Have you ever taken to the task of trying to put on paper what is special, unique, distinctive and impressive about you and your life story? Well, if you are applying to graduate and/or medical school, you soon will in the form of a personal statement.

Regardless of whether you are planning on applying to Graduate School or Professional school, a successful application requires preparation.  If you remember one word from this post, remember “Early.”  Take your exams (GRE, MCAT, LSAT, GMAT, etc.) early.  Get your letters of recommendation lined up early.  Write your personal statement early.  Have someone look over your materials early.  Submit your applications early.  When you get an interview, show up early.

For those applying to graduate school:

Thanks to all who participated in yesterday's online chat on careers in big pharma. We had a RECORD 314 visitors for the chat! Our next "A Day in the Life of..." online chat will be held on Thursday, November 18, 2010, from 12noon - 1pm. Stay tuned for the featured career. Today I'd like to share two new NIH resources with you. One is an upcoming online chat for all trainees considering graduate or professional school. The other is a fabulous website with information on genomics careers for trainees at all levels.