PhD Application Mistakes to Fix Before You Submit

Most PhD applications get rejected over a handful of recurring mistakes: a statement of purpose that reads like a general interest essay instead of a research pitch, letters that don't say anything specific about your work, or a stated research interest that doesn't line up with any faculty member actually taking students. This session goes through what admissions committees flag first, and how to fix it before you submit. Laurisa Ankley reviews applications from inside a graduate school, and she's sharing the patterns she sees across the applications that get interviews and the ones that don't, patterns that don't show up in generic writing guides. If you're still finishing drafts this fall, it's worth hearing what a committee actually notices before you hit submit.