Admissions Advice Online

You can talk about an area that you are strong in, it could be that you are a good communicator, listener, traveler, or anything that you would be an expert at. Basically they want to see that you will enhance classroom discussions by bringing your areas of expertise to the table. Once you have a draft, you can submit it to www.selectiveadmissions.com/free for a free SOP critique. - selectiveadmissions.com

To be competitive at the PhD level in the United States, an applicant needs to display strong quantitative skills. A-Level records will not replace a strong post-secondary record. You must score at least a 160+ on the quant section of the GRE. You may find it beneficial to take a few math courses at a local university if you can. Lastly, ensure that your SOP displays your quant ability. Econ, government and law usually go hand-in-hand, you should be able to find common connections to write about. - www.selectiveadmissions.com

You can disclose whatever you want to in a SOP. It is all about how you frame it. A great SOP should flow fluidly and shouldn't make any excuses for the past. It seems here that your interest came from your personal experiences and this can be addressed only in the opening paragraph. Once you do this, the rest of your SOP should discuss your research past/interest, why this particular program and then finally your plan for the future and how this program will help you achieve them. We can help. - www.selectiveadmissions.com - selectiveadmissions.com

The closing paragraphs of your SOP are strong, however the opening is very weak. Generally you do not want to write about anything that may be perceived as negative in a SOP. You open your SOP by stating that you jumped around from major to major and it just paints you as unfocused even though this was in the past. Your SOP should only come from a point of strength. You also barely talk about any of the actual benefits and the reasons why you are applying to the school that you are applying to. This is ALWAYS needed in a SOP. We can help. - selctiveadmissions.com

Hello, 3.18 GPA is very low for direct entry PhD programs. Usually students overcome this by performing substantial research or completing a major thesis project in their area of interest prior to graduation. Have you considered maybe a MA program and then go on to the PhD? - selectiveadmissions.com

Hello, All programs take a range of students. While many students do have some research, all schools accept a good number of students that have absolutely no research. This is where you fit in. The key for you here is to take whatever experiences you do have and link them to why you are applying to the program and how this specific program will help you get from point A to B. When the adcom sees that their program is NEEDED to help you achieve your career goals, they are more likely to admit you. -selectiveadmissions.com

Hello, Your statement of purpose reads more like a research paper and not a statement of purpose. Remember, your statement of purpose should provide some background about you as a person, your likes, some of your research and a LOT about the program you are applying to and how it can help you achieve your stated goals. All I see here is a recap of your past research and interests and very little about the program and why you are specifically applying to this program. -selectiveadmissions.com

You should post your entire SOP here in the box so we can easily read it. Some people are suspicious about attachments. - Selectiveadmissions .com

I am pretty sure they mean do not mail it now. After you are accepted you will need to send the official transcript in. The only time you wouldn't mail this would be if the school accepted e-transcripts which are emailed. - Admissions Advice Online

Hello, The Luxury brand MBA at NYU and Columbia and other top schools is extremely competitive. The key is to just get into the schools. Do not build your application geared towards career switching from IT to Luxury retail. Instead, pick an area that has some connection like IT to Finance. Once you are in you can select whatever concentration you want. - Admissions Advice Online

Hello, This should not be a problem at all. Did you complete a master's degree elsewhere? If so, why did you decide not to complete the PhD that they offer? This might be the only question that you should address in your SOP. - Admissions Advice Online

All you have to do is answer as accurately as possible. Start and end dates should correspond to when you started and ended the semester abroad. Degree earned should be none. You should certainly list this out, especially if you were given credit for it on your official transcript. Omitting this is grounds for dismissal from your program if found out at any point after admissions. - Admissions Advice Online

Absolutely! The more prestigious the graduate program, the harder your chances for admissions will be with so many transfers under your belt. Top graduate programs simply cannot afford for students to not finish their programs. Unlike undergrad, the vast majority of graduate programs have very strict residency requirements. This means that you will need to take almost all required courses at the school you graduate from. This means you will need to stay put for the entire program. It will be hard to show that you have all the intentions to do this when you have moved around so much at the undergrad level. - Admissions Advice Online

The school will always tell you if they require a financial statement or not. The only time that it would be advisable to automatically send in a financial statement would be if you are applying as an international student as such students are required to provide financial statements for immigration/visa purposes. - Admissions Advice Online

Never mention anything that might be considered as a negative in your SOP. Your SOP should only highlight you as positively as possible. If your GRE scores are below what the school requires, what you should do is show how you are just a bad standardized test taker. The way you can do this is to show that this is something that has happened before. If you also did poorly on the SAT score but managed to do really well in college, this would be a great way to explain your performance. In any event, the best place to discuss this is via the optional essay or in a direct email to the admissions office. Never should this be included in the statement of purpose.- Admissions Advice Online

Generally, 1,000 words or less is the standard length of a well written SOP unless otherwise stated in application. I would advise you to always use single space unless otherwise requested as no one wants to really sit and read a 4 page SOP. In most cases you will enter your essays into an online system where the admissions office can format the SOP to print/display the way they want it....single/double spaced. - Admissions Advice Online

Never. You should never talk about anything that will not positively highlight your application in your SOP. Almost all programs will review each applicant on his/her merits. That is to say, did they make the most with what was available to him/her? If you are lacking in one area, they will expect to see strength in other. If your application is assembled correctly, they will notice this. There is no reason to draw attention to a possible weak area of your application, especially when you attempt to explain it away with an excuse that might be considered offensive no matter how valid it is. - Admissions Advice Online

As an international student, your GRE scores will be even more important. Unless you come from an undergraduate institution that is well recognized, the GRE is the only way that schools can gauge the quality of your degree. The reality is that most of the schools that you listed receive far more qualified applicants than they have spaces for. As such, virtually none will lower their acceptance criteria. You can either study for a year while you intern to eventually retake the exam while building experience(Recommended) or select other programs that better align with your stats. - Admissions Advice Online

Hello, You absolutely can mention the friends name in your SOP. Especially if this friend exposed you to this program. Most readers will take note of this and it will serve to your advantage. When I was an admissions officer, I always noted this in a positive way. - Admissions Advice Online

Hello, US PhD programs receive so many applicants directly from India that they will be very well aware of which programs are harder than others. As always, you will be compared against your countrymen first and then the general applicant pool. Because of this, your GRE scores will be reviewed with a very close eye as this exam will serve as the "Great Equalizer." -Admissions Advice Online

Hello, Most stand alone masters of computer science programs are geared towards industry. You should gear your SOP towards going directly into the work world after you finish. Be sure to fully explain your areas of interest and how that particular program has specific resources/classes that you are interested in taking advantage of. -Admissions Advice Online

Hello, As always, I recommend that applicants NEVER mention anything negative in their SOP. Remember, your SOP should always come from a standpoint of strength. Also, as a 40 year old applicant, you will not be expected to have a extra curricular activities portfolio as robust as let's say a traditional undergraduate. However, there will be no excuse for a complete lack of involvement. Just highlight the experiences that you do have and frame them as best as you can. -Admissions Advice Online

It is always in your best interest to respond to this question. Many programs already share general application data and there are many ways that they can find out schools that you will or are most likely to apply to. This is especially true if you are applying for general funding opportunities. Listing possible schools works in your favor 10/10 times. If you are a very strong student and the school really wants you to attend, they may amp up the financial/research incentives to chose their program versus another program. Applicants can manipulate this section as well by listing schools/programs for which they are highly qualified to attend even if they have no real intentions of applying to those programs. - Admissions Advice Online

Hello, For most PhD programs, the quant section on the GRE is by far more important than the verbal. However, for BIO PhD programs both are really important. Also, as you may know, a BIO PhD has so many different sub specialties that research is almost always expected to prove to the admissions committee that you have really thought out your future. Without meaningful research admissions to a top 10 Bio program will not happen. - Admissions Advice Online

Being out of school for a few years will not matter at all. In many graduate programs you will find students from a wide age and experience range. -Admissions Advice Online