What to Expect for Visiting Days @ SI
Visiting Days @ SI, an event for accepted students, is your opportunity to delve deeper into any aspects of SI that interest you, address any questions you might still have, and really get a sense of the place and what your life might look like here. We’ve planned this event to give you the opportunity to converse with faculty in a relaxed setting; hear from current students about their specializations and meet with our students socially; learn more about the services we provide students from our staff; and learn about the impact of the SI experience from alumni of the program. This is also a great opportunity to meet some of the stellar people who will be your cohort members in the Fall!
The days are packed with information, but given the scope and depth of the SI program, there may be some areas that are not addressed in presentations as thoroughly as you might wish. I strongly encourage you take charge of your visit and seek out the people who might be able to share more with you. Ask questions at the presentations! Make the most of your time with current students! Our student groups will be out with you on Sunday night, and present a great opportunity to learn more. Visiting Days can be all that you make of it. This proactive attitude is something that will serve you well in your time at SI too. There are a great deal of resources and knowledge to be had…be sure to seek them out!
Some of you might be wondering about dress code for the weekend. I believe that you should first and foremost feel comfortable. You’ll be spending quite a lot of time sitting, but there will also be some walks that have you travel across campus, so keep that in mind for your shoes! Although we will be sending an email prior to the weekend to give you a weather update, spring in Michigan is always a bit unpredictable. I’d encourage layers (plus something for rain) to make sure you’ll be prepared. Temperatures can be anywhere from the 40s to the 60s during the day, and could dip lower than that at night. It can also be a bit windy, so a jacket is a good idea.
We also often get questions about what to wear to the Networking Fair with potential employers. Again, I’d stress that your comfort is important, and mention that you might feel a bit more comfortable at this event in something a little nicer than typical weekend wear, but there’s no need to go as far as a suit and tie. You’ll have the chance to make connections with employers for future internship and career opportunities, so go for looking sharp and put together.
On the topic of the Networking Fair, it’s completely appropriate to come with some resumes to share with employers with whom you are interested. This fair will give you the opportunity to chat with employers about your career aspirations and learn about their organizations. You’ll learn about current and future internship opportunities, and is a great chance to network with professionals in your field.
We strive to make this event as informative and meaningful for you as possible. Communication regarding the logistics of the event, such as lodging, parking, shuttles, etc. will be sent as the event nears. If you have any questions about Visiting Days @ SI, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Veronica Vergoth
Admissions Advisor
vvergoth@umich.edu
734-763-2285
Posted by vvergoth on March 10, 2009 at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)
Housing Help
It can be absolutely exhilarating to finally decide where you want to go for grad school. After weeks and months of weighing this over that, you’re finally ready to buy your first (or second or third) piece of Michigan paraphernalia. You inexplicably find yourself exclaiming “Go Blue� at random moments. You’re not alone…these are the signs of a newly minted Wolverine (by the way…did you know that the Wolverine is not, in fact, our official mascot? It is merely our nickname).
At some point, excitement for this new phase in your life can turn to concern, worry, and even panic. Where are you going to live when you get here?
A great place to start for some general information about housing in Ann Arbor is this housing guide provided by the university’s housing website.
Also provided on the housing website is a pretty fantastic (if you ask me) map of Ann Arbor broken up by neighborhood. The map is interactive, so you can get a description of each area, plus view the listings there as well. For those of you looking to be a little further from undergraduates, I think that most undergrads live in neighborhoods 5 and 6.
Craiglist is alive and well in Ann Arbor. You can also check out Mapskrieg which gives you an Ann Arbor map with craigslist postings mapped out.
Generally speaking, you can find cheaper housing if you leave the center of town (and the center of Kerrytown). Lots of housing can be found near the city bus line which is free for students if you show your student ID.
Another great alternative is Northwood. Northwood is the official Graduate Housing through the university. You'll find families, grads, and international students living there. You can also get apartments furnished or unfurnished there, which could be helpful for some folks. Note in the price...all utilities are included, local phone service, DSL connectivity, and in Northwood IV and V, washer/dryer.
Here’s a Northwood testimonial from one of our incoming students: “I lived in family housing, and I really liked it. It's a very quiet place to live, and the bus comes every 10 minutes so you don't need a car to go downtown. The rent is comparable with apartments the same size, but all utilities are included. There is a Kroger and a coffee shop in walking distance.� –Colleen Theisen, incoming MSI student
Also, once you have your UM uniquename, you can log on to the Marketplace. There's all kinds of great stuff you'll find here. People post ads looking for roommates, housing, to sell stuff (including football tickets), etc. It's like a university-specific craigslist.
Good luck with the hunt! This is an exciting time, and as always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Posted by vvergoth on April 04, 2008 at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
eDemocracyCamp 2
Dana has already explained what the eDemocracyCamp is. As an MSI student focusing my study on Information Policy and Digital Government, I got much benefit from this Camp in terms of getting new ideas from many people who have been working in this field how to use Information Technology to promote democracy in the community.
I am interested in how Interactive Messaging for politics to get people engaged and respond to comments, messaging, and e-mails as well as using social networks like MySpace and Facebook to benefit building “strategic communities.� to create the potential to reach a much larger percentage. I could use the ideas and knowledge gained from this Camp for my future research in
There are also similar Barcamps taking place several times a year around the States which will be useful for MSI students especially those in Information Policy and Social Computing specializations who are interested in using IT and web2.0 technology for promoting democracy in their communities.
More information about the eDemocracyBarcamp can be found here.
Radaphat (Pae) Chongthammakun
MSI Student
School of Information
Posted by radaphat on March 11, 2008 at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
eDemocracyCamp
During the first weekend of March an SI colleague and I attended an eDemocracy BarCamp in Washington, DC. The purpose of the meeting was to talk about the area of e-democracy, including current practices, trends, technical tools, and best practices. E-democracy is a broad and variously-defined area and includes topics such as: online participation, organizing, campaigning, digital government, e-voting, as well as online deliberation and dialogue. Sessions represented this diversity and ranged from how to facilitate large-scale online deliberation to using gaming to enhance political engagement. A few of the other sessions included: Local Issues Forums; Communicating with Congress; Alternative Voting Systems; Podcasting and Political Activism; and Wiki Debate and Deliberation.
A quite interesting mix of people and organizations were represented – from local DC residents to nationally and internationally-based organizations such as eDemocracy.org, America Speaks, Democracy Begins at Home, My Society, The Policy Commons, LinkTank.org, and the Sunlight Foundation -- to name a few. Though SI was the only higher education sponsor of the meeting, there were a number of undergrad and grad students from Maryland, George Mason, Swarthmore, Georgetown and George Washington.
What is a BarCamp?
BarCamps are self-organized, highly participatory workshops. Session topics are proposed, led, facilitated, recorded, and scheduled by attendees. This particular BarCamp was initiated and organized by a group of volunteers using the BarCamp wiki. But once on-site, all attendees played a part in the workshop either by facilitating or participating in sessions.
Why did I attend the eDemocracyCamp?
My dissertation work is exploring the nature and content of public dialogue in a large urban online forum, the Philadelphia-based Phillyblog.com, an arena in which I believe issues are introduced, politicized, generalized and legitimated as issues of public concern. And though my research tries to extend some of our traditional definitions and conceptions of political deliberation, for me, the workshop was quite useful because of the focus (and belief in the potential of) online public discourse.
Dana Walker, PhD Candidate
School of Information
Posted by walkerdm on March 09, 2008 at 12:40 PM | Comments (0)
Figuring out Finances
Figuring out how to afford the investment of an MSI degree can seem daunting, but there are many resources available to assist you with funding. We typically give out our first round of SI Merit Scholarships in early March. Our second round is typically in mid to late April, and our third round is in mid to late May. The scholarships are always highly competitive, and typically in the amount of ½ tuition for 4 terms. The first round is merit-based only, and additional rounds also take into consideration things like your motivation to attend SI.
ULA positions are hired by the library directly, and they are typically decided by late March. They contact students they are interviewing usually by email and phone.
Teaching assistantship positions are hired by individual departments directly, and it can help if you have some teaching experience already. It’s a good idea to look through the undergraduate program pages directly to look for any opportunities, or to contact the departments where you might be qualified to teach. A good URL to get started is http://umich.edu/undergrad.php. There is also a page called academic HR that posts some positions and can be a good resource as well at http://www.hr.umich.edu/acadhr/grads/postings.html.
Research Assistant positions are typically given out to current students, and are competitive. Faculty usually prefer to hire students they know and who have performed well in the program. Certainly, you could use our web site to identify faculty whose research interests you, and email them to introduce yourself to begin the process of exploring future research opportunities.
Filling out the FAFSA is always a good idea as you can turn down any loans that you do not want, but it is first come first serve. These are typically for US citizens or Permanent Residents and the contact info is at http://www.finaid.umich.edu/. There is also a loan for international students that the financial aid office recommends at http://www.finaid.umich.edu/Types_of_Financial_Aid/Loans/interloans.asp.
Matching scholarship opportunities from SI are awarded on a first come first serve basis. Simply contact us if you have won an external scholarship, and we can work with you to provide our matching funds. See the section on matching funds at http://si.umich.edu/applying/fin-aid.htm for details.
Finally, there are external scholarship deadlines and timelines that connect to on our website at http://si.umich.edu/applying/fin-aid.htm.
Posted by vvergoth on February 20, 2008 at 03:27 PM | Comments (0)
Deciding on a School
Making decisions about where you will go to graduate school is pretty complex and involves many variables. Some of the variables that impact your decision may include the culture of the program, the course offerings, the career outcomes, research opportunities, faculty, reputation of the School, funding opportunities, practical exposure in the curriculum, and more! All of these variables are important, and it is up to each student to decide which factors are the most important to them, and how a School or program may fit in with their goals and plans.
Here at SI, we try to be as helpful as we can in communicating with admitted students about these issues, and about who we are as a School. Some of the ways that we try to make our program clear to students is by assigning all admitted students to a current student mentor, having an organized weekend visit called Visiting Days @ SI, and trying to be available on email or phone (or in person!) to help answer questions. We're happy to answer any email questions from students, and often try to connect them with other students or faculty who may be a better match for them to learn more about the program. Overall, learning about the School can be a process that happens over time, but as long as we work together, you can learn a lot about the program.
One of the big questions I often get from students is about when they need to decide if they are coming to SI. In general, we don't have a firm/final date by which students have to make a decision on our offer. We want to give everyone adequate time to explore their options and make the best decisions for themselves. However, if a student is offered a scholarship at some point, there will be a timeline attached to the offer for making a decision. We do abide by the national Council of Graduate Schools guideline of not requiring students to make decisions on funding offers prior to April 15. In general, we would like to know people's decisions as soon as possible, but we want to give everyone an opportunity to hear from other programs as well. Most students make their decisions in April or so.
I hope this is helpful information for any admitted student as they begin their process of evaluating programs, but feel free to contact us with any more specific questions and I'd be happy to talk to you more.
Posted by lauramb on March 01, 2007 at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)
Applications, applications, applications...
Over these past weeks, we've been working with lots of applicants to help them get their applications submitted by the early deadline of Feb. 1. Although we will still take applications until May 1, those who apply by the early deadline get first consideration for SI Merit Tuition Scholarships. We've been working hard in my office to make sure that we connect with every applicant, and help them to know if their application is complete, or if not, what is missing.
Over the next few weeks, the faculty on the Masters Committee will be reviewing every application that is complete, and be making admission decisions. We try to get decisions back to applicants within 2-4 weeks after they have submitted a completed application. We can't always promise this, but we're pretty good about having a quick turn-around for decisions. The faculty know what an anxious experience applying to graduate school can be, and they want to get answers out as fast as possible.
In general, the admission decisions to our program are rolling, but the financial aid process is batched. So, we will be sending out admission decisions as they come in, but we will be making a first round of SI Merit Tuition Scholarship offers in early March. The additional rounds of offers tend to come in April (for the second round) and in May (for the third round). There is a little flexibility with this, but it gives a general idea of the timeframe we are working with.
If you have already applied to our program, you should be hearing a decision in the next few weeks. If you don't hear from us, feel free to email us and we can check into your application for you. I wish you all the best as you go through this process, and I'm happy to talk more with anyone about their application!
Posted by lauramb on February 13, 2007 at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)
How do I know which application pieces you have received?
Welcome to the start of a new semester here at SI! We’ve all just come back from Winter break, and are trying to get back into the swing of things for the Winter semester. This semester is always a very busy time in my office as we are working to process all of the applications that are coming in to meet the Feb. 1 early deadline for the MSI Admissions. In general, we try to work with each applicant as much as possible to make sure you know which pieces of your application we have received, and what we might still need to make your application complete. Since much of our application is online, it does make things pretty easy for applicants. When you submit your application, that turns in your application, SI Application Essay, Personal Statement, and your resume. If you elect to have your recommenders submit their letters online to us, then you will receive a confirmation email directly through the online application system, as soon as the recommender submits their letter. For all the other remaining pieces, or to get a quick overview of what we have received or what we still might need in your application, you can also go to our Web site to check your application status. This will lead you to a personalized Web page that will let you know which documents we have received, and what we might still be waiting for. This will only work if you have submitted your application already, and if a couple of days have passed for us to have received your documents and matched them to your application. If this system doesn’t work for you, you can also email us directly and we can check on your status for you.
I would recommend checking your application status via our online system occasionally, just to make sure that we receive all of your pieces before our deadline. We work really hard to communicate with all applications that are missing things before the deadline, but we realize that sometimes an email can be missed, and we would hate for someone to not realize that part of their application is missing. Overall, although it may take us a few days to match the pieces of your application together, we really will try to work with you to make sure that everything is complete by the deadline. Also, if you think you might miss the deadline by a day or two because of some unforeseen circumstance, be sure to let us know so that we can see about giving you a brief extension. Finally, as soon as your application is complete here in our office, we will send you a confirmation email so that you know you are all set.
I hope this is helpful information for you as you work on your applications. Remember to contact us if you have any questions at all.
Posted by lauramb on January 05, 2007 at 03:53 PM | Comments (0)
Master's or PhD?
As some students are thinking about graduate school, they have to decide if they are going to apply for a Master's program, or a PhD program. This can be a really tough decision if you aren't sure which one will be the best fit for you. Here at SI, there are some major differences between our Master's and PhD programs. Our Master's program is a professional degree, training you to be a leading information professional when you graduate. On the other hand, the PhD program is focused more on research, and training you to create new knowledge in the information field. Deciding which will be the best fit is really a pretty personal choice. I think the best way to get started if both options are really appealing to you, would be to talk to the offices here at SI to begin to learn more. You can contact Sue Schuon, the Manager of the PhD program, or myself, and we can help you evaluate your situation. We can also connect you to some current students who could share a little bit about what their own experiences have been in each program. Finally, I also think that a good approach to deciding which program might be the best fit for you is thinking about the career goals that you have. You can see some great examples of what a lot of our Master's students have gone on to do on our Web site. There are some examples of PhD grads there as well, but in general, most of the PhD grads are going on to faculty positions. For more details about where the students have gone, I would recommend emailing with Sue directly, and she can tell you more.
A common question that I get asked is whether the Master's program will help train a student to get into the PhD program. In general, our program is not designed to be a direct feeder into the PhD program. However, there are some great opportunities in the Master's program to prepare yourself for a PhD program if that is your personal goal. For example, we have a great commitment to research at our School. All of our faculty are engaged in some form of research, and they are very excited about having Master's students participate with their work. We encourage Master's students who would like an opportunity to try out a research environment to go online and read through the faculty research interests to see where there might be a good fit. Once a student identifies some faculty where the research is interesting to them, then they could begin the process of getting to know that faculty member better, and potentially getting involved in their research. One common way that students connect to research projects is by taking classes from the faculty whose work is interesting to them. Doing well in the class and going to office hours is a great way to build a connection with that faculty member. In addition, for students who do find that they really want to participate in research, we do offer a Master's Thesis option. Again, this is completely optional, but it can be a good way to build up your resume, and get a deeper research experience, if you are thinking about doing a PhD.
If deciding whether you are going to apply for the Master’s or the PhD program here at the School of Information is a question on your mind, please feel free to contact me, and we can talk it out more.
Posted by lauramb on December 15, 2006 at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)
What makes a good letter of recommendation?
Picking out who should write letters of recommendation for you is only the first step in getting good letters. Check out my previous blog for information about picking letter writers. The next step is to think about how to make the letters as strong as possible. In general, most of the letters of recommendation that we get say fairly positive things about the applicant. However, when we get a letter of recommendation that says very substantial and positive things about an applicant, that can be key to giving us stronger information. For example, a letter that comes in and says, "John Doe took my class last fall and did quite well - receiving a final grade of an A," is a good letter. However, an even better letter might say, "John Doe took my class last fall and was one of the shining students in his work. His final project went above and beyond the assignment, and demonstrated graduate level thinking and understanding. He easily received an A in my class, and I highly recommend him for a graduate program in Information.�
So, how can you help your letter writers to remember you, and to write such strong letters? There are a few ways that you can do this. First, if you are planning on going to grad school early enough, begin by networking with people who could write strong letters for you. If you are in school, plan on going to office hours to get to know the faculty who are teaching you. Tell them about your graduate school hopes, and ask them about things they found important in graduate school. It is important that your letter writers know who you are, and about your excitement for graduate school. If you are currently working, you will want to do similar things. If you are planning on asking mentors to write letters for you, it will be important for them to know about your graduate school goals, and to support those goals. Also, if you are able, try to stay in contact with faculty who were influential for you while you were in school. You never know when a letter from them might be a perfect fit for your application.
I often recommend that when you ask someone for a letter of recommendation, that you come prepared with some highlights of your strengths that you could provide to them. For example, when you ask someone to write you a letter, you can let them know why you thought they would be a good writer for you. For example, you may want to say, "I wanted you to write this letter for me because I have been in three of your classes and gotten A's in all three. You and I have often talked about my graduate school interests, and you have let me know that you think I would be a good candidate because of the quality of work that I do. You also have felt that my community service directly relates to the field that I am interested in." This is just an example, but I find that any direct input that you can give to a letter writer can be helpful. I know some students come prepared with thank you notes to their recommenders that highlight some of the strengths they are hoping the writers may comment on. You may also want to share with the writer what you think the admissions committee values. For example, here at SI, we value both academic background and skills, as well as practical experiences or a connection to our mission.
In general, the more connected you are to a recommender, the better your letter will be. Be sure to give your writers plenty of time to submit their letters of recommendation, and remember that if you have any questions, you can always email us to find out more information.
Posted by lauramb on November 28, 2006 at 04:34 PM | Comments (0)
Who should write my letters of recommendation?
Figuring out who should write letters of recommendation in your application can be difficult. Should they be professional references, academic references, or some sort of a combination? These are really common questions, and it does vary depending on what school you are applying to, and what their expectations are. It is important to talk to each school to get a sense of their expectations for your letters of recommendation before you get started. Here at SI, we are looking for letters of recommendation that are professional or academic, and can tell us something specific about your capabilities and skills. It is ok to have a blend of both academic or professional, or to have all your letters be just academic or just professional. The key to remember is that you don't want to have personal references, but rather people who have taught you, or supervised you, or seen your work and skills up close.
The best rule of thumb in picking out writers is to think about who knows you best. Finding people who can share really specific details about your skills is important. If you are planning ahead, a good idea is to make connections with people who would be good letter writers for you, and to talk to them about your future graduate school plans. For example, if you are a student, plan on going to office hours whenever possible to make strong connections with some of your faculty. Then, when you ask them to write letters for you, they will know who you are and can comment about your skills in a specific way. If you are currently in a work environment, try to identify some people who can be mentors for you, and who can connect you to different opportunities. People in these types of roles, usually have the ability to write great letters. We highlight some additional information about who should write letters for you, and how to submit them on our Web site.
Finally, I want to be clear that we would be happy to talk about this with you personally. If you are struggling trying to figure out what the best combination of letters might be for you, send us an email, or call us at 734-763-2285, and we can start talking with you about your personal situation. In general, we require 3 letters of recommendation, but we could take an extra one if you feel that it would balance your packet in some way. Please let us know your questions, and we are happy to talk with you more.
Posted by lauramb on November 09, 2006 at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)
What to do on a campus visit
Typically when students tell me that they want to come for a campus visit, we try to work to make sure that they have a robust experience. In general, we work with our faculty so that visitors could sit-in on a class or two. This can be a great way to see what the SI classes might feel like, and what types of materials are being covered. You can get a good feel for the size of classes, and how interactive various classes might be.
Another thing that many visiting students do is connect to a current student for a tour of SI facilities and the UM campus, as well as to ask questions about what the student's SI experiences are. This can be such an opportunity to hear what classes a student has taken and really liked, what they may have done for a summer internship, how they are balancing their work/school/life responsibilities, and what they think about SI. We generally try to match students up by specialization interest, although that isn't always possible.
In addition to visiting with a current student, we also encourage visitors to look online to see what events are happening at SI during their visit. We publish a full listing of SI events on our Web site for you to check out. You can think about going to a seminar speaker, or something more casual like a reception. Both will be great opportunities to meet people with similar interests to you. You may also want to check out the individual links for the SI Student Groups. The student group events are typically listed on the SI Events page, but you may find one or two events they are hosting on their pages directly.
Finally, I would also encourage you to set up a visit with me, or another member of the admissions team. We can often answer any questions you might be having about the application, admission, or funding process, and are here to help.
So, how do you arrange this visit to SI? Just email us, and let us know you are interested in coming! We will work with you to help you find a date that will work best for you, and to connect you to classes, current students, events, and an appointment with me, or someone from the admissions team. We hope to hear that you are coming for a visit soon!
Posted by lauramb on October 27, 2006 at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)
To visit, or not to visit?
Many students that I talk to ask me whether a visit to the school is something they should consider. I can't stress enough how important a visit can be in choosing a graduate school. It's an opportunity to learn more about the culture of a program, to get a better picture of what you have been reading about, and to connect with some current students and faculty. In general, you can visit at any point, but the two most popular points are sometime during the fall term as you are choosing which graduate schools to apply to, and sometime in the spring as you are choosing which graduate school to attend. At both points in the school year, most campuses will have some sort of organized visit that you can sign up for.
Here at SI, we have an open house event in the fall term for prospective students called Connect with SI. This year, we will host Connect with SI on two dates; one on Sunday, Oct. 22, and the other on Saturday, Nov. 11. Both events are the same, so either one you attend will be helpful. At both events, you will have a chance to meet in small groups with faculty and current students. This will provide an opportunity to ask questions and get a feel for the culture of a program and the curriculum. Culture of a program may refer to the involvement of the faculty with the students, the community feel of the student body, or the types of classes offered in the curriculum. The more questions that you ask about these types of things, the more you will know about a school's culture. If you can't make Connect with SI, you can always schedule an individual visit to campus by emailing si.admissions@umich.edu. What should you do at an individual visit? More about that in my next entry...
Posted by lauramb on October 12, 2006 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
Dealing with the Application Deadlines
As we've been coming up on the Winter term early application deadline, I've been getting a lot of questions about how the deadline process works. In general, you should try to have your entire application package turned in by the deadline you are trying to make. This would include any test scores such as the GRE or TOEFL that you will be submitting as well. You can strategize about making this happen by working to turn in each of the pieces that you are can pretty early in the process. For pieces that you don't turn in directly (like letters of recommendation, transcripts, test scores, etc.), I would recommend requesting those pieces fairly early as well. When you apply to SI, we will send you a personalized URL within a few days of receiving your application. In this URL, you will be able to see which pieces we have received for your application, and which pieces are still missing. This will allow you to keep an eye on the progress of your application as the deadline approaches.
What to do if your application will NOT be complete by the deadline?
Here at SI, we try to work with each individual applicant to help them through this process. Although we want to encourage everyone to try to meet the deadlines, we understand that there are times where this is impossible. When this comes up, feel free to email us as quickly as possible, and tell us about your needs. We will work with you to come up with a plan for your situation. In general, staying in contact with us for any questions that you have is a good way to feel confident about the application package you are submitting.
Good luck in your application!
Posted by lauramb on October 02, 2006 at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)
What should I include in the Application Essay
Writing an application essay can be very difficult, especially when you are not sure what information to put in. However, the essay can be a great opportunity for you to share a little bit of your personality with the admissions committee. We want this process to be very direct for you, so we have provided our application questions for you. The questions are:
* What challenges and opportunities are offered by a career in an information profession?
* Which of these opportunities are of the greatest interest to you?
* What are the strengths that you would bring to the SI program and to an information profession?
* What do you think SI has to offer you that will help you achieve your goals?
* What would you hope to gain from your SI educational program?
Most application essays for our program are 3-6 pages long and double spaced.
I think that in preparing to write your application essay, you should think about your own experiences and how you might be able to add some of that context to your essay. Some good things to read before writing your admissions essay would be the SI Mission Statement, the program descriptions of interest to you, and maybe some of the Alumni Profiles or Pathways to Success that fit your career goals. We don't expect our applicants to have a strict idea of what they want to be able to accomplish in their studies. Some students do know their goals completely, and others are still investigating a few options. Both of these scenarios are fine, and you can talk about each in your essay.
Remember, your essay is also a writing sample, so be sure to have others read it to look for spelling and grammar mistakes. Also, if you are reworking essays for multiple applications, be very careful that you update the name of the program to which you are applying.
All in all, the essay is your chance to communicate directly with the admissions committee, so take advantage of this opportunity.
Posted by lauramb on September 25, 2006 at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)
