FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1) What might be some of the benefits for an
applicant in working with a consultant?
Help Getting Started
Guidance
Support
Feedback
Perspective
Insight
Ideas
Help Bringing Your Project to Conclusion
Enhanced Confidence and Performance in the Interview Process
2) Why is the personal statement such a "big
deal"?
*It
is usually the only self-generated, non-quantitative representation of
you available to the admissions committees.
*The
committees attach great importance to it, as evidenced by the prevalence
of this requirement.
*It
is one critical element of your application that is not a fait accompli
(contrast this with your GPA); you still have control over its quality.
*Typically
it is very difficult for people to write about themselves.
*When
there is no interview—as is the case for law school candidates and some
others—the essay is your sole opportunity, in effect, to make a case for
yourself. When interviews are available, the personal statement(s) can
play a role in determining if you are granted one.
3) How is Winning Personal Statements different
from other consulting services?
*Richard
Stelzer has more than 14 years of consulting experience, as well as authorship
of a popular book on the subject of personal statements.
*We
accept a limited number of clients.
*We
provide an intense, personalized, one-on-one, step-by-step, start-to-finish
service.
*We
do not believe that simply being an "editor," even a capable
one, necessarily makes someone an effective consultant.
*We
do not believe that all modes of communication are equally efficient (unlike
some services that simply seek high-volume business).
4) Who are your clients?
Most
often they are referrals and/or have read Richard Stelzer’s book, How
to Write A Winning Personal Statement for Graduate and Professional School.
They
are typically smart, serious, highly motivated applicants who recognize
both the importance and difficulty of writing powerful, distinctive admission
essays.
They
are individuals who want to do everything necessary to produce personal
statements likely to enhance their prospects for admission.
They
come from both private and public universities. Some already have advanced
degrees and significant work experience. Many have outstanding academic
and/or professional credentials.
They
include American applicants, as well as international candidates from
Asia, Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere.
5) Are all of your clients headed toward law,
business or medicine?
Many have these objectives,
but certainly not all. We have also worked successfully with candidates
for programs in engineering, dentistry, public administration, educational
psychology, public health, English, pharmacy, clinical psychology, education,
journalism, economics, physical therapy, political science and art history,
among others.
6) What are some of the schools into which your
clients have been accepted?
A non-comprehensive list
would include:
Law:
Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Berkeley, USC, UCLA, Georgetown and Notre Dame.
Business:
Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern, Wharton, University of Chicago, Columbia,
Michigan, Dartmouth, UCLA, NYU, Duke, Berkeley, MIT, the University of
Texas/Austin, USC, Vanderbilt, London School of Business and INSEAD (France).
Medicine:
Harvard, UC San Francisco, Stanford, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, UCLA,
USC and UC Irvine.
Dentistry:
Harvard, UCLA and USC.
Journalism:
Northwestern.
7) How can I find out more about the costs,
time required and other details of your services?
Please call our office (310-826-4445)
for details applicable to your situation.
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