Applying to one of the top universities in the country can seem like a daunting task. Most applicants experience a great deal of stress and pressure, because they want so badly to get into a top university. Whether you are transferring from another school or you are a newcomer into college life, you will definitely want to put your best foot forward when applying to a top university. One of the best ways to increase your chances of getting accepted is to know what they expect from you. Here are some tips that will also help you with writing your personal statement:
1. Do your research
The first and most important step to understanding what the university expects from you is to do your research. Visit the homepage of the university and read about the school, the courses they offer, their educational system and values, as well as their history. Getting to know the university will give you a good idea of what the university expects not only from its applicants, but from its students as well.
Part of your research will be to gather all information regarding the application process, such as requirements, deadlines, and procedures. Once you are satisfied with the information you have gathered about the university, you should spend some time trying to analyze the information to understand what the university is looking for and how they choose the applicants that will be accepted. To round up your research, try to find some sample personal statements that were written specifically for the university you are applying to. These sample essays can give you an upper hand on your competition when it comes to writing your own essay.
2. Know the requirements for the personal statement
Another way of trying to understand what top universities expect from your personal statement is to know and understand the requirements for your personal statement. Different schools will have different questions, and these questions can give you clues to what topics to write about, what the tone of the essay should be, and how to go about writing the essay. Some questions will be very open-ended, leaving it up to you to find a creative and interesting way to present yourself, while other questions will be straightforward and precise. Use the essays that you found to guide you in meeting the requirements for your application. Remember that the requirements given for the sample essay may differ from those given to you, so only use the samples as general guides.
3. Aim to exceed their expectations
Finally, when writing your personal statement, it’s important to aim higher than just meeting the university’s expectations. Try to exceed them. Here are some of the expectations that top universities normally have for the personal statement:
- error-free (no spelling, grammar, or syntax errors) personal statements
- truthful information
- interesting presentation of facts
- meaningful topics
- clear, concise, and coherent essays
Write an essay that is unique, emotional, captivating, and, most of all, one that makes a strong impact on the admissions committee. If you are able to leave a good, lasting impression on the admissions committee, you can be sure that your chances of getting into the top university will increase greatly. Try to study how the sample personal statement essays were able to go beyond what is normally expected to make an impact on the reader. Use some of these techniques to embellish your own essay.
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Being able to do various job types gives you an edge in following your career path. Two fields that you can look into are the areas of social sciences and humanities, which are areas of study for people whose interests are diverse. The reason why these fields are able to provide you with the coping mechanism is that these cover a wider range of subjects. In case you have not made up your mind on which career to pursue, there are various professions in social sciences and humanities that you may be interested in. Please find below some popular vocations and see if one fits your field of interest and skill level.
1. Teaching profession – Sometimes, the teaching profession is looked upon as an inferior career path. Little do people know that teachers are the link from general knowledge to specific fields. The people who follow this career path are degree holders in areas such as social sciences or humanities who become teachers in high school and college levels. Social science and humanities involve analytical thinking and research.
2. Legal assistance and representation – Equally, social studies and humanities fit very well into the pre-law requirement. Legal assistance and representation focuses a lot on social responsibilities and humanitarian principles. This focus serves as a perfect background for lawyers to focus on their social responsibilities. The subjects on history, psychology, human behavior, and political science are significant foundations to the study of the law.
3. Sociologists and community development workers – This career fits well with social sciences and humanities degree holders. Usually, these people have been exposed to the study of human behavior, social relations and the structures, and the institutions and organizations that provide services. Sociologists deal with in-depth social, economic, cultural, political and even environmental issues. With subjects on psychology, sociology, social studies, and the like, this profession can focus on different societal issues.
4. Political scientists and analysts– This profession is very well specialized as it involves the study of public policies and political systems. This is one area where degree holders of social sciences and humanities are needed. The specialization is necessary as politics forms one pillar of the social structure which is vitally relevant to social relations and structure within a society.
5. Anthropologists – This profession generally tackles studying human behavior and cultural development. It entails broad and specific research, analysis and interpretation of human behavior that further deals with socio-cultural and physical development of human beings in their social context.
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In the United States, the ranking of the best law schools are based on a lot of factors. It may be based on the quality of education, availability of facilities, qualification of professors, or organization of programs. For aspiring lawyers out there who are still undecided on which law school to apply in, here is the list of the top ten law schools in America:
1. Yale University
2. Harvard University
3. Stanford University
4. Columbia University
5. New York University
6. University of California-Berkeley
7. University of Chicago
8. University of Pennsylvania
9. Northwestern University
10. University of Michigan
As of 2008, Yale Law School is the number one law school in America. Having one of the lowest student-to-teacher ratio in classes, Yale Law School offers a healthy learning environment to its students. With its scholarships and outreach programs, Yale Law School proves to be more than just a law school for Ivy Leaguers but also an organization for the less privileged.
Finishing behind Yale Law School is Harvard Law School. With a curriculum that covers everything from a topnotch Bachelor in Law to one of the countries best programs in Doctor in Juridical Science, Harvard Law School offers only first-rate education to its students.
Coming at third place is Stanford University. Established fifteen years after the institution of the university’s law department in 1893, Stanford University not only offers a topnotch law education training but also an impressive library containing over a million books available as resources.
The fourth placer in the list, which is New York University School of Law, will forever be known for being one of the first law schools in America to accept female students. Founded in 1835, New York University School of Law makes another mark in history for being the first law school ever established in New York City.
Number five on the list is New York University School of Law’s neighbor, Columbia Law School. With practicing lawyers for professors, students of Columbia Law School will have firsthand advice on what it takes to survive law school.
University of California’s very own Berkeley School of Law also makes its mark in the list by establishing the best intellectual property program in the world for the eleventh year running. Because of its student-faculty collaborated journals, University of Chicago Law School grabs the seventh spot on the list of top ten law schools in America. Another Ivy Leaguer, University of Pennsylvania comes in at number eight because of their brilliant cross-disciplinary studies program. With an accelerated JD Program, Northwestern University Law School secures a ninth place finish. Wrapping up the list of the top ten law schools in America is the University of Michigan Law School, which is number five on the list of the most number of law school professors in America.
The top ten law schools in America have been named and what makes them the best in the country has already been laid out. Now, it’s your turn. Start preparing your application forms, sample personal statement essay and other entry requirements. You may browse through the different sample personal statement essay available in each school’s official website or other college-help websites to get tips on how to write law school-worthy personal statements. Well-written sample personal statement essay that accurately reflects your individuality may just be your yellow brick road to law school admissions.
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