How To Think Like A Dean Of Admissions

If you could pick one person to provide insight into graduate admissions, who would it be? A dean of admissions, of course!

Applicants, rejoice! The guest on this week’s show is a former dean of graduate admissions who has reviewed and signed off on over 45,000 applications.

Tune in to our enlightening conversation with Carol Drummer for an insider’s perspective on important graduate admissions questions: Who should go to grad school? How to show fit in an application? How to get accepted even with grades that are nothing to brag about?

00:01:25 – Featured Question: Does “element X” equal automatic rejection?

00:04:58 – Carol’s route to graduate admissions via a wine and cheese party.

00:09:47 – The formula for calculating if grad school is right for you.

00:15:01 – Differences in applying for different specialties/ fields and showing fit in your application.

00:21:36 – How even an applicant with non-impressive stats can impress the adcom.

00:25:05 – The #1 application killer.

00:27:35 – Best way to approach the SOP: Tell a story!

00:32:55 – Advice for selecting a strong recommender.

00:35:36 – What to do when your recommender says, “You write it, I’ll sign it.”

00:39:28 – When helicopter parents hover over grad school applicants.

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