PART ONE: Using the Internet 1

PART TWO: Law School
Essays And Personal Statements 7
Personal statement and biographical sketch 8
What is your professional orientation? 9
Personal statement of Michael McHale: What is your professional orientation? 10
Why should you be selected to attend law school? 11
Develop a summary of the overall goal you have for your life. 12
Special factors affecting my undergraduate education 13
Review your responses and state any additional information that might help to give an accurate picture of your personal, spiritual, academic, and professional goals 14
Do you feel that undergraduate GPA is a good indicator of an individual’s capacity for intense study? 15
What have been your greatest blessings and obstacles? 15
Describe how your professional life has prepared you for the study of law. 16
Do you feel there is a correlation between undergraduate GPA and success in advanced studies? 17
Why are you attracted to the Ohio State School of Law? 17
Is your GPA an adequate reflection of your ability? 18
Indicate your greatest strengths and abilities and describe their relationship to your goals. 18
What would you consider your weaknesses to be? 18
Why are you committed to the study of law? 19
Summarize the most significant experiences and achievements of your professional life. 19
What professional goals would you like to achieve during your lifetime? 19
Personal statement of Alex Whein 20
What are the special factors affecting your undergraduate education? 20
What do you have to offer our program? 20
What attracts you to the study of law? 21
What do you expect to obtain from your academic experiences? 21
What skills do you possess that make you most suited to the study of law? 22

PART THREE: Master's Degree And PH.D. Programs
Essays And Personal Statements 23
The University of Vermont Statement of Purpose 24
Describe the most significant influencing factors in your life and discuss your greatest contributions 25
Describe your commitment to community 26
Tell us about your personal beliefs 26
Describe your personal teaching style. 27
What do you think are the major issues facing public education? 27
How would you improve the teaching profession? 28
What do you feel is the best form of accountability? 29

Personal statement of Kathryn Diangelo 30
What are your teaching philosophies and beliefs? 32
If you were to obtain a PH.D. in Educational Administration, what would be the key issues facing public education which you would address? 34
Describe your teaching philosophy and the views you would espouse as the leader of a school system once you earned a PH.D. 36
If you were elected superintendent of the year, what would your message be? 37
Describe your work and accomplishments in a program of significance with public schools 38
Why do you want to pursue a doctorate? 40
Essay describing my purpose in pursuing a doctorate 42
Is your GPA an adequate predictor of your ability to be successful in the Ph.D. in Social Work Program? 44
What special project in education have you completed? 46
Describe your leadership style in 30 words or less. 46
Describe how relationships between community and schools affect education. 46
Describe what your philosophy and practices would be as an education administrator. 48
Describe a situation which shows how you resolve specific administrative problems in education. 49
Imagine yourself as the superintendent of a school system once you graduate with your Ph.D. How would you improve student achievement? 50
Imagine yourself taking over as the leader of a school system. Describe your philosophy. 51
Describe your life experiences that have led you to seek a master’s degree in social work. 52
How do you expect your graduate school performance to compare with your undergraduate performance? Explain 55
Explain how societal and cultural trends/global events affect your thinking about a social work career. 55
Describe how employment, volunteer, internship, and/or life experiences developed your interest in social work and explain how you will build upon these experiences through graduate study. 56
How do you see your interests and career goals being met through the MSW Program offered by Buena Vista University’s School of Social Work? 58
Why do you want to enter the Family and Human Services degree program? 59
Describe the course that led you to contemplate the study of theology. 60
What are your career objectives? 62
How would a graduate career in social work relate to your career objectives? 62
How has your ethnic, racial, and religious background affected your ability to interact with people of diverse socio/economic backgrounds? 63
What are your strengths and weaknesses with respect to interpersonal communication and cooperation? 64
What preparations have you made academically and professionally with respect to your area of study? 64
Why are you convinced that social work is the right field for you? 65
Why do you feel you can excel at the graduate level in the field of social work? 66
What societal trends and global events affected your thinking about a career in social work? 67
What employment, volunteer, internship, or life experiences have developed your interest in social work and how will you build on these through graduate study? 68

How have your employment, volunteer, intern, or life experiences developed your interest in social work? 68
How do you expect your graduate school performance to compare with your under-graduate experience? 70
How have societal/cultural trends/global events affected your thinking about a social work career? 70
What were the factors that contributed to your interest in social work? 71
Is your GPA a good indicator of your intellect and capacity for intense study? 72
Is your GPA an adequate indicator of your intellect and capacity for intense study? 72

PART FOUR: MBA Programs And Business Schools
Essays And Personal Statements 73
Letter of application to graduate school in pursuit of a master’s degree 74
Why should the selection committee choose you for our program? 75
Describe a situation in which your initiative had a positive effect on others. 75
How did you become interested in the Wharton Business School? 76
What are the most important things in your life and why? 76
If you had a dinner party and could invite any three people who ever lived, who would you invite? Why? 76
As a future business leader, explain the correlation between the demands placed on working parents and absenteeism. What would you do about it? 77
Describe your most challenging team experience. 80
Describe your professional experiences. 81
What do you feel are the four most important reasons that you feel you would benefit the program at our institution? 83
What are your greatest assets? 84
Describe your work experience and why you feel that business is your calling. 85
Discuss your goals and plans after graduation. 86
Give a candid evaluation of yourself, discussing those characteristics you feel are your strengths and weaknesses. 87
What do you feel you have to offer the graduate program to which you have applied? 87
Why did you select your particular language? (Sometimes it is not possible for all candidates to be accepted into the language track of their first preference. Therefore, please indicate a second and third choice.) 88
Describe your most significant work/living experience. 88
Describe your leadership roles in extracurricular collegiate, community, or professional activities. 89
List additional courses you will complete before entering the school of business administration 89
Describe the factors that motivated you to consider a career in business. 90

PART SIX: Medical School, Physician's Assistant Program, Dental School, Veterinary School, and Residency Program
Essays And Personal Statements 121
Essay and personal statement for admission to medical school 122
Application for Physician’s Assistant Program 124
Application for medical school 126
Please identify areas of medicine which may be of particular interest to you and your reasons for their selection 128
What factors are the most important in your choice of a medical school? 128
Describe how you selected your undergraduate school and current major area of study 128
Where do you see yourself at the midpoint of your medical career? What personal traits and characteristics will you bring to medicine? 129
Briefly describe your most rewarding experience or some achievement of which you are proud. 130
Please identify areas of medicine of particular interest to you and your reasons for their selection. 130
Is there anything the admissions committee should know about your academic career that would not be evident from your transcript? 130
Essay in application for dental school 132
Demonstrate your ability to commit to long-term goals. 134
Application to veterinary school 136
Residency program for anesthesiology, application for residency 138
Family medicine residency program, application for residency: In what specific areas do you think you can contribute to this program? 140
Personal statement of Jane Sullivan 142
Please share with us something about yourself that may not be addressed elsewhere in your applications and which could be helpful to the admissions committee as we review your file. 144

PART SEVEN: Miscellaneous Other Essays And Personal Statements
For Scholarships, Internships, Fellowships, And Other Purposes 145
Resume used to apply for an internship program 146
Application for summer internship. 147
What do you consider to be your most significant achievement to date in its value to
your school or larger community? Why was it important to others? 148
Describe a situation from your life in which you either initiated an important undertaking or were called upon to be a leader. How did you respond to that situation? What did you learn from your successes or failures? 148
One of the criteria for the Morehead Award is “evidence of physical vigor.” Please describe the ways in which you fulfill that criterion. 149
What nonacademic plans or goals do you have for grade 12? 149
Explain why you have chosen to attend a military academy. 150

PART EIGHT: Letters And Resumes To Accompany Application Materials 151
Letter requesting admission to a medical residency program 152
Request for a re-review of an admissions decision 153
Resume to accompany an application for MBA school 154
Resume to accompany college application 155
Resume to accompany a law school application 156
Resume to accompany a college application 157
Resume to accompany a college application 158
Resume to accompany a college application 159
Cover letter to accompany application for a Ph.D. program 160
Resume to accompany application for a Ph.D. program 161
Cover letter to accompany application for a fellowship 162
Resume to accompany application for a fellowship 163
Cover letter to accompany resume seeking a tennis scholarship 164
Resume used to explore the possibilities of a tennis scholarship at a major university 165

PART NINE: Letters Of Reference
How To Request Them And What They Should Look Like 167
Letter requesting a reference to accompany an application for admission 168
Letter of reference for a candidate for admission 169
Requesting a letter of reference to accompany your application 170
Letter of reference. 171
Letter of reference 172