Transcript Synergy re How to Write a Great Application Essay

How to Write a Great
Application Essay
Sing your own song in
your own true voice.
协同 配合 = 1 + 1 》2
Patent pending 2011.
This Ppt was created by:
Ned Boudreau, founder & president,
Synergy Educational Services LLC, a
college advisory firm in Shanghai.
协同 配合 = 1 + 1 》2
 Go to www.synergyedu-usa.com
Patent pending 2011.
Ned Boudreau
* Boston College: B.A. summa cum laude in
Philosophy
* Northeastern University: graphic arts
* Harvard University: marketing
* Southern New Hampshire University: M.Sc. in
Development Economics
• 20 years in U.S. corporate sector (marketing)
• 2+ years in Africa
* 8 years teaching in Shanghai
Patent pending 2011.
Ned Boudreau
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Authored 100+ published works
Award-winning creative director
Languages: German, French
Countries lived in:
 England, Sweden, Germany, Israel,
Ghana (West Africa), now China
Patent pending 2011.
Synergy Educational Services LLC
Synergy is a legal entity incorporated and
registered in the state ofDelaware, USA.
(Delaware State File Number: 50117-41)
Mission: to provide informed, appropriate advice
regarding colleges in the U.S. or U.K., as well
as to provide native-level editorial services.
Synergy guides students through the entire
college application process, and ensures that
essays and personal statements are polished to
a professional level.
Patent pending 2011.
Students admitted to:
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Harvard
Stanford
Columbia
Cornell
Duke
PENN
Northwestern
U of Chicago
+ Rice, Vanderbilt and many other Top 100
universities and colleges
Patent pending 2011.
1st rule re: Application Essays
 Do not go over the maximum word count
 Not by a single word
 At the SH Educational Fair last year, I
asked admissions officers this question:
“What about long statements of purpose
and personal essays?”
Patent pending 2011.
Their replies:
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Anyone dumb enough to write beyond the word count is
too dumb for our school.
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Students who cannot follow the most basic rules are not
likely to obey other rules. Long essays go right into the
REJECT folder.
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Exceeding the word count is a type of cheating. If
students cheat on word count, they’ll probably cheat on
other essays or tests. I put long essays directly into the
REJECT pile.
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So! Rule #1 about PS or SP essays: Don’t ever go over
the word count. Full stop.
Patent pending 2011.
Rule #2: Personalize
 Use the word “you” in your essay
 Refer to specific Professors and their
research
 Tell the Application Committee why you hope
and intend to study with those professors
 Go to the school’s website and research
 We will come back to this when I show
you a real SP
Patent pending 2011.
Rule #3: Customize
 Refer to the specific department
and to the school
 This is true for letters of
recommendation, too
 Will show you how when we
look at a real essay
Patent pending 2011.
Tell how you will add value . . .
 . . . To your program, the department, and to
campus
 Will show you how
Patent pending 2011.
Above all (this is Truth #4)
 Do not imitate or model your SP
or essays on someone else’s.
 Speak/write with your own voice
in your own words; tell your own
story.
Patent pending 2011.
Truth #4, continued
Admissions reps will know the difference
between your SP and a copied idea
 They’ve heard and seen all the major
“models” on the various websites and chat
sites where Chinese students swap info
and tips.
 And don’t let your teachers copy a standard or
form letter of recommendation.
Patent pending 2011.
Special note re:
Letters of Recommendation
 In 2009, the school where I taught brought in
an American consultant to speak about
recommendation letters.
 She had been an Admissions Rep and
Director at top U.S. schools (UConn, Yale)
 She used my letters of recommendation as
handouts.
 I write the best, most powerful rec letters
in the known universe.
 Go to synergyedu-usa.com to read
samples.
Patent pending 2011.
So! On to a real SP
 Note:
 The client’s name has been changed
because he does not want to lose
Face or be embarrassed.
Patent pending 2011.
Remember:
Sing your own song in
your own voice.
协同 配合 = 1 + 1 》2
Patent pending 2011.
Before I say Good night . . .
 I would like to say thank you to Gavin
Lee, our host and the Director of the
PR Club.
 And special thanks to Fred Li, who
helped organize this presentation.
Patent pending 2011.
Best wishes & best success
 Thank you
 Questions? (changing majors?)
 协同 配合 = 1 + 1 》2
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Go to www.synergyedu-usa.com
Patent pending 2011.