Lesson Plans

The personal essay is just that: personal. It's the space in your application where you get to tell the story of who you are and why you would make a great candidate--in your own words, for a captive audience. Sounds great; and make sure the piece is as original, creative, thoughtful, and appropriately funny and engaging as you are and that it stands out in the applicant pool. 

 

No pressure, right?

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Docent approaches essay writing--and the stress that often comes with it--by focusing on accomplishing small tasks that eventually advance us towards a larger goal. In this case, we divide essay-writing into three intelligible and manageable parts: pre-writing, writing, and revising.  Equipped with a journal and pen, we use Stanford Design Thinking methodologies to first explore possible essay topics, all the while gaining an insider's view into the mind and dynamics of an admissions reader. We then focus on writing and editing your essay to ensure a finished product in which you and your voice shine through. After all, you put the person in personal. 

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Customized plans available to undergraduate and graduate degree-seeking students. Meetings and support between meetings are conducted virtually.

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My door is open. Let's schedule an introductory call. 

Take a deep breath and repeat after me: the admissions interview is just a conversation. It's an important conversation, to be sure. In the end, though, it's just a conversation.

 

How you prepare for that conversation is as important as the conversation itself.

 

Docent will guide you through a series of Stanford Design Thinking exercises to brainstorm how best to craft the story of who you are. Next, we rely on STAR and other storytelling approaches to identify and organize your thoughts and responses. Finally, we will conduct a mock interview session--ahem, conversation--with ample feedback and notes about how best to prepare and present oneself in the moment. All of this comes, of course, with insider tips about what admissions committees hope to gain from the interview process and how it weighs in decision-making. (Did I mention that I've built a career on the topic?)

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Customized plans available to undergraduate and graduate degree-seeking students. Meetings and support between meetings are conducted virtually. 

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My door is open. Let's schedule an introductory call. 

Oh, the places you'll go! You may not know it yet, but you are about to embark on one of the biggest and most important adventures of your life. It's only natural to feel "nercited," that exhilarating--and sometimes overwhelming--combination of nervousness and excitement. No matter if you are a high school freshman or senior, Docent guides you towards strategically planning your pathway to college. (Did I mention that I've worked on the other side of the admissions table for a top-tier university and have taught, like, literally hundreds of college students as a faculty member over the years. I've got you).

 

For high school freshman and sophomores, the process is exploratory and involves planning what courses to take and when, evaluating your interests and time spent on extracurricular activities, and researching potential career paths. The rubber hits the road for juniors and seniors as we build a comprehensive strategy that includes identifying ideal schools, crafting an admissions narrative, and fine-tuning the application--and beyond. No matter what phase you are in, the work we do together incorporates stress-reduction and executive functioning techniques to enhance your own independent planning and organizational skills. Because, let's be honest: who wants to feel nercited when you could just feel, well, excited?

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Customized plans available for high school freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Meetings and support between meetings are conducted virtually. 

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My door is open. Let's schedule an introductory call. 

Hi there, graduate school-hopefuls. We see you, too. Perhaps you are laser-focused on the graduate degree you want to pursue and where? Awesome. I can help you strategically chart out the next steps. Perhaps you are still weighing what to do next? All good. I have a plan for that, too.

 

I bring years of experience recruiting and interviewing for a top-tier MBA program and have advised candidates nationwide on graduate admissions essay-writing, interviewing, and program selection. All of this is to say that I'm uniquely qualified to advise you on your path to the graduate degree, be it the MBA or otherwise. Let's meet to discuss your goals and, you guessed it, start working on a plan. 

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Meetings and support between meetings are conducted virtually. 

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My door is open. Let's schedule an introductory call.