing your academic and career goals, highlighting relevant experiences, and explaining why you're a good fit for the program. 

You should tailor each statement to the specific program's requirements, demonstrating your unique qualifications and aspirations. 

Check out these excellent statement of purpose examples for inspiration.

What is a CV?

A CV, or curriculum vitae, is a comprehensive document detailing your academic and professional achievements, research experience, publications, presentations, and more. 

Unlike a resume, a CV is often longer and provides a detailed overview of your entire academic and professional history. 

Is there financial aid for grad school?

Yes, there are various financial aid options for grad school, including scholarships, grants, fellowships, and assistantships. 

Research opportunities offered by the specific grad programs you're interested in, explore external funding sources, and consider federal student loans.

And we mentioned them above, but be sure to check out this guide on how to pay for grad school , and explore options like the Federal Work-Study Program .

Going to graduate school can be an excellent way to deepen your knowledge in an academic field and advance your career. 

But, considering the significant time and financial commitment, you should approach the decision to pursue graduate school thoughtfully to avoid regret down the line. We hope this guide has helped. 

If you're looking for additional resources to help you apply for grad school, we recommend speaking with our graduate school admissions consultants. We can help you craft a strong statement of purpose and navigate the graduate school application process.

So, why wait? Schedule a consultation and take the next step in your grad school journey!

Ameer Drane

Ameer is a freelance writer who specializes in writing about college admissions and career development. Prior to freelancing, Ameer worked for three years as a college admissions consultant at a Hong Kong-based education center, helping local high school students prepare and apply for top colleges and universities in the US. He has a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Chicago and an M.A. in Spanish Linguistics from UCLA. When he’s not working, Ameer loves traveling, weight lifting, writing, reading, and learning foreign languages. He currently lives in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Top values: Growth / Diversity / Empathy

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 177 college essay examples for 11 schools + expert analysis.

College Admissions , College Essays

The personal statement might just be the hardest part of your college application. Mostly this is because it has the least guidance and is the most open-ended. One way to understand what colleges are looking for when they ask you to write an essay is to check out the essays of students who already got in—college essays that actually worked. After all, they must be among the most successful of this weird literary genre.

In this article, I'll go through general guidelines for what makes great college essays great. I've also compiled an enormous list of 100+ actual sample college essays from 11 different schools. Finally, I'll break down two of these published college essay examples and explain why and how they work. With links to 177 full essays and essay excerpts , this article is a great resource for learning how to craft your own personal college admissions essay!

What Excellent College Essays Have in Common

Even though in many ways these sample college essays are very different from one other, they do share some traits you should try to emulate as you write your own essay.

Visible Signs of Planning

Building out from a narrow, concrete focus. You'll see a similar structure in many of the essays. The author starts with a very detailed story of an event or description of a person or place. After this sense-heavy imagery, the essay expands out to make a broader point about the author, and connects this very memorable experience to the author's present situation, state of mind, newfound understanding, or maturity level.

Knowing how to tell a story. Some of the experiences in these essays are one-of-a-kind. But most deal with the stuff of everyday life. What sets them apart is the way the author approaches the topic: analyzing it for drama and humor, for its moving qualities, for what it says about the author's world, and for how it connects to the author's emotional life.

Stellar Execution

A killer first sentence. You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: you have to suck the reader in, and the best place to do that is the first sentence. Great first sentences are punchy. They are like cliffhangers, setting up an exciting scene or an unusual situation with an unclear conclusion, in order to make the reader want to know more. Don't take my word for it—check out these 22 first sentences from Stanford applicants and tell me you don't want to read the rest of those essays to find out what happens!

A lively, individual voice. Writing is for readers. In this case, your reader is an admissions officer who has read thousands of essays before yours and will read thousands after. Your goal? Don't bore your reader. Use interesting descriptions, stay away from clichés, include your own offbeat observations—anything that makes this essay sounds like you and not like anyone else.

Technical correctness. No spelling mistakes, no grammar weirdness, no syntax issues, no punctuation snafus—each of these sample college essays has been formatted and proofread perfectly. If this kind of exactness is not your strong suit, you're in luck! All colleges advise applicants to have their essays looked over several times by parents, teachers, mentors, and anyone else who can spot a comma splice. Your essay must be your own work, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting help polishing it.

And if you need more guidance, connect with PrepScholar's expert admissions consultants . These expert writers know exactly what college admissions committees look for in an admissions essay and chan help you craft an essay that boosts your chances of getting into your dream school.

Check out PrepScholar's Essay Editing and Coaching progra m for more details!

Links to Full College Essay Examples

Some colleges publish a selection of their favorite accepted college essays that worked, and I've put together a selection of over 100 of these.

Common App Essay Samples

Please note that some of these college essay examples may be responding to prompts that are no longer in use. The current Common App prompts are as follows:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? 4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you? 5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. 6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Now, let's get to the good stuff: the list of 177 college essay examples responding to current and past Common App essay prompts. 

Connecticut college.

• 12 Common Application essays from the classes of 2022-2025

Hamilton College

• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2026
• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2022
• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2018
• 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2012
• 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2007

Johns Hopkins

These essays are answers to past prompts from either the Common Application or the Coalition Application (which Johns Hopkins used to accept).

• 1 Common Application or Coalition Application essay from the class of 2026
• 6 Common Application or Coalition Application essays from the class of 2025
• 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2024
• 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2023
• 7 Common Application of Universal Application essays from the class of 2022
• 5 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2021
• 7 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2020

Essay Examples Published by Other Websites

• 2 Common Application essays ( 1st essay , 2nd essay ) from applicants admitted to Columbia

Other Sample College Essays

Here is a collection of essays that are college-specific.

Babson College

• 4 essays (and 1 video response) on "Why Babson" from the class of 2020

Emory University

• 5 essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) from the class of 2020 along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on why the essays were exceptional
• 5 more recent essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on what made these essays stand out

University of Georgia

• 1 “strong essay” sample from 2019
• 1 “strong essay” sample from 2018
• 10 Harvard essays from 2023
• 10 Harvard essays from 2022
• 10 Harvard essays from 2021
• 10 Harvard essays from 2020
• 10 Harvard essays from 2019
• 10 Harvard essays from 2018
• 6 essays from admitted MIT students

Smith College

• 6 "best gift" essays from the class of 2018

Books of College Essays

If you're looking for even more sample college essays, consider purchasing a college essay book. The best of these include dozens of essays that worked and feedback from real admissions officers.

College Essays That Made a Difference —This detailed guide from Princeton Review includes not only successful essays, but also interviews with admissions officers and full student profiles.

50 Successful Harvard Application Essays by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson—A must for anyone aspiring to Harvard .

50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays and 50 Successful Stanford Application Essays by Gen and Kelly Tanabe—For essays from other top schools, check out this venerated series, which is regularly updated with new essays.

Heavenly Essays by Janine W. Robinson—This collection from the popular blogger behind Essay Hell includes a wider range of schools, as well as helpful tips on honing your own essay.

Analyzing Great Common App Essays That Worked

I've picked two essays from the examples collected above to examine in more depth so that you can see exactly what makes a successful college essay work. Full credit for these essays goes to the original authors and the schools that published them.

Example 1: "Breaking Into Cars," by Stephen, Johns Hopkins Class of '19 (Common App Essay, 636 words long)

I had never broken into a car before.

We were in Laredo, having just finished our first day at a Habitat for Humanity work site. The Hotchkiss volunteers had already left, off to enjoy some Texas BBQ, leaving me behind with the college kids to clean up. Not until we were stranded did we realize we were locked out of the van.

Someone picked a coat hanger out of the dumpster, handed it to me, and took a few steps back.

"Can you do that thing with a coat hanger to unlock it?"

"Why me?" I thought.

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally. My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. "The water's on fire! Clear a hole!" he shouted, tossing me in the lake without warning. While I'm still unconvinced about that particular lesson's practicality, my Dad's overarching message is unequivocally true: much of life is unexpected, and you have to deal with the twists and turns.

Living in my family, days rarely unfolded as planned. A bit overlooked, a little pushed around, I learned to roll with reality, negotiate a quick deal, and give the improbable a try. I don't sweat the small stuff, and I definitely don't expect perfect fairness. So what if our dining room table only has six chairs for seven people? Someone learns the importance of punctuality every night.

But more than punctuality and a special affinity for musical chairs, my family life has taught me to thrive in situations over which I have no power. Growing up, I never controlled my older siblings, but I learned how to thwart their attempts to control me. I forged alliances, and realigned them as necessary. Sometimes, I was the poor, defenseless little brother; sometimes I was the omniscient elder. Different things to different people, as the situation demanded. I learned to adapt.

Back then, these techniques were merely reactions undertaken to ensure my survival. But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The question caught me off guard, much like the question posed to me in Laredo. Then, I realized I knew the answer. I knew why the coat hanger had been handed to me.

Growing up as the middle child in my family, I was a vital participant in a thing I did not govern, in the company of people I did not choose. It's family. It's society. And often, it's chaos. You participate by letting go of the small stuff, not expecting order and perfection, and facing the unexpected with confidence, optimism, and preparedness. My family experience taught me to face a serendipitous world with confidence.

What Makes This Essay Tick?

It's very helpful to take writing apart in order to see just how it accomplishes its objectives. Stephen's essay is very effective. Let's find out why!

An Opening Line That Draws You In

In just eight words, we get: scene-setting (he is standing next to a car about to break in), the idea of crossing a boundary (he is maybe about to do an illegal thing for the first time), and a cliffhanger (we are thinking: is he going to get caught? Is he headed for a life of crime? Is he about to be scared straight?).

Great, Detailed Opening Story

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame.

It's the details that really make this small experience come alive. Notice how whenever he can, Stephen uses a more specific, descriptive word in place of a more generic one. The volunteers aren't going to get food or dinner; they're going for "Texas BBQ." The coat hanger comes from "a dumpster." Stephen doesn't just move the coat hanger—he "jiggles" it.

Details also help us visualize the emotions of the people in the scene. The person who hands Stephen the coat hanger isn't just uncomfortable or nervous; he "takes a few steps back"—a description of movement that conveys feelings. Finally, the detail of actual speech makes the scene pop. Instead of writing that the other guy asked him to unlock the van, Stephen has the guy actually say his own words in a way that sounds like a teenager talking.

Turning a Specific Incident Into a Deeper Insight

Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

Stephen makes the locked car experience a meaningful illustration of how he has learned to be resourceful and ready for anything, and he also makes this turn from the specific to the broad through an elegant play on the two meanings of the word "click."

Using Concrete Examples When Making Abstract Claims

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally.

"Unpredictability and chaos" are very abstract, not easily visualized concepts. They could also mean any number of things—violence, abandonment, poverty, mental instability. By instantly following up with highly finite and unambiguous illustrations like "family of seven" and "siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing," Stephen grounds the abstraction in something that is easy to picture: a large, noisy family.

Using Small Bits of Humor and Casual Word Choice

My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed.

Obviously, knowing how to clean burning oil is not high on the list of things every 9-year-old needs to know. To emphasize this, Stephen uses sarcasm by bringing up a situation that is clearly over-the-top: "in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed."

The humor also feels relaxed. Part of this is because he introduces it with the colloquial phrase "you know," so it sounds like he is talking to us in person. This approach also diffuses the potential discomfort of the reader with his father's strictness—since he is making jokes about it, clearly he is OK. Notice, though, that this doesn't occur very much in the essay. This helps keep the tone meaningful and serious rather than flippant.

An Ending That Stretches the Insight Into the Future

But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The ending of the essay reveals that Stephen's life has been one long preparation for the future. He has emerged from chaos and his dad's approach to parenting as a person who can thrive in a world that he can't control.

This connection of past experience to current maturity and self-knowledge is a key element in all successful personal essays. Colleges are very much looking for mature, self-aware applicants. These are the qualities of successful college students, who will be able to navigate the independence college classes require and the responsibility and quasi-adulthood of college life.

What Could This Essay Do Even Better?

Even the best essays aren't perfect, and even the world's greatest writers will tell you that writing is never "finished"—just "due." So what would we tweak in this essay if we could?

Replace some of the clichéd language. Stephen uses handy phrases like "twists and turns" and "don't sweat the small stuff" as a kind of shorthand for explaining his relationship to chaos and unpredictability. But using too many of these ready-made expressions runs the risk of clouding out your own voice and replacing it with something expected and boring.

Use another example from recent life. Stephen's first example (breaking into the van in Laredo) is a great illustration of being resourceful in an unexpected situation. But his essay also emphasizes that he "learned to adapt" by being "different things to different people." It would be great to see how this plays out outside his family, either in the situation in Laredo or another context.

Example 2: By Renner Kwittken, Tufts Class of '23 (Common App Essay, 645 words long)

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver. I saw it in my favorite book, Richard Scarry's "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go," and for some reason, I was absolutely obsessed with the idea of driving a giant pickle. Much to the discontent of my younger sister, I insisted that my parents read us that book as many nights as possible so we could find goldbug, a small little golden bug, on every page. I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Then I discovered a real goldbug: gold nanoparticles that can reprogram macrophages to assist in killing tumors, produce clear images of them without sacrificing the subject, and heat them to obliteration.

Suddenly the destination of my pickle was clear.

I quickly became enveloped by the world of nanomedicine; I scoured articles about liposomes, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, targeting ligands, and self-assembling nanoparticles, all conquering cancer in some exotic way. Completely absorbed, I set out to find a mentor to dive even deeper into these topics. After several rejections, I was immensely grateful to receive an invitation to work alongside Dr. Sangeeta Ray at Johns Hopkins.

In the lab, Dr. Ray encouraged a great amount of autonomy to design and implement my own procedures. I chose to attack a problem that affects the entire field of nanomedicine: nanoparticles consistently fail to translate from animal studies into clinical trials. Jumping off recent literature, I set out to see if a pre-dose of a common chemotherapeutic could enhance nanoparticle delivery in aggressive prostate cancer, creating three novel constructs based on three different linear polymers, each using fluorescent dye (although no gold, sorry goldbug!). Though using radioactive isotopes like Gallium and Yttrium would have been incredible, as a 17-year-old, I unfortunately wasn't allowed in the same room as these radioactive materials (even though I took a Geiger counter to a pair of shoes and found them to be slightly dangerous).

I hadn't expected my hypothesis to work, as the research project would have ideally been led across two full years. Yet while there are still many optimizations and revisions to be done, I was thrilled to find -- with completely new nanoparticles that may one day mean future trials will use particles with the initials "RK-1" -- thatcyclophosphamide did indeed increase nanoparticle delivery to the tumor in a statistically significant way.

A secondary, unexpected research project was living alone in Baltimore, a new city to me, surrounded by people much older than I. Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research. Whether in a presentation or in a casual conversation, making others interested in science is perhaps more exciting to me than the research itself. This solidified a new pursuit to angle my love for writing towards illuminating science in ways people can understand, adding value to a society that can certainly benefit from more scientific literacy.

It seems fitting that my goals are still transforming: in Scarry's book, there is not just one goldbug, there is one on every page. With each new experience, I'm learning that it isn't the goldbug itself, but rather the act of searching for the goldbugs that will encourage, shape, and refine my ever-evolving passions. Regardless of the goldbug I seek -- I know my pickle truck has just begun its journey.

Renner takes a somewhat different approach than Stephen, but their essay is just as detailed and engaging. Let's go through some of the strengths of this essay.

One Clear Governing Metaphor

This essay is ultimately about two things: Renner’s dreams and future career goals, and Renner’s philosophy on goal-setting and achieving one’s dreams.

But instead of listing off all the amazing things they’ve done to pursue their dream of working in nanomedicine, Renner tells a powerful, unique story instead. To set up the narrative, Renner opens the essay by connecting their experiences with goal-setting and dream-chasing all the way back to a memorable childhood experience:

This lighthearted–but relevant!--story about the moment when Renner first developed a passion for a specific career (“finding the goldbug”) provides an anchor point for the rest of the essay. As Renner pivots to describing their current dreams and goals–working in nanomedicine–the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” is reflected in Renner’s experiments, rejections, and new discoveries.

Though Renner tells multiple stories about their quest to “find the goldbug,” or, in other words, pursue their passion, each story is connected by a unifying theme; namely, that as we search and grow over time, our goals will transform…and that’s okay! By the end of the essay, Renner uses the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” to reiterate the relevance of the opening story:

While the earlier parts of the essay convey Renner’s core message by showing, the final, concluding paragraph sums up Renner’s insights by telling. By briefly and clearly stating the relevance of the goldbug metaphor to their own philosophy on goals and dreams, Renner demonstrates their creativity, insight, and eagerness to grow and evolve as the journey continues into college.

An Engaging, Individual Voice

This essay uses many techniques that make Renner sound genuine and make the reader feel like we already know them.

Technique #1: humor. Notice Renner's gentle and relaxed humor that lightly mocks their younger self's grand ambitions (this is different from the more sarcastic kind of humor used by Stephen in the first essay—you could never mistake one writer for the other).

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver.

I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Renner gives a great example of how to use humor to your advantage in college essays. You don’t want to come off as too self-deprecating or sarcastic, but telling a lightheartedly humorous story about your younger self that also showcases how you’ve grown and changed over time can set the right tone for your entire essay.

Technique #2: intentional, eye-catching structure. The second technique is the way Renner uses a unique structure to bolster the tone and themes of their essay . The structure of your essay can have a major impact on how your ideas come across…so it’s important to give it just as much thought as the content of your essay!

For instance, Renner does a great job of using one-line paragraphs to create dramatic emphasis and to make clear transitions from one phase of the story to the next:

Suddenly the destination of my pickle car was clear.

Not only does the one-liner above signal that Renner is moving into a new phase of the narrative (their nanoparticle research experiences), it also tells the reader that this is a big moment in Renner’s story. It’s clear that Renner made a major discovery that changed the course of their goal pursuit and dream-chasing. Through structure, Renner conveys excitement and entices the reader to keep pushing forward to the next part of the story.

Technique #3: playing with syntax. The third technique is to use sentences of varying length, syntax, and structure. Most of the essay's written in standard English and uses grammatically correct sentences. However, at key moments, Renner emphasizes that the reader needs to sit up and pay attention by switching to short, colloquial, differently punctuated, and sometimes fragmented sentences.

Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research.

In the examples above, Renner switches adeptly between long, flowing sentences and quippy, telegraphic ones. At the same time, Renner uses these different sentence lengths intentionally. As they describe their experiences in new places, they use longer sentences to immerse the reader in the sights, smells, and sounds of those experiences. And when it’s time to get a big, key idea across, Renner switches to a short, punchy sentence to stop the reader in their tracks.

The varying syntax and sentence lengths pull the reader into the narrative and set up crucial “aha” moments when it’s most important…which is a surefire way to make any college essay stand out.

Renner's essay is very strong, but there are still a few little things that could be improved.

Connecting the research experiences to the theme of “finding the goldbug.”  The essay begins and ends with Renner’s connection to the idea of “finding the goldbug.” And while this metaphor is deftly tied into the essay’s intro and conclusion, it isn’t entirely clear what Renner’s big findings were during the research experiences that are described in the middle of the essay. It would be great to add a sentence or two stating what Renner’s big takeaways (or “goldbugs”) were from these experiences, which add more cohesion to the essay as a whole.

Give more details about discovering the world of nanomedicine. It makes sense that Renner wants to get into the details of their big research experiences as quickly as possible. After all, these are the details that show Renner’s dedication to nanomedicine! But a smoother transition from the opening pickle car/goldbug story to Renner’s “real goldbug” of nanoparticles would help the reader understand why nanoparticles became Renner’s goldbug. Finding out why Renner is so motivated to study nanomedicine–and perhaps what put them on to this field of study–would help readers fully understand why Renner chose this path in the first place.

4 Essential Tips for Writing Your Own Essay

How can you use this discussion to better your own college essay? Here are some suggestions for ways to use this resource effectively.

#1: Get Help From the Experts

Getting your college applications together takes a lot of work and can be pretty intimidatin g. Essays are even more important than ever now that admissions processes are changing and schools are going test-optional and removing diversity standards thanks to new Supreme Court rulings .  If you want certified expert help that really makes a difference, get started with  PrepScholar’s Essay Editing and Coaching program. Our program can help you put together an incredible essay from idea to completion so that your application stands out from the crowd. We've helped students get into the best colleges in the United States, including Harvard, Stanford, and Yale.  If you're ready to take the next step and boost your odds of getting into your dream school, connect with our experts today .

#2: Read Other Essays to Get Ideas for Your Own

As you go through the essays we've compiled for you above, ask yourself the following questions:

• Can you explain to yourself (or someone else!) why the opening sentence works well?
• Look for the essay's detailed personal anecdote. What senses is the author describing? Can you easily picture the scene in your mind's eye?
• Find the place where this anecdote bridges into a larger insight about the author. How does the essay connect the two? How does the anecdote work as an example of the author's characteristic, trait, or skill?
• Check out the essay's tone. If it's funny, can you find the places where the humor comes from? If it's sad and moving, can you find the imagery and description of feelings that make you moved? If it's serious, can you see how word choice adds to this tone?

Make a note whenever you find an essay or part of an essay that you think was particularly well-written, and think about what you like about it . Is it funny? Does it help you really get to know the writer? Does it show what makes the writer unique? Once you have your list, keep it next to you while writing your essay to remind yourself to try and use those same techniques in your own essay.

#3: Find Your "A-Ha!" Moment

All of these essays rely on connecting with the reader through a heartfelt, highly descriptive scene from the author's life. It can either be very dramatic (did you survive a plane crash?) or it can be completely mundane (did you finally beat your dad at Scrabble?). Either way, it should be personal and revealing about you, your personality, and the way you are now that you are entering the adult world.

Check out essays by authors like John Jeremiah Sullivan , Leslie Jamison , Hanif Abdurraqib , and Esmé Weijun Wang to get more examples of how to craft a compelling personal narrative.

#4: Start Early, Revise Often

Let me level with you: the best writing isn't writing at all. It's rewriting. And in order to have time to rewrite, you have to start way before the application deadline. My advice is to write your first draft at least two months before your applications are due.

Let it sit for a few days untouched. Then come back to it with fresh eyes and think critically about what you've written. What's extra? What's missing? What is in the wrong place? What doesn't make sense? Don't be afraid to take it apart and rearrange sections. Do this several times over, and your essay will be much better for it!

For more editing tips, check out a style guide like Dreyer's English or Eats, Shoots & Leaves .

What's Next?

Still not sure which colleges you want to apply to? Our experts will show you how to make a college list that will help you choose a college that's right for you.

Interested in learning more about college essays? Check out our detailed breakdown of exactly how personal statements work in an application , some suggestions on what to avoid when writing your essay , and our guide to writing about your extracurricular activities .

Working on the rest of your application? Read what admissions officers wish applicants knew before applying .

The recommendations in this post are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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How to Get Into Grad School With a Low GPA

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• Some graduate programs do not use an undergraduate GPA cutoff.
• Your admissions essays and personal statement let you explain why you struggled in college.
• Shining recommendation letters can help your graduate school application significantly.
• Earning good grades in graduate school can help you when applying for jobs.

Many competitive graduate programs at prestigious schools like the University of California, Berkeley , require applicants to have an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher. This requirement may lead potential applicants to ask, Can I get into grad school with a low GPA? The answer is yes, but you will need to do some extra work.

First, consider graduate programs without a GRE requirement . These schools may also not use a GPA requirement or consider applicants with at least a 2.5 GPA. Learning how to get into grad school with a low GPA also involves making your application essays and recommendation letters shine.

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Can i get into grad school with a low gpa 10 tips to help.

You can get into grad school with a low GPA if you strengthen other parts of your application portfolio. Your college's academic and career advisors can give you advice.

1. Know the Application Requirements

Check all application requirements closely. A GPA cutoff may disqualify you. However, some institutions may still let you apply if you exceed other minimum requirements, such as work experience.

Contact admissions departments with questions. Advisors can help you find out if you can get into grad school with a low GPA.

2. Take the GRE or GMAT

A good GRE or GMAT score can offset poor undergraduate performance, such as a 2.5 GPA. Give yourself plenty of time to study for which exam your graduate program requires or recommends. Your college may offer free classes or study resources.

You can take the GRE or GMAT more than once. Doing so lets you focus on areas of improvement and earn a better score the second time.

3. Develop Your Statement of Purpose

An excellent statement of purpose answers how you can get into grad school with a low GPA. Use this opportunity to outline your academic and professional goals. Doing so gives admissions officers fresh insight that your GPA cannot provide.

Ask someone to read your statement of purpose and provide feedback. Their suggestions can improve your writing significantly.

4. Write Admissions Essays

Admissions essays let you explain why you earned a low GPA. Graduate school admissions advisors want to see that you identified the cause and made an improvement plan during your undergraduate education.

The essay prompts may not let you discuss your GPA. If that's the case, focus on conveying your personal and professional maturity.

5. Consult With Your Advisor

Your academic advisor can give you more information on how to get into grad school with a 2.5 GPA. Their experience working with many students can bring new insights into your situation and provide alternatives you may not have considered. Speak with your other professors if you need more help.

6. Complete Additional Coursework

Extra coursework can help you raise your undergraduate GPA. Doing well in these upper-division classes can offset your performance as a first- or second-year undergraduate. Other potential benefits include meeting or exceeding graduate programs' prerequisite requirements.

Consider taking these classes in the summer or winter term, if possible. A lighter class load can help you focus and earn a higher grade.

7. Submit Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation give graduate school admissions advisors a fresh look into your academic history and potential. Focus on professors who taught classes where you excelled.

Speak to professors about your GPA concerns when asking for letters of recommendation . This conversation may impact their recommendation for the better.

8. Use Professional Work Experience

Consider using your professional work experience to your advantage. You can discuss your accomplishments in your statement of purpose or essays. A supervisor may also write a letter of recommendation outlining your strengths and potential.

Professional work experience can help you overcome a 2.5 GPA in other ways, too, such as by helping you develop time management and organization skills.

9. Prepare for Your Admissions Interview

Some graduate programs require or recommend an interview . Use this opportunity to discuss any challenges you faced as an undergraduate. Also, mention that your future graduate school GPA matters to your academic and professional success.

One great way to prepare for your admissions interview involves researching testimonials from current students.

10. Speak With Faculty

Some graduate programs ask faculty to help make admissions decisions. Reaching out to faculty before any admissions deadline lets you introduce yourself and make a good impression. You can discuss the circumstances surrounding your low undergraduate GPA, your academic goals, and how you plan to use your graduate degree to advance your career.

Why Does Your GPA Matter When Applying to Grad School?

Even for graduate programs without a GPA requirement, a 2.5 GPA can harm your application. A low GPA suggests that you lack the academic preparation necessary to excel at the graduate level. It also implies that your goals do not align with the program, especially if you want to earn a graduate degree in the same field as your bachelor's .

Fortunately, there are many universities with a low undergraduate GPA cutoff. They include:

• California State University at East Bay
• Lewis-Clark State College
• University of Arkansas at Little Rock
• Western Governors University

Frequently Asked Questions About Getting Into Grad School With a Low GPA

Can i get into grad school with a 2.5 gpa.

Yes, many graduate programs will let you apply with a 2.5 GPA. However, a low GPA means that you must prove your academic readiness in other ways, such as by writing a convincing personal statement or holding many years of professional experience. Your admissions essays and letters of recommendation can also help your application significantly.

Is there a minimum GPA requirement for grad school?

The answer varies among graduate programs. Some programs with a 3.0 or 3.5 GPA cutoff may still let you apply if you hold work experience or meet another requirement for conditional admission. University admissions advisors can explain these and other alternative admission pathways.

Does your GPA matter after college?

Your graduate school GPA matters in many ways, especially if you lack work experience. A good GPA shows prospective employers that you offer the knowledge, dedication, and drive they require. Excelling in your master's program also makes you an excellent candidate for doctoral programs .

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• 5 Best Grad School Essay Examples (With Guide to Write Essay)

Table of content

Part 1. 5 Grad School Essay Examples

Part 2. how to write your grad school application essay, part 3. the tool to take notes and create planner for grad school.

Writing your grad school admission essay can be daunting since it has crucial importance. If you don’t know how to write it, the process can take even more time. That’s why checking the grad school essay examples can help you start.

Checking the examples that secured the admission for writers gives you a perspective of the best writing practices and tells you if there is anything that you need to avoid. In this article, we will look at some of the successful essay examples you can also take inspiration from. You will also learn the right steps to write your grad school essay.

When writing your essay, one thing to keep your focus on is how you will stand out. Looking at the accepted grad school application essay example, you will instantly see what makes it stand out. So, here are the 5 essay examples you must look at.

1. Essay Example for Library Floors and Literature

Read the complete essay here .

This essay gives an in-depth connection with the intellectual development phases of the applicant. Since it keeps the reader engaged in reading the essay, the strong intellectual argument about the applicant's background confirms that this applicant is a good fit for the graduate program. So, always make sure to customize your essay with personalized information.

2. Essay Example for Law School

This essay grabs readers' attention with a humorous opening paragraph that keeps them tucked into the story. To keep the reader in the story, the writer beautifully explains how the journey of transitioning from chemistry to law was. This connection between chemistry and law also helps the writer state that the knowledge will be helpful in legal careers, and this career-oriented application helps them stand out.

3. Essay Example for USC

The essay stated the writer's enthusiasm even when life was challenging through all phases and how he used all those challenges to get ahead in every situation. It is a clear indication that the writer is a determined person ready to take on challenges. Customizing his answers around his life is also the reason that makes this essay stand out.

4. Essay Example Poor to Elite

The combination of academic exposition and personal information keeps the reader engaged in the essay. Meanwhile, the academic information and excelling from different stages in society tell the reader about the determination of the applicant. The essay beautifully explains different life turns and challenges that helped in growth.

5. Essay Example for Environmental Studies Student

The essay begins with a sentence that will immediately connect with the emotions of any environmentalist. The body of this essay circles the clear goal of using this field's study to play its part in improving this planet.

This applicant stood out because they mentioned the connection between economics and the environment multiple times in the essay, which is one of the biggest problems in the environment today.

When writing your essay, you must consider every factor so that you end up writing the best essay among all the applicants. Below is our step-by-step guide on how you can write an effective essay.

1. Always start with understanding the instructions.

Every school will have a different set of instructions for writing this essay, so the first step when writing your essay is understanding the instructions. Read the instructions prompt carefully, and you will get directions on writing your essay. Finding out what the reader wants to know from your end will make your essay stand out.

2. Brainstorm ideas

After you understand the instructions, your mind will have a set of boundaries to stay within. While staying within those boundaries, you need to brainstorm the best ideas. From choosing your topics to the information you want to include in your essay, you can brainstorm everything here.

Tip: Keep taking notes as you develop better ideas, and you can narrow them down in the next step.

3. Create your outline

Once you have all the ideas, you want to take this important step of creating the outline of your essay. The outline puts the difference in your essay since it determines how important and what priority you are giving to different sections. It is important to have attention-grabbing points in the body with an impactful introduction, which can be balanced perfectly with the right outline.

4. Know the point you want to make

Since you have decided to go with a topic, you need to know what point under that topic you will be making in your whole essay. Some students also call it a thesis statement since it tells the reader about the whole essay.

Know what point you will be getting across and design your whole essay around it since otherwise, the essay will be confusing, and the admissions officer may skip it just because it is unclear.

5. Grab the reader's attention.

When writing the essay, you will start with the introduction. It is among the most crucial sections of your essay since you can grab the reader’s attention here. So, write the introduction concisely, to the point, and have a clear roadmap of everything you discuss in the essay. Also, make sure that your introduction is according to the requirements.

6. Stay relevant and specific.

While writing this essay, you may find several opportunities to slip away from the essay's main topic since other points seem more attractive. However, the right way to write this essay is by staying relevant and specific to the topic of your essay. Make sure that everything you include in your essay has a purpose.

7. State all authentic things

Students often think that adding achievements they don’t have will make them stand out. However, their achievements do not play the biggest role in making the essay stand out. So, always stay concise by listing personal achievements and keeping the information authentic. Never include fabricated information since it will decrease your essay's credibility.

8. Write an impactful conclusion.

Every section of the essay is equally important. Still, the conclusion holds high importance since most readers will decide whether to continue with the application. A conclusion gives the essay's crux and gives the reader a solid reason why they should continue with the application.

So, try to get all their attention with a solid statement that makes the whole essay memorable and creates an emotional connection.

9. Review and edit when you are done.

Once you are done writing, do not submit it immediately; get feedback about your essay, review it yourself, and edit it accordingly. Proofread it multiple times before you submit your essay.

10. Things to stay away from

While knowing a lot about what to do, students often forget things they must refrain from. Including those in your essay can leave a negative impact on the reader. So, here is a list of the things that must not be a part of your grad school essay application:

• Personal experiences, including traumatic results
• Any idea or topic within the field that leads your essay toward a negative impression
• List of achievements that are too long and too good to be true.
• Personal values like politics and religion

Ensure that your essay does not include any of these.

You will not take notes and create a planner with a pen and paper. In this era of technology, different tools can assist you across different activities. When planning your time, and taking notes while studying, you may come across different tools. However, UPDF is the only tool you will ever need during your student life.

It is because it is the best tool for taking notes and creating your planner for grad school. UPDF can deal with all your requirements since it is packed with features and pros, including:

Windows • macOS • iOS • Android 100% secure

• PDF text editing.
• Annotations, text comments, and pencil comments in PDF.
• Organizing pages and bigger files into smaller ones.
• UPDF Cloud for centralized file management and easier sharing.
• Availability on all devices.
• Exporting files in different formats.
• OCR feature.
• PDF password protection.
• Adding images and stickers in PDF.
• Combining different PDF files and much more.

Along with all these features and benefits, UPDF has different templates for your daily planner to prepare you for grad school. Hence, it is the perfect tool for every student who wants to take notes and create daily planners.

Final Words

While all the documents and numbers stay standard for everyone applying, it is the application essay where you can present yourself. So, depending on how you write the essay, you can portray yourself as a strong candidate who is a perfect fit for the school or a student who does stand out among many other applicants.

This significant importance makes writing this essay a daunting task. However, seeing the grad school essay examples and following the correct steps will make things much simpler for you.

And when you attend grad school, you can use UPDF to take notes and create a planner to improve your study efficiency.

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Moving from Resistance to Writing

Joy Gaston Gayles, PhD, Head of the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development (ELPHD) at North Carolina State University

• Have you been putting off your writing all year by promising yourself that summer is when you'll buckle down and get it done?
• Are you finding yourself continuing to procrastinate and avoid your writing even though summer has arrived?
• Have you ever wondered why it is that you really want to write, but just don't do it until there's a looming external deadline?

In this webinar, you will learn:

• What resistance is and why academic writers experience it in pursuit of work we want and need to complete.
• How to identify what's holding you back from writing and completing your ___________ (article, dissertation, book manuscript, grant proposal, etc...).
• The three most common types of writing funk and how to move around them.
• How to create the types community, support and accountability for your writing that will help you to ride through whatever type of writing funk you are currently experiencing.

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Communication, Professional Adaptability, Professional Development, Self Awareness

Choosing A Major for Med School

Premedical students should pick a major based on what they find interesting, which may not be science, experts say.

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Students should make sure they complete prerequisite courses, especially if they've decided not to be on a premed track.

Key Takeaways

• Don't choose a major because you think it will impress admissions officers.
• Remember to take the prerequisite science courses.
• Pay attention to application factors beyond your college major.

When it comes to choosing a college major, aspiring medical school students should follow their passion, not what they think will look good to an admissions committee.

“There’s no one right way to do it,” says Dr. LeeAnna Muzquiz, associate dean for admissions and a clinical professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine . “When people are trying to choose the path that’s best for getting into med school, I can’t emphasize enough, the question should be ‘what’s the best path for me,’ because it’s going to look different for everybody.”

For some, that means majoring in a science; for others, it may mean art history or philosophy. Whatever the field, Muzquiz advises prospective med school applicants that students typically succeed in fields that they are most excited about.

“If you’re slogging through a major that’s not interesting to you, that might not serve you all that well, and undergrad is a time to explore passions and figure out what’s right for you,” Muzquiz says.

Remember Premed Prerequisites 

While any major is acceptable to go to med school, aspiring doctors need to be aware that most medical schools have undergraduate prerequisites . Students should make sure they complete those courses, especially if they've decided not to be on a premed track.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, which administers the Medical College Admission Test – commonly known as the MCAT – nonscience majors should plan to complete at least a year of biology, organic chemistry, general chemistry and biochemistry. This is intended to give medical school admissions offices more data to predict how well an applicant with a nonscience major and only basic science courses may perform in med school compared with applicants who have a science major.

As long as a nonscience major understands how to meet those med school prerequisites, admissions experts say their major can be anything. Even students who decide late in college, or even post-graduation , that they want to attend medical school have the option of postbaccalaureate programs to catch up on needed science courses.

Undergrads who choose not to major in a traditional premed field will have their work cut out for them completing science prerequisites in addition to the requirements of their major. That can be a tall order and is one of the reasons Glenn Ratmeyer, a fourth-year medical student at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine , chose to study biology as an undergrad.

“For me, I felt like to reach those benchmarks, it was going to be a lot more logical to do a degree in biology because in order to apply to med school, you have to have some basic measure of science courses, and with other majors, you’d be doing a lot of extra work,” he says.

Ratmeyer also appreciated the training he received in his undergraduate science courses, which he says prepared him well for the challenge of med school.

“Once you get into med school, it can be difficult because the scientific rigor can be difficult for people who haven’t had the background of studying hard sciences for the prior three or four years of undergrad,” Ratmeyer says.

Applying to Medical School as a Nonscience Major 

While it might be harder, there are benefits for students applying to medical school with a nontraditional background.

“If you get interviews at a med school with a different major, they are going to ask you about that, and it can work to your advantage,” Ratmeyer says. “I know of people who are nontraditional majors, or took gap years , and that’s huge because it shows you’re not only capable of applying yourself in science and can get a good MCAT (score) , but you’re really invested in other areas.”

Lucas Maestas, also a fourth-year medical student at UNM, combined his interest in public policy with a major in political science alongside his premed studies. Maestas says his major helped him stand out during residency interviews and proved useful during his medical school studies.

“Delving into political science not only honed my writing skills but also cultivated a unique perspective on critical thinking,” Maestas wrote in an email. “While not directly related to medicine, these skills proved invaluable in navigating the complexities of medical school.”

Dr. Marianne Green, vice dean for education and professor of medical education at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine , says there is "no selection advantage for students who major in the sciences.”

“I think most medical schools are looking to recruit a diverse student body with a variety of perspectives," Green wrote in an email. "We love it when students bring knowledge from the humanities and social sciences to the discussions in medical school.”

Another way applicants can demonstrate interest in medical school is through a clinical experience , such as shadowing a doctor in a hospital, volunteering in a community health clinic or working as an EMT. Such experiences are valuable and can help students understand if they really want to become a doctor, experts say.

“We want you to be aware of how health care works, what does the system do, what do other members of a health team do, how do doctors interact with patients , and does that resonate with you, or does that scare you or seem boring,” Muzquiz says. “Explore that before you invest all the time and money that goes into applying to med school.”

Crafting Your Story 

Undergraduates should remember that their major is only one part of their medical school application. Besides major, GPA and MCAT scores, medical schools also look at characteristics like leadership , teamwork and compassion to see if students can be leaders in their chosen field and put the needs of their patients first.

It's also important for medical school applicants to show how personal and academic experiences connect to their future goals in medicine.

Green cites a creative writing major who applied to medical school and said he wanted to use his writing to explore themes of immigration, intergenerational memory and multicultural identity – crucial themes when it comes to connecting with patients from different backgrounds.

Muzquiz sees med school applicants from a wide range of backgrounds, including engineering and business. These students often make an effort to show the connection between their major and their interest in medicine, and how their major connects to patient care.

“It should all weave into the story of you,” Muzquiz says. “It doesn’t serve you to just check boxes without being able to articulate how it impacted you and how it prepared you to be a good medical student and eventually a physician.”

Medical School Application Mistakes

Tags: medical school , college majors , graduate schools , education , students

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A Latina Harvard grad advised women to marry older men. The internet had thoughts.

When she was 20 years old and a junior at Harvard College, Grazie Sophia Christie had an epiphany. She could study hard and diligently pursue her “ideal existence” though years of work and effort.

Or she “could just marry it early.”

Christie chose the latter. 

In a column for New York magazine’s The Cut, the Cuban American editor and writer extolled the value of marrying an older, wealthier man as a shortcut to the life she desired. Christie’s March 27 story went viral, topping the magazine’s “most popular” list and inspiring hundreds of overwhelmingly negative comments online and on social media. As Miami New Times described it , “The essay hit the internet with a virtual thud heard round the world.”

Readers were taken aback by myriad aspects of Christie’s florid essay, which runs nearly 4,000 words. Though she was an undergraduate, Christie lugged “a heavy suitcase of books each Saturday to the Harvard Business School,” which she felt offered the best options for a suitable mate. “I had high breasts, most of my eggs, plausible deniability when it came to purity, a flush ponytail, a pep in my step that had yet to run out," she wrote. "Older men still desired those things.” 

She crashed an event at the Harvard Business School and met her future husband when she was 20, and they married four years later.

Many readers were struck by the fact that Christie had the benefit of an elite education — she also completed a fellowship at Oxford University — yet chose to enter into an unequal marriage. “My husband isn’t my partner. He’s my mentor, my lover, and, only in certain contexts, my friend,” she writes. “I’ll never forget it, how he showed me around our first place like he was introducing me to myself. This is the wine you’ll drink, where you’ll keep your clothes, we vacation here; this is the other language we’ll speak, you’ll learn it and I did.”

Christie, now 27, writes that she enjoys time “to read, to walk central London and Miami and think in delicious circles.”

There is, Christie writes, a downside to her monied existence: “I live in an apartment whose rent he pays and that shapes the freedom with which I can ever be angry with him. He doesn’t have to hold it over my head, it just floats there, complicating usual shorthands to explain dissatisfaction.”

By marrying so young — although as many social media users pointed out, her husband is only 10 years older — Christie was able to leave a “lucrative but deadening spreadsheet job to write full-time, without having to live like a writer.”

A recurring theme in the viral response to Christie’s article, ostensibly about age-gap relationships, is that it should have been titled “The Case for Marrying a Rich Man.”

Christie’s transactional approach to marriage and relationships resonated — negatively — with readers. An online parody of her original piece has already been posted by the literary magazine McSweeney’s. Her words have been dissected by a columnist at Slate, who called it “bad advice for most human beings, at least if what most human beings seek are meaningful and happy lives.”

Online, people who commented on Christie’s essay called it “an insult to women of any age,” “a sad piece of writing,” and “pitiful in so many ways.”  Some readers wondered if the article was a satire or a joke. One of the kinder comments on New York magazine’s website said: “This is one of the most embarrassing things I have ever read. I am truly mortified for the writer.”

Christie has so far not responded to media requests for interviews, and several attempts by NBC News to contact her were unsuccessful. Her Instagram account was recently switched from public to private.

According to her personal website , Christie is editor-in-chief of a new publication, The Miami Native, “a serious magazine about an unserious city.” Her website’s bio page, which appears to have been disabled, previously stated that she was “writing a novel between Miami, London, sometimes France.”

Christie grew up in Miami. Her parents,  Miami New Times has reported , are prominent in Florida’s conservative Catholic community. Her mother was appointed to the state Board of Education in March 2022. A senior fellow for The Catholic Association, she hosts a radio show , “Conversations with Consequences,” on the Eternal Word Television Network. Her father is a physician and an anti-abortion activist who, according to his website , lectures regularly on Catholic social issues, particularly marriage, family, and the dignity of life.”

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Raul A. Reyes, a lawyer, is a member of the USA Today Board of Contributors. He has written for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Texas Monthly and the Huffington Post.

Stanford alum, business school dean Jonathan Levin named Stanford president

Jonathan Levin has been appointed the 13th president of Stanford University. (Image credit: Aubrie Pick)

Jonathan Levin, a distinguished economist and Stanford alumnus who has led the Stanford Graduate School of Business as dean for the last eight years, has been appointed the next president of Stanford University, the Board of Trustees announced today.

Jerry Yang, BS, MS ’90, chair of the Board of Trustees, thanked the 20-member Presidential Search Committee (PSC) for their work, and said Levin was the unanimous choice of the search committee and of the trustees. The PSC conducted a comprehensive search for Stanford’s next president. Levin will become president effective Aug. 1, 2024.

“Jon brings a rare combination of qualities: a deep understanding and love of Stanford, an impressive track record of academic and leadership success, the analytical prowess to tackle complex strategic issues, and a collaborative and optimistic working style,” Yang said. “He is consistently described by those who know him as principled, humble, authentic, thoughtful, and inspiring. We are excited about Stanford’s future under Jon’s leadership.”

Levin, 51, has been a member of the Stanford faculty since 2000. The winner in 2011 of the John Bates Clark Medal, an award recognizing the most outstanding American economist under the age of 40, Levin today is the Philip H. Knight Professor and dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He also serves as a member of President Biden’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

“I am grateful and humbled to be asked to lead Stanford – a university that has meant so much to me for more than three decades,” Levin said. “When I was an undergraduate, Stanford opened my mind, nurtured my love for math and literature, and inspired me to pursue an academic career. In the years since, it has given me opportunities to pursue ideas in collaboration with brilliant colleagues, teach exceptional students, and bring people together to achieve ambitious collective goals around the university.”

“As I look to Stanford’s future, I’m excited to strengthen our commitment to academic excellence and freedom; to foster the principles of openness, curiosity, and mutual respect; and to lead our faculty and students as they advance knowledge and seek to contribute in meaningful ways to the world.”

Levin will succeed Richard Saller, who has served as Stanford’s president on an interim basis since September 2023.

“I want to thank President Richard Saller for his exemplary leadership this year,” Levin said. “He, along with Provost Martinez, have demonstrated deeply principled academic values and uncommon thoughtfulness as they have navigated a unique set of challenges. I look forward to working with them in the months ahead, and continuing that work with Provost Martinez and leaders across the university to envision an even better Stanford.”

Presidential search process

The PSC, composed of diverse stakeholders across the university, conducted an extensive and rigorous seven-month search for the university’s 13th president. Read more about the search process .

Leaders of the search highlighted Levin’s impressive academic credentials, strong track record as dean of the Graduate School of Business, and extensive knowledge of Stanford and its culture. They also noted that he has the personal qualities that members of the community emphasized were important in Stanford’s next president, including integrity, humility, aspiration, and emotional and intellectual intelligence.

“Jon is a leader who drives change in a way that engages faculty, students, and other stakeholders,” said Bonnie Maldonado, MD ’81, co-chair of the Presidential Search Committee and senior associate dean for faculty development and diversity in the Stanford School of Medicine. “Moreover, Jon’s academic background, analytical skills, and experience have provided him with the skillset and ability to oversee this incredibly complex institution.”

“Jon exhibits a perspective that blends optimism, intellect, ideas, and experience,” said Lily Sarafan, BS ’03, MS ’03, co-chair of the Presidential Search Committee and trustee. “Jon has a deep understanding of Stanford and its role in the world, including the need to expand the university’s educational reach, support emerging areas of research, and renew trust and goodwill both internally and externally.”

“We interviewed an impressive slate of candidates, individuals with excellent credentials and experience,” Sarafan continued. “From that outstanding group, Jon emerged as the person best suited to lead Stanford into the future.”

Academic career and public service

Levin attended Stanford as an undergraduate, completing a BA in English and a BS in mathematics in 1994. He then completed an MPhil in economics from Oxford University and a PhD in economics from MIT.

Image credit: Aubrie Pick

He joined the economics faculty at Stanford in 2000 and later was awarded an endowed chair, becoming the Holbrook Working Professor of Price Theory in the School of Humanities and Sciences.

He served as chair of the Stanford economics department from 2011 to 2014. As chair, Levin established a vision and strategy to elevate the department and helped recruit two future Nobel laureates and four Clark medalists to Stanford.

Levin is widely recognized for his scholarship in industrial organization and market design. His research has spanned topics ranging from incentive contracts to game theory to e-commerce, consumer lending, and health care competition. He helped design the first Advanced Market Commitment that accelerated the global adoption of pneumococcal vaccine. He also helped design the Federal Communication Commission’s $20 billion incentive auction to convert broadcast television spectrum to broadband wireless licenses. He has advised technology companies building online marketplaces and advertising systems.

Levin has also been active in public service. In 2021, Levin was invited by President Biden to serve on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. In this role, he has studied problems ranging from the modeling and predicting of extreme weather to the prospects of AI for scientific discovery, and from cyber-physical resilience to the future of the social sciences.

Levin became dean of the Graduate School of Business in 2016. Under his leadership, the school made important advances in multiple strategic areas.

First, it made significant investments in its research and teaching mission, including the creation of the GSB Research Hub to provide shared resources for empirical and experimental work, and the Teaching and Learning Hub to support curriculum development, educational technology, and experiential learning. The school significantly increased faculty research funding, redesigned student fellowships to be need-based, and expanded its distinctive academic-practitioner teaching model, among other efforts.

Second, the school expanded its educational reach. It has extended its footprint in executive and online education, including significant growth of the flagship online LEAD program for mid- to senior-level professionals. The school has made significant strides with Stanford Seed, which educates entrepreneurial leaders in the developing world; the King Center on Global Development, established in 2017 in partnership with the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research; and by initiating Stanford Global Economic Forums in Beijing and Singapore. This year, the GSB introduced the new Stanford Pathfinder classes for undergraduates across the university.

Third, during Levin’s tenure as dean, the school launched a major new initiative around Business, Government, and Society. The initiative addresses how business intersects with societal issues, such as sustainability, the effects of technology, the strength of democratic institutions, and global politics. It has led to new classes, research grants, workshops for students, a faculty-led effort on artificial intelligence, and new partnerships between the GSB and Stanford’s other schools and institutes.

A commitment to different perspectives has also been a core tenet of the school. The GSB degree programs increased their outreach efforts and significantly increased the representation of women and historically under-represented groups. Today, the GSB student population is the most diverse in the school’s history. Specific programs have also been created, including the Building Opportunities for Leadership Diversity (BOLD) Fellows Fund for students of backgrounds with financial hardship, and the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, which has educated more than 1,000 entrepreneurial business leaders.

“Stanford is a place of unbridled optimism, of exploration and innovation,” said Jennifer Aaker, PhD ’95, a member of the Presidential Search Committee and the General Atlantic Professor at the GSB. “It’s a place where anything is possible – where you can excel in academics and athletics, pursue entrepreneurship with integrity, combine intellectual rigor with irreverence. Jon loves Stanford, and he understands this central truth about the university: that it is a place of possibility. He is the right person to not only envision where Stanford should go, but to take us there. He’s also pro-fun.”

With Levin’s appointment as president, a search will be undertaken by the provost for his successor as dean of the Graduate School of Business.

Depth of knowledge, breadth of experience

Levin’s career as a student, faculty member, and academic leader touches many disciplines across the university. He was both an undergraduate, and faculty member, in Stanford’s School of Humanities & Sciences. During his 16 years in Stanford’s Department of Economics, he worked closely with undergraduates, and advised nearly 50 PhD dissertations. He chaired the university committee on undergraduate admissions and financial aid, served on the university budget group, and in both 1994 and 2012 participated in major university reviews of undergraduate education. As dean of the business school, he adds a deep knowledge of professional education and student life, along with overseeing a highly interdisciplinary faculty, search committee members said.

Image credit: Saul Bromberger

“Jon embodies the character and values I aspire to emulate as a future Stanford graduate,” said Senkai Hsia, the undergraduate member of the Presidential Search Committee. “As an undergraduate alum himself, Jon gets the irreverent spirit of exploration and exuberance that makes Stanford special. He is admired by students at the Graduate School of Business, and I know he will love engaging with students across the university. Jon will boldly lead Stanford into a bright future.”

Levin’s awards and honors include membership as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Fulbright Scholar; Sloan Research Fellow; recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship; winner of the John Bates Clark Medal, recognizing the outstanding American economist under the age of 40; and recipient at Stanford of the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Department of Economics Teaching Prize.

Levin is married to Amy Levin, a physician. They have three children.

A list of previous Stanford presidents is available here .

Stanford University is a place of discovery, creativity, innovation, and world-class medical care. Dedicated to its founding mission of benefitting society through research and education, Stanford strives to create a sustainable future for all, catalyze discoveries about ourselves and our world, accelerate the societal impact of its research, and educate students as global citizens. Its main campus holds seven schools along with interdisciplinary research and policy institutes, athletics, and the arts. More than 7,000 undergraduate and 9,000 graduate students pursue studies at Stanford each year. Learn more at stanford.edu.