The Guidebook

A note regarding the online version

Like the published verion, this is a guide. It is only a guide. It was not the product of some well-named committee and should not be viewed as theologically infallible.

My purpose is to pass along much of the wisdom, ideas, and information gleaned from others over my years as graduate student, Kaplan instructor, and essay consultant.

You probably will find much of the advice here quite different than what conventional sources recommend. This is because I don't care about ordinary rites of formality, normality, or coyness except as they redound to your benefit; I only care about you getting into graduate school.

The ultimate goal here is thus to help you to stimulate some creative energy and tenacious tactics -- things so often neglected in such a conservative admissions process and yet so useful for your success. With this ultimate objective in mind, I hope that this guide may be of some help.