The Author

Currently, I am a Ph.D. student in American history at Ohio State University studying the history of early U.S. science and religion. Specifically, I hope to better understand cultural and philosophical worldviews by investigating American mortuary customs in the 19th century.

After graduating in 1991 from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, I worked as a Smithsonian researcher, museum curator, and high school History and English teacher. I also was a computer salesman, testing instructor for Kaplan (GRE, GMAT, and MCAT Verbal), and the director of a small consulting company before returning to school in 1995 to work toward my Master's at the University of Chicago 

In addition to many years of teaching graduate school exams for Kaplan, serving on the editorial board for H-Grad (the largest graduate-student-only discussion network in the country), and leading admissions seminars, my background for this guidebook includes the publication of my 1995 graduate application essay in a book entitled Perfect Personal Statements: Successful Application Essays from Students at America's Top Graduate and Professional Schools (Arco Press, 1996).