Happy Friday, Reader, you made it! I hope your week is on the upswing after the Dolly Parton news… truthfully, I’m still recovering. Her education advocacy was next-level.
Last week, we covered how to turn your experience into evidence for admissions committees.
This week, we’re zooming back out to make sure your full application is telling a cohesive story.
Admit it: You’re approaching your application one piece at a time.
To be fair, every program’s page gives you a to-do list of what you need to apply.
But on the reviewer’s end, they’re reading a single application in one sitting for a few minutes.
Why is this distinction important?
Because applicants whose materials all point in the same direction are the ones who make the most persuasive cases for acceptance.
(This is one of the most important concepts I help applicants with. Sometimes it’s hard to pin down the story you want to tell for each program.)
So let’s cover what this means in practice with a few action steps:
Action Step 1: Give each piece one responsibility.
- Personal statement = your argument.
- Transcript and test scores = your record.
- Resume or curriculum vitae = your evidence.
- Letters of recommendation = your outside confirmation.
These should all tell a single story that points forward to your ultimate goal: your experiences have prepared you to get accepted to this program at this point in your life to make this specific impact in your career after graduation.
Action Step 2: Do a coherence check.
Once you have everything ready, read through your application pieces in the order a reviewer does.
Usually, it looks like this:
- Transcript & test scores
- Application form & resume/curriculum vitae
- Personal statement & supplemental essays
- Letters of recommendation
Example
Let’s honor Dolly and pretend she had decided to pursue a Master of Library Science. (In this example, she had a bachelor's degree in music performance).
She believed this master's degree would help her expand the Imagination Library program with new elementary-aged initiatives in local libraries.
Here’s how a reviewer could have skimmed this application:
Transcript and test scores
Dolly graduated from an unrelated bachelor’s program and met the academic and testing requirements.
- The reviewer was intrigued, possibly questioning why she applied, but kept reading.
Resume
The first listed experience was Founder of the Imagination Library, which distributed over 330 million books to children since 1995.
- The reviewer saw the library science connection.
Personal statement
Dolly applied to a program with a concentration in youth services. She used her statement to share how her father was illiterate and the inspiration to start the Imagination Library (this is experience-as-evidence in action).
She mentioned her lifelong fascination with the written word as a songwriter, then transitioned to her draw to this program. She was done touring, and ready to learn about youth services in libraries to help develop new initiatives through her non-profit.
- The reviewer understood why this program, why this point in her accomplished career, and what she planned to do with the degree - which aligned with program values of education advocacy and literacy access.
Letters of recommendation
Dolly strategically chose three recommenders:
1) The president of Imagination Library to speak about her accomplishments and goals for expansion after graduating.
2) A librarian in Sevierville, TN who she shadowed and confirmed what she’d bring to the classroom, cohort, and her work as an alum.
3) In lieu of an academic recommender - which Dolly confirmed would be ok with the admissions rep - her long-time manager, who provided examples of her work ethic, timely completion of her work, and exceptional ability to collaborate with peers.
- The reviewer saw the vision and understood that this degree was actually the missing piece between where she was and where she wanted to go next.
Phew.
Let that sink in.
(And save for future reference if needed.)
The scale of a typical applicant’s story will be vastly different, but the need for a common thread between all parts of a graduate application is universal.
Action Step 3: Give your application process a home.
Multiply the above pieces with up to 10 applications telling slightly different stories for each program’s distinct focus…
It’s a lot to keep track of, especially with different due dates.
And even more mental load on top of life, family, friends, volunteering, work, and self-care.
Having been the applicant and the reviewer, this is why I created a tracker that captures every program, every requirement, and every piece of information in one view - plus other factors like funding opportunities and interviews.
If you’re a super-planner like me who prefers to have a clear strategy for complex processes, this is your best starting point.
What I'm working on ✍
This week I finalized five workshops, Zoom registrations, and a new landing page for City Year, an AmeriCorps organization whose members often pursue graduate school after their service years.
I’ll present four of the workshops in October. It’s going to be a fun month!
My two years of service with AmeriCorps are why I got into graduate school. I worked on college access initiatives at a technical college, and my experience and letters backed up a personal statement that made a clear case that I was ready to build a career in higher education.
So why does the single story matter?
You’d be surprised how many applicants lose the plot before they even start writing.
A reviewer only sees your application for a few minutes… and they’re often exhausted, looking for the highlights as confirmation to read the next section.
When every part works together to tell a persuasive story, you’re well ahead of the crowd.
You can do this.
Thanks for being here, make it a great weekend!
Dr. Jena
P.S. What did you think of Dolly’s application example? Hit reply and let me know if I should provide more like these in the future - I read every message. (Bonus points if you share your favorite Dolly song ♥.)