ESSAY GLIMMERS
Graduate School Admissions Consulting
This is what our support looks like.
We support students nearing the end of their undergraduate studies and career professionals looking to advance their education and explore diverse career pathways through one-on-one coaching and consultation on the graduate admissions process. Whether preparing your writing portfolio for an MFA program, developing your writing sample for doctoral admissions, or refining your academic portfolio for acceptance into an MBA, to name a few, we support you through each step of your graduate school application process. We work with you to identify best-fit schools, refine your curriculum vitae (CV) or resume, develop a stellar statement of purpose, prepare and revise your writing samples, and provide guidance around the graduate school interview processes.
Identifying Best-Fit Graduate Programs: We work with students and professionals one-on-one to review their academic profile, goals, interests, and non-negotiables as they select a graduate program that aligns with their values. We help our students and clients find graduate programs that align with their career interests and learning needs. We consider factors such as location, full-time vs. part-time programs, curriculum values and requirements, program validity, programmatic resources, and other aspects of the decision-making process when determining which graduate school programs to apply to.
Statement of Purpose and Curriculum Vitae (CV)/Resume Coaching and Consultation: When working with students and professionals, we support them in developing and revising both their statement of purpose and CV or resume. We guide clients through writing a statement of purpose that reflects their professional and academic history and thoughtfully expresses their career goals and interests, as well as how they align with an institution’s values. We also help clients create and revise CVs/resumes that elevate their experiences and tell an accurate story of their academic and professional development over time. Our clients work one-on-one with a professional coach who guides them through the ideation, drafting, revising, and editing process for their statement of purpose. Additionally, coaches review clients’ CVs and resumes line by line, offering personalized feedback to strengthen language and highlight experience.
Writing Sample Support: Many graduate school programs require prospective students to submit a writing sample. In these cases, we work one-on-one with clients to revise existing writing samples to highlight how they align with their proposed area of study and reflect their professional experience, or we coach them through developing a writing sample that reflects their intellectual interests and demonstrates their expertise.
Interview Preparation: Oftentimes, graduate school programs will hold interviews after shortlisting candidates upon receiving their applications. If our clients are offered interviews, we provide interview preparation guidance, hold mock interviews, offer feedback on interview performance, and answer questions about on- and off-campus interview processes.
*For pricing details, please contact us. We offer comprehensive consulting and coaching packages and à la carte services that are billed hourly. We work with families on a sliding scale based on financial need, so that we can provide our community with equitable access to services.
1. We begin by getting to know our clients thoroughly, meeting with them one-on-one while posing in-depth questions about their background, experiences, interests, and goals. When appropriate, we provide clients with questionnaires, interest inventories, and other self-reflection tools to help us understand who they are and how best to support them. We take a holistic approach when working with clients, ensuring we understand who they are as human beings in addition to who they are as professionals and academics. Often, what makes our clients unique in their day-to-day lives will make a thoughtful contribution to their statement of purpose, writing sample, and interview experience.
Our Process
3. We provide unlimited one-on-one coaching and feedback as clients revise and develop writing samples. At this stage, we also provide clients with writing resources and exemplar writing samples when appropriate. We discuss the importance and purpose of the writing sample, ensuring our clients understand how to best leverage their writing sample to highlight how they can be contributing, thoughtful members of the academic community at the institutions to which they are applying.
2. During our one-on-one meetings, we work collaboratively to identify the best-fit graduate programs based on clients’ interests, experiences, and goals. We provide resources and materials to help clients create an application list that reflects their purpose for pursuing higher education. At this stage, we simultaneously work with our clients to develop and refine their Statement of Purpose and CV, providing unlimited one-on-one coaching and feedback sessions.
4. After clients submit all application materials and receive interview invitations, we provide one-on-one mock interviews and interview-feedback coaching sessions to help them prepare for academic interviews. At this point in the process, we can also support the decision-making process by offering insight into selecting a program that honors our clients’ expertise and learning needs.