110 likes | 461 Views
Do's and Don'ts: Avoiding the Kiss of Death (KOD). KOD concept: Appleby, D. C. and Appleby, K. M. (2006). Kisses of Death in the Graduate School Application Process. Teaching of Psychology 33(1), 19-24.From a survey of graduate admissions committee chairs (N = 88), the authors identified 5 cat
E N D
1. The Graduate School Application Process: Letters of Intent, Letters of Reference
2. Dos and Donts: Avoiding the Kiss of Death (KOD) KOD concept:
Appleby, D. C. and Appleby, K. M. (2006). Kisses of Death in the Graduate School Application Process. Teaching of Psychology 33(1), 19-24.
From a survey of graduate admissions committee chairs (N = 88), the authors identified 5 categories of mistakes made by applicants. These mistakes can potentially sink your application in the eyes of an admissions committee.
3. KOD cont. The ideal student, seen through the eyes of graduate faculty, is
Gifted and creative,
Very bright and extremely motivated to learn,
Perfectly suited to the program, eager to actively pursue the lines of inquiry valued by the faculty,
Pleasant
Responsible
Devoid of serious personal problems.
(Keith-Speigel & Wiederman, 2000, p.3 with format changes)
4. KOD cont. Major KOD Categories:
Damaging personal statements
Harmful letters of recommendation
Lack of program information
Poor writing skills
Misfired attempts to impress
5. Damaging Personal Statements Personal mental health
Excessive altruism
Excessive self-disclosure
Professionally inappropriate (e.g., letter printed on cute paper; inappropriate/insensitive language, etc.)
6. Harmful Letters of Recommendation Undesirable applicant characteristics
(anything suggesting the person is not intelligent, motivated, pleasant, responsible)
Inappropriate letter writers (e.g., your next door neighbor, your pastor, a work colleague who is not a supervisor, a family friend--even if that person is a psychologist, physician, mayor, or judge)
7. Lack of information about Program Program focus (clearly not being familiar with the nature of the program)
Fit into Program (wanting to be a part-time student when the program is full-time; wanting to specialize in an area that is not related to interests/expertise of any of the faculty, etc.)
8. Poor Writing Skills Spelling and grammar
Poorly written application materials
9. Misfired Attempts to Impress Being unduly critical of undergrad program or overly praising program applying to
Name dropping, especially names of people not professionally relevant.
10. General advice: Letters of intent Avoid KOD factors
If in doubt about what a program is looking for, call and ask
Have a friend proof for writing issues, but have your advisor read for tone and content.
Give yourself enough time to let the letter sit for a few days before doing final edits
Try to read it from the committees point of view
11. General Advice: Letters of Reference Be thinking of referees early on
When at the point of needing letters, talk with potential letter writers
Be organized, plan ahead and provide as much information as possible
Periodically check with referees and remind them of deadlines.
Let them know the outcome of your applications