Straight out of college, where Vanessa graduated magna cum laude, she applied to seven M.A. or Ph.D. programs in either English Literature or Theatre. She was accepted into all of them, including NYU. Vanessa visited six of the schools then finally chose the only one she hadn't seen—The University of Iowa. It was a prestigious program, and she's glad she went. However, she doesn't know what caused her to decide on the one unknown. The unknown is what makes applying to graduate school so tough. What is the admissions committee looking for? What are your research and future career interests? How do you think graduate school will help you attain your goals? Is this a field to which you can add a distinguishing mark? Grades and test scores still matter, but the larger questions of who you are and where you're headed make the graduate school application particularly difficult.
Vanessa is a Kaplan Admissions Consultant because she enjoys guiding people to reflect on their accomplishments, determine their goals, and shape their stories. By helping people gain control over their applications and clarify their goals, she can reduce some of the anxiety that often attends the graduate application process. As an English teacher and an academic advisor for a number of years at colleges such as Duke University as well as at the high school level, Vanessa has worked with hundreds of students to determine their academic needs and interests. She has helped structure and revise thousands of essays and nurtured so many different voices.
One of her great strengths is the personal statement or essay, and she works with applicants to define and translate to paper their unique perspectives and experiences. Networking and resume-writing are two other important components of the graduate application process. The connections you make with people in the field—through internships, research assistant positions, and other college and professional work—not only add to your resume, but they can lead you to excellent recommendation letters. Vanessa assists people in thinking about and adding to their network and in putting their best selves out there in a professionally wrapped package that can make them proud.