The Diversity in Education blog is a site dedicated to the Diversity in Education program of the Mayo Clinic?s educational arm. Written by Jessica Silva, a Mayo Clinic College of Medicine student, most of the entries in the blog profile staff and students of the Mayo Clinic are racially diverse. Interviews focus on the experiences, work, specialties, and goals of Mayo Clinic?s staff and students that have racial affiliations ranging from African-American to Hispanic and even Native American. There are also a number of entries on the writer?s personal experiences, particularly with her academic life.
What the blog is all about
An entry entitled American “City Indian” Physician Research Scientist: Dr. Judith Kaur profiles Dr. Judith Kaur, one of only two Native American Indian medical oncologists in the United States. As with all the interviews, questions include how Kaur started working for the Mayo Clinic, her work, how she feels about the diversity of the Mayo program she is affiliated with, how her cultural diversity has helped her in her career, and how diversity plays an important role in the workplace and her continuing learning process.
The blog is successful in profiling how a seemingly all-American institution such as the Mayo Clinic has diversified itself through the years. The interviews are quite informative and even inspirational. Its targeted audience can be people who are interested in finding out about the success stories in the institution?s Diversity in Education program. However, it can also be a good read for anyone who is involved in programs that promote racial equality and diversity. The blog is well-organized with its tags, archives dating back to April 2008, recent posts and comments, links to other programs of the Mayo Clinic, a calendar, and an RSS feed link. Also, the interviews have pictures of the subjects that will give readers a face to relate to the interview subject.
Minor glitches
There aren?t really weak points in the blog, except that the blog entries come in sporadic intervals. Sometimes, the blog is only updated twice to thrice in a month. Other than that, this blog should be a good read for people interested in the cultural and racial diversity of Mayo Clinic in particular and the medical profession in general.
The capsGRAD blog is part of the website for the Graduate and Professional Student Services division of the University of California San Diego?s (UCSD?s) Student Services department. As one of the blogs under the Graduate and Professional page, CAPS, which stands for Counseling and Psychological Services, provides its target audience (graduate and professional students of the university) information on a number of topics particularly affecting them.
What to say about the blog
There are currently only seven entries in the blog written by the teaching staff and officers of the university?s graduate school. The seven topics are as follows: advisory relationship, completing your thesis or dissertation, promoting optimal functioning, social adjustment, stress management, time management, and transitioning out of graduate school. As obviously seen in the topics, the entries are primarily for graduate school students of the UCSD. A number of the topics may be helpful and applicable to graduate students in general. The first entry, The Advisory Relationship, is written by the graduate school liaison officer, Dr. Christina Castro. This entry, like the others, are well-written with expert opinions and particularly sound and helpful advice.
The blog is only one page long, so you can actually read all its content in one scroll, although there is a list of links at the top of the page that will lead you to one of the seven entries that you may be probably most interested to read. The sidebar on the left side of the blog page is filled with links to other graduate school pages, such as the home page for grad services and grad campus and community resources. On the top portion of the page are links to CAPS pages such as emergency assistance and information on their staff.
A few glitches
The blog is in its primary stages, so the content is still quite limited so far to psychology-related topics. More content will be very much appreciated. The blog may not be most appealing and eye-catching, but it is quite effective in its goal of assisting graduate school students of the university with valuable advice on how to manage their post-university studies.
Always consider looking at a number of credible writing tips before you finally plunge into writing your admissions essay. It is important to create depth in your admission essay by establishing a main topic that will be supported with details.
Your personal statement as a persuasive essay
When writing your personal statement, make sure that the main objective of your essay is to convince your readers that you are not only qualified but also share the same ideals and values held by the school. Think of your essay as a way to introduce yourself better to the admissions panel. The goal of every persuasive admission essay is to get yourself an interview.
Top three persuasive essay writing tips
Before you begin writing your persuasive essay, you must first come up with a good and concrete outlook, a groundwork where you can base your entire paper on. The first thing to do is to create a main topic or thesis statement. Your arguments or claims should support the main idea of the essay.
Second, always establish your views when you begin writing your essay. Use a friendly, conversational tone. Talk to your readers about your goals, interests, and experiences. Be confident but never brag about your accomplishments.
Lastly, make sure that every paragraph will consist of a main point to support your argument and main topic. Make sure that the essay is free-flowing and cohesive. Check if the ideas seem out of focus or out of line.
Making an impact on your essay readers
One way to create an impact on your essay is to say what you want to say in an appropriate manner. Make the admissions panel feel as if they know you, but don’t get too personal. Establishing a connection with your reader is one of the keys to a successful essay. Focus your interest on relevant matters, or details that can help represent the real you and strengthen your qualification. Be clear with your intentions and goals, and never mislead your readers.
Related links:
Proofreading tips – Basic proofreading tips
Personal statements -Tips on writing personal statements
Writing persuasive essays – How to write persuasive essays
Essay topics – Writing about relevant interests in your essay
Barriers to writing – Common barriers when writing a graduate school essay
Choosing the perfect approach and just the right style for your graduate school personal statement can have great impact on your application. That is why it is important to carefully plan your essay to achieve a clear, clean, concise, and precise style of writing. As they say, it is never sufficient to just write. You must know the techniques to make successful essays.
Impact of your writing style on your chances of getting admitted
If you write a coherent personal statement, one that is clean and clear from any grammatical or spelling error, then you have better chances of getting admitted. A well-written admission essay should highlight not only your skills and expertise, but also your personal attributes such as your determination, sense of motivation, persistence, and many others. You can also discuss personal experiences and points of view, so that your readers will get to know you better.
Choosing the best approach and style for your graduate school essay
To come up with a creative admission essay that will stand out, choosing the most appropriate writing style is a must. After this, you can tailor-fit your ideas and the essay theme to the requirements of a good writing style. Avoid lengthy sentences that will only leave readers confused with what you’re trying to say. Instead, focus on clarity, coherence, and unity of thought.
Tips in improving your essay’s style
There are helpful hints that you could use to remedy your writing problems and improve your writing style. A big no-no is imitating another writer’s style. The admissions committee can easily sense if applicants are pretending to be someone they’re not. This defeats the real purpose of writing a personal statement. The main objective of this requirement is for you to be able to represent the real you and not the ideal candidate you can think of. Create several drafts and never get tired of revising and proofreading your essays. Have someone read your essay for a more objective review.
Related links:
Barriers to writing – Common barriers when writing a graduate school essay
Grad school application – Discussing college internships in grad school essays
Essay topics – Writing about relevant interests in your essay
Business schools – Discussions about business schools
MBA admissions – All about the MBA school admission
