We're happy to be able to extend congratulations to our many clients who have already heard good news from their targeted schools and programs. They have every right to be proud of their achievements and excited about their prospects.

And we are, of course, keeping our fingers crossed for clients who are awaiting March 31/April 1 decisions from colleges and universities, Round 2 decisions from business schools, or admissions decisions from law and medical schools.

Of course, even strong applicants sometimes get bad news when decision dates roll around. There's no getting around the cold hard fact that selective schools always have more qualified applicants than they have seats. Being waitlisted or denied doesn't mean you're not worthy. It does mean that you need to take stock of your situation and options and make a decision about what to do next.

College and graduate applicants who don't get the news they're hoping for still have some options if they're set on beginning school this fall. College applicants can enroll at a less competitive school this fall and apply to transfer to their preferred schools next year. Alternatively, they can take a carefully structured 'gap year' to position themselves as more competitive applicants for freshman admissions at their targeted schools next fall.

MBA applicants who don't win admission to their top-pick schools still have a few weeks to apply to several less competitive but nonetheless well-regarded programs for fall 2008. The final deadlines for Tepper, Georgetown, Kelley, Simon, Krannert, and Anderson are all still several weeks away. Several of the top international business schools will continue taking fall 2008 applications for several more weeks as well.

For other readers, it is by no means too early to start making plans for 2009 applications to colleges and professional schools. Although applications to most programs will not be available for several more months, this is an excellent time to start working seriously on your school selection and positioning strategy. Call us at 703.242.5885 or email us to learn about our consultants' various fields of expertise and how they can help you position yourself for admissions next fall.

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"Since the GMAT is weighted so heavily in the b-school admissions process, it is crucial to spend as much time studying for the GMAT as possible," he says.

"Proper preparation is key" in doing your best on test day, says Glazer. "Your studying should begin with a full-length, timed exam" that will help you identify the areas that you need to improve on."

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What Picture of You Will Admissions Committees Get from Your Application? That question can be harder to answer than you might think – and a wrong answer might make the difference between getting into your target schools and being dinged. Our consultants can help you avoid making that mistake. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn more about our college admissions consulting services.

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A survey done two years ago found that, on average, private four-year colleges now spend $2,000 in marketing costs for each student they enroll.

If you're a college junior, you've probably already begun receiving some of the brochures, pamphlets, viewbooks, and emails – or even phone calls and instant messages – that that money goes into.

There's a nice side to all this attention. The marketing material that colleges send you can draw your attention to schools and programs you might not otherwise have considered. And it's a nice ego boost to get a pamphlet from a college in the mail. It's flattering to think that a school is interested enough in you to send you something.

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This is a time of year when many graduate school applicants are waiting to hear their admissions outcomes. For many applicants, that means several weeks of frayed nerves, notes Senior Consultant Heather MacNeill.

"Waiting to hear from schools is probably one of the hardest parts of the application process," says Heather. "It's not uncommon to hear nothing from a school for a period of time after applying." Those weeks of silence can be hard on applicants, she says.

Schools will often send you an email or postcard to confirm that your application has been received. If you don't receive any such confirmation, "It might be worth following up with the admissions department just to make sure they've received everything," says Heather.

But applicants need to be more patient when it comes to receiving admissions decisions. "Depending on the application process, it may take a while for a school to contact its applicants, including the students it has decided to admit. If the school does not use a rolling admissions process – in other words, if they review all their applications at one time, rather than as they receive them – they may want to wait until all of the applications are reviewed before sending out decision letters.

"It's also possible that you have been placed on a waitlist – and sometimes those letters go out before the admit and deny letters do."

Heather's final piece of advice to applicants awaiting admissions decisions is that "It's never a good idea to repeatedly contact the admissions office. If you're worried that you're not hearing anything, I would suggest looking at the school's website for guidance. They may have some guidelines as to when to expect contact from them. If not, you could send a polite email to ask when you should expect to hear something from them."

– Senior Consultant Heather MacNeill is former Assistant Director of Graduate Admission at Pacific University.

Were You Waitlisted or Denied? Our Waitlist Assistance or Ding Analysis package can help you understand your situation and options. A consultant with first-hand graduate school admissions experience will review the application you submitted, give you their assessment of the reasons for your admissions outcome, and advise you on what to do next. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn more about our graduate school admissions consulting services.

Although master's and doctoral degree programs are often grouped together in the category of 'graduate education,' the two programs represent different educational experiences and often lead to different career paths. Anyone considering graduate school should give careful consideration as to which program is the better option for them.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Which degree do you need to achieve your career goals? Some fields require a Ph.D.; others do not. On the other hand, in some fields, holding a doctorate may actually make you look over-qualified for many positions. Research the qualifications and standards of the field you want to work in to make sure your educational goals are appropriate.
• Is the master's program you're considering terminal or non-terminal? Some master's degrees are terminal, meaning there is no higher degree awarded in that subject. For example, a master of fine arts (MFA) degree is terminal. You could go on to pursue a doctorate in theater or literature, but those degrees draw on a different body of knowledge and develop a different set of skills than an MFA program does. Other master's programs provide a logical stepping stone to a more advanced degree. If you know you eventually want to get a Ph.D., or think you might, choose a master's program that will help you move toward that goal – or simply apply directly to appropriate doctoral programs.
• How much time are you willing to commit to a program? Most master's programs can be completed in two years. Doctoral programs take much longer. According to the U.S. Department of Education, in most fields, the average doctoral candidate requires at least seven years beyond college to complete their Ph.D. requirements. And that's seven or more years of full-time study. Many schools discourage doctoral students from taking outside employment during their program. Although many schools will provide stipends or paid graduate or research assistantships to doctoral students, a Ph.D. program nonetheless means committing to several years of hard work and limited income.
• Are you ready to pursue an independent research project? Doctoral programs are less structured than master's programs are. They also expect students to produce a significant piece of original research. If you still want to explore your career options, or are uncertain as to which field or questions you want to study, you may be better off entering a non-terminal master's program that would leave you with the option of pursuing a more advanced degree later on.

"Do you know what you plan to do with your law degree?" she asks. "While many applicants know why they want to attend law school, many do not have a realistic idea of what they can or will do when they graduate. That's why I strongly encourage you to consider career services statistics when you research law schools."

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Does Your Law School Application Plan Cover All the Bases? Our consultants can explain the entire process of law school admissions and help you avoid inadvertent mistakes that could reduce your admissions chances or limit your school options. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn more about our law school admissions consulting services.

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It's time for 2009 law school applicants to begin considering when they will take the LSAT.

The LSAT is scheduled be given on:

• Monday, June 16, 2008 
• Saturday, October 4, 2008  (or Monday, October 6, for Saturday Sabbath observers)
• Saturday, December 6, 2008  (or Monday, December 8, for Saturday Sabbath observers)
• Saturday, February 7, 2009 (or Monday, February 9, for Saturday Sabbath observers)

Whenever you plan to take the test, make sure you give yourself enough time for test preparation "Proper preparation is the key to success on the LSAT," says Jeff Glazer, president of Griffon Preparation Services.

He advises against using non-LSAC practice tests. "Study books published by companies that use fake questions should be avoided at all costs," he says. "Such questions rarely mimic the real thing and can cause confusion on test day."

If you choose to prepare for the exam on your own, some of the best self-study material available for the LSAT is distributed by LSAC themselves, says Glazer. "They have multiple publications that include real LSAT questions from previous test administrations. In particular, LSAC's SuperPrep contains three exams plus wonderful explanations of correct answers from the test writers."

He also encourages law school applicants to begin their test preparation well ahead of time. "Since the LSAT is weighted so heavily in the law school admissions process, it is crucial to spend as much time studying for the LSAT as possible," he says.

Focused preparation is the key to doing well on the LSAT, says Jeff. "The LSAT isn't like other tests," he says. "The exam is designed to test a pattern of critical reading and thinking. That means that studying for the LSAT must be approached differently than other tests. Simply taking many timed tests will not usually improve one's score. You'll need to sit down with a few real LSAT tests and work out how to derive the correct answer from the information you are given."

Last month's edition of the Insider Edge included a feature article about issues that U.S. applicants should consider before applying to Caribbean medical schools. As was noted in that article, another alternative for obtaining a medical education that might be more suitable for some students is applying to U.S. osteopathic medical schools.

There are currently 23 accredited osteopathic medical schools in the United States, along with three branch campuses that offer the doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) degree. Although this is quite a small number compared to the 125 allopathic medical schools offering the doctor of medicine (M.D.) degree, in practical terms the distinction between the two kinds of school is quite minimal.

The difference between M.D. and D.O. schools confuses many applicants. Basically, the distinction between the two took shape in the early 19th century.

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Are you considering applying to medical school? Call to speak with one of our consultants today. Our consultants can give you the insight and advice you need to make informed choices about your growing medical school options and how to best position yourself for admissions success. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to find out more about our services.

Dr. Brett Ferdinand, Chief Instructor for MCAT-prep.com, reminds medical school applicants to tailor their MCAT preparation to their own particular needs.

"Be mindful of what you personally need to work on in order to do well on the test," he says. "Don't settle for a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to test preparation."

Different students have different needs when it comes to preparing to do their best on the MCAT. One test-taker may need to concentrate on reviewing subject matter, while another may benefit more from learning to pace themselves on a timed exam. There's no point to spending your test prep time going over something you already do well when you could be using that time to improve an area of weakness.

"Conduct a focused MCAT review," advises Dr. Ferdinand. Medical school applicants should start this process several months before they plan to take the exam. "It's important to take adequate time to plan and prepare for the MCAT," he says. "You can't expect to sign up for the test at the last minute and do well on it."