The Backward Glance is a blog written by Lincoln Mullen, a Brandeis University PhD student in American History and historian of religion. Mullen?s study and expertise are basically on early American history and the religious history of New England. His blog is composed mostly of tips and articles on education, digital humanities, religion, history, and the life of a graduate student. The targeted audience are graduate students and aspiring graduate students, history students and practitioners, and those who are interested in American history, religious history, and digital humanities.
The site’s strong points
Lincoln Mullen?s blog is basically what you would expect of a blog: an array of the latest articles on the main blog page composed of titles, excerpts or lead in paragraphs, and links to each entry?s page. The articles are mostly about Mullen?s field of expertise, though there are a lot of articles about being a graduate student. There are entries and interesting bits and pieces of trivia about America?s history and the religious history of England, religion in America, graduate school book reviews, and frequently asked questions about graduate school, among many others. There was an article providing a list of materials that one must read before and after applying for graduate school. It includes short descriptions for each book, along with short previews on what the books are all about and what a person could get out of reading it.
The site’s weak points
One good point about the blog is that it makes use of pictures to spice up the articles and make the blog more visually interesting. The articles are also written in a simple and conversational manner, at least the advice articles, which makes them easy to understand. The website also serves like a portal to other websites that the author is interested in, since it provides a number of links. Making use of more pictures, videos, and having a more interesting layout of photos and texts in articles would perk up the blog tenfold.
The Eduplan Blog is a collection of articles on tips, advice, and other important information on graduate schools, graduate school admissions, MBAs, careers, and job hunting. It targets graduate students, those planning to take graduate studies, job hunters, working people, and others concerned with careers, graduate schools, graduate studies, and job hunting.
What Eduplan offers
Simple as it is and with well-written and comprehensive articles on topics that its audience would commonly be interested in, the blog is a good find and a helpful friend. It has helpful articles on topics such as choosing a graduate school, how to look for online classes, school admissions, resume writing, handling interviews, and career development, among others. Navigation is easy because aside from links to the latest articles on the side bar and on the array of blog entries, there are also permanent sections containing links to most commonly searched topics: college admissions, MBA admissions, graduate school admissions, career coaching, resume writing, effective job search, and scholarships, as well as immigration, job hunting, and schooling in the United States.
One article that particularly took my interest was the one which tells the reader how to use Twitter for job search. Such an article is one good proof of how the blog keeps up with technology in terms of article content. It is good that the blog makes use of pictures to prevent it from looking dull and boring.
What Eduplan lacks
The blog, however, would do well with making excerpts from the links appear on the array of latest blog entries on the main blog page. The blog entries, which are lengthy by the way, appear complete on the blog array. There is no actual need to present the entire article on the main blog page when you can simply provide links to the entries. Simply providing an array of the latest titles along with excerpts or teasers will do.
After all the preparations and the difficult tasks of researching about the school, what’s left for you to do is to create a personal statement that’s tailor-fit to you chosen school. Check if your personal statement adheres to the school?s standards and academic principles. Do not allow all your efforts and preparations TO be futile in the end. That is why when you start writing your essay, make sure you begin with the end in mind. With that, you’ll be more focused on the real objectives of the writing task.
The admission essay as an important part of the application process
The admission essay is a crucial part of the school application. It is considered to be the face of your application because it serves as a way for you to market yourself to the admissions panel. This a way for the admissions panel to know you better. As such, don’t merely summarize your academic achievements in the essay. The admissions panel would like to more about your points of view and character traits through your experience and the way you communicate through writing.
Tips in writing a winning essay
Pour out all your ideas and thoughts into one sheet of paper, create an outline, and make a draft. This will help you organize your thoughts well and focus on the main topic. Your goal is to give readers an easier time reading and understanding your essay. So you won’t bore your readers, establish a connection right from the start. Start with attention-grabbing intros. Write in a very relaxed tone, but don’t be lazy or sloppy with your writing. Focus on your application, instead of turning your essay into an autobiography.
Other things to keep in mind (essay deadline, word count or page limit, format, etc.)
Minor details that should not be forgotten include the deadline, word count, page limit, and format. Remember to follow the instructions carefully. With hundreds of grad school essays to read, the admissions panel won’t bother going over an essay that failed to meet the basic requirements.
Related links:
Grad school application – About becoming a graduate student
Grad school tips – About grad school application and essay tips
Grad school admission – Tips on graduate school admission
Essay writing no-nos – Tips on writing your grad school essay
Graduate school programs – Brief discussion of competitive graduate school programs
When writing your personal statements for grad school, you have to go beyond the normal expectations, if you want to get ahead all the other applicants. Expect grad school to be tougher than college and to have higher requirements. Editing and proofreading will be the two most important parts of your writing task. You have to revise your essays to meet the quality standards and cover the basics of good essay writing styles.
Using a tape recorder to record essay you’ve read aloud to help identify errors
It has always been recommended that after making the first draft of your admissions essay, you must replay your recorded essay to detect any error you have missed. Reading it aloud is a good proofreading and editing technique than just reading it with your eyes on paper.
Using a check list or set of questions when proofreading your essay
Use a checklist or a set of guide questions to direct where your application essay should go. Check if you are honest enough when detailing your achievements and credentials. Be sure to use a friendly, conversational tone to easily connect with your readers. Read your essay several times, so you won’t miss any kind of error. Only when you’re satisfied with the outcome can you be confident in submitting it.
Using the Internet for editing tools and professional editing services
There are various online editing tools you can use for checking your essay. They can check basic spelling errors and offer suggestions for correcting grammatical flaws. Although most of these tools are free to use, you still have to use your good ol’ grammar sense. You can’t expect them to be 100% accurate all the time. If you’re after top notch editing service, you can hire a professional editor but will have to consider the cost of doing so.
Related links:
Grad school admission – Tips on graduate school admission
Graduate school programs – Brief discussion of competitive graduate school programs
Career goals – Discussing career goals in your essay
Online MBA program – About choosing an online MBA program
Admission essay – How to put together attractive essays
In order to craft a well-written graduate school personal statement, you must use a checklist or guide to direct you on how you should go about writing your essay. This checklist will surely help you come up with an effective personal statement that would spell A-D-M-I-S-S-I-O-N for you.
Purpose of a grammar or content checklist when writing and evaluating your essay
Develop your basic skills when you practice writing essays. According to expert writers, this is a good step to improving your writing skills and getting the desired results. Write down ideas and create an outline out of these. Make an initial draft that you will have to revise several times. Before you edit for grammar flaws and spelling errors, check first the value of the content. Are the topics well presented? Are they relevant to your application? Remember to weed out irrelevant information and focus on the most essential ideas and themes.
What should be included in your checklist
Writing your personal statement may be a difficult task when applying for graduate school. If you have no means of knowing what exactly the admissions officers are looking for, it might do you good to prepare a checklist you can consult. First and foremost, there should be honesty, an authentic voice, and a sense of being straightforward for easier reading and understanding by your readers. Also seek to establish a connection with the admissions panel. Make sure that the final draft is error-free.
Other tips when using a checklist to evaluate your essay
When revising your essay, make sure that you always check it against the criteria and guidelines set by your target school. That way, you will have a clearer picture of what revisions you need to make in your essay, should there be any. It will help you come up with a personal statement that would be a sure knock-out.
Related links:
Grad school admission – Tips on graduate school admission
Graduate school programs – Brief discussion of competitive graduate school programs
Career goals – Discussing career goals in your essay
Basic writing tips – About how to improve your writing skills
Writer’s checklist – The writer’s checklist when writing a personal statement
