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The Graduate School Application Process: Letters of Intent, Letters of Reference

The Graduate School Application Process: Letters of Intent, Letters of Reference. 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.

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The Graduate School Application Process: Letters of Intent, Letters of Reference

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  1. The Graduate School Application Process: Letters of Intent, Letters of Reference

  2. 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 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 committee’s 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

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