Advice for Applicants

In a break from my usual ramblings, I thought that it might be time for me to say something vaguely useful.

Part of my job requires me to read applications from students wanting to participate on the programme for which I work. I get a huge batch of applications to read, usually in the space of a few days. At the end of it all, I need to rank the students and justify why I've either accepted, waitlisted or blackballed them. Over the years, I've developed somewhat of a sense of what makes a good application, so I thought I'd share that here. Take it or leave it etc etc. Quick note, my applicants are all American, so this advice is probably more relevant to them, although the principles might be a little more universal.

Here goes, in no particular order of importance.

1. Anecdotes are great, IF they're relevant
When I'm reading through lists of accomplishments and dry essays, coming across a little story offers a nice reprieve, and recaptures my attention. However, if I can't connect the story to the question you're answering, I just get confused. You may be using a metaphor that to you seems abundantly clear but I wasn't there and I can't always connect the dots. You may also be reusing an anecdote that you used for an application that was kind of sort of similar to this one: I can smell it, it's lazy, don't do it! Use anecdotes, but make sure that their meaning is clear, that they are relevant to this application, and that they serve to reinforce what you're saying elsewhere.

2. Don't just list experiences, explain why they're meaningful
It always surprises me how much stuff a 20 year old can squeeze into their life. You've volunteered, you've travelled, you've taken interesting courses, you've lost yourself, found yourself, reimagined yourself and now here you are. Thing is, a huge list of experiences doesn't prove anything. My dad complained this weekend (and I'm paraphrasing here) that some people may have had 20 years management experience, but they're still terrible managers. If you don't learn from experience, it really is fairly meaningless. So write about what you've learnt, and include a mix of knowledge, skills and values.

3. Know what makes you unique, and what doesn't
It amazes me, it really does, the number of North Americans who have volunteered in South America. School trips, church trips, family trips, Spring Break trips: if you've been to Nicaragua, El Salvador, Ecuador or Guatemala, I promise you you're not the only one. (Not forgetting Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and India.) What might standout is if you wrote that you'd taken the cost of your airfare and invested it in an Ecuadorian start-up and spent the summer monitoring the stock market while doing a holiday job, the earnings of which you added to your investment. What would definitely standout is if you wrote that you spent your summer working at MacDonald's. If you wrote that, I promise you, I would not forgot your application. Everything else about you will ping that much more. When it comes to ranking you in relation to your peers, I'll know exactly who you are.

Don't want to work at MacDonalds? Well no one does. But you'll learn about workers' rights, about minimum wage. When I worked in fast food I learnt about drug addiction from a colleague who spent every night's earnings on narcotics, I learnt about mental health from a colleague who went on to commit suicide, I learnt about racism from a manager who treated the black kitchen staff with disdain and disgust. (As a side-note, I also got my first job because the director of the company had worked for that exact franchise. We didn't talk about my academic transcripts in my interview, but about how I had stuck it out there so long, and about the challenges you encounter when trying to manage hungry people.) Look, you don't actually have to work at MacDonalds, my point is just: find alternative ways to have the experiences that grad schools, fellowships, internships etc want.

4. If you aren't into it, I'm not into you
A lot of you apply for everything. Even the things that don't interest you. Well, surprise, I can read when this programme really isn't your number one. If you can't find something in the programme that really gets your heart pumping, you may be better off spending that time applying for something else that does. If you aren't sincere in your interest, your reader is just going to be bemused. It's a waste of your time, and it's a waste of my time.

5. If you're asked to offer an opinion, offer it
Ok, this is an important one so listen up. Usually in an application you're given an article to respond to, or a topic to write about it. I can tell you with absolute confidence, that 99% of you choose the safe, sitting on the fence option. I know that it's a gamble to get radical, but if nothing else, you'll show your reader that you have the ability to take on a challenge, and that you have the courage to take risks. Whether it's affirmative action, climate change, the Middle East or obesity: say something. Be well-informed, be respectful, be robust and open to critique, but for the sake of your reader's sanity: say something. If you are pro, be pro. If you are anti, be anti. If you summarize the arguments on both sides, your essay looks like everyone else's.

Remember: whoever reads your application is not an idiot. They will have read the article or response piece too, and while they have their own opinions, they will (hopefully) be intelligent and sensitive enough to appreciate a good argument even if it contradicts their own. And they will get bored, so so bored, if they have to read a hundred of the exact same responses, and they will be excited, so so excited, if they come across one golden application that goes "I understand the nuances and complexities of the situation, and the competing arguments that are at play here, but I have to say..."

6. Don't be afraid to have values
I'm not particularly religious, but when an applicant talks about the religious values that drive their life, I respect that. Similarly, when someone talks about feminism, or black consciousness, or social justice having a profound influence on their life and guiding their action, I respect that. Having a set of values shows that you've given at least some thought to the bigger picture of life. You have managed to abstract from individual experiences and have found a framework or thread that guides it all. Perhaps it's an erroneous assumption, it's definitely mostly a subconscious one, but when I read someone articulate some values, I do kind of fill in the gaps and assume that in addition to all the good values embedded in Islam/Feminism/Buddhism that this applicant must also have integrity and value for their fellow humans etc etc. It doesn't need to be about religion or politics, you don't need to become an activist overnight, but talk about a philosophy that's important to your family, or to your sports team. You just need to show that have something beneath the surface, you're not just a high-achieving automaton.

7. Know whether you need to be specific, or vague
Some applications want you to articulate a ten-point, five-year plan to world domination. Some applications want you to be flexible and open to what the experience has to offer you. Read up on the programme, speak to people who've done it before, speak to a programme coordinator (I can speak for myself when I say I'm happy to give advice to potential applicants, but over the last three years only two have approached me) and figure out which camp the programme falls into.

8. Proofread
You're not writing a blog post, you're applying for something presumably fairly important. Check your spelling and grammar and formatting. If you've copy-pasted, make sure there is no duplication in other parts of the application, and no references to other applications. Get someone to read through the application before you send it, this will help with Point 1 too. Usually it doesn't blackball you, but it really annoys your reader and doesn't earn you any gold stars.

End of lecture.

I could go on for a while but this post is already long. If I gave a sparknotes version I'd say:
A successful application is one that stands out, not necessarily because of a list of achievements (you don't need to be a genius to succeed at every internship), but because the applicant shows originality, self-awareness, potential for intelligent engagement, and knows the programme to which they're applying. I guess that's it.

Good Luck!