By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. One of the most frustrating outcomes in graduate admissions is receiving a rejection despite having strong qualifications. You have the GPA. You have relevant experiences. You have solid recommendation letters. You meet the published requirements. Yet the…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. If there is one concept that dominates PhD admissions, it is fit. Applicants hear about it constantly. Faculty mention it. Admissions committees discuss it. Online forums obsess over it. Yet many applicants still misunderstand what fit actually…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. One of the most common pieces of graduate admissions advice is: “Show fit.” The problem is that almost nobody explains what that actually means. As a result, applicants often respond by: Listing professors Praising the university Mentioning…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. Every year, thousands of applicants spend months perfecting their graduate school applications. They obsess over GPA. They revise their statement of purpose repeatedly. They worry about recommendation letters. They research faculty. Then they submit their applications and…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. If you spend enough time researching graduate school admissions, you will eventually encounter a word that appears everywhere: Fit. Admissions committees talk about fit. Faculty members talk about fit. Applicants are told to demonstrate fit. Rejection letters…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. One of the biggest mysteries in graduate admissions is not how to apply. It is understanding how graduate schools actually make admissions decisions. Most applicants know the basic requirements. They know they need transcripts, recommendation letters, a…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. One of the most common questions prospective graduate students ask is surprisingly simple: How do graduate admissions work? At first glance, the answer seems straightforward. You submit an application, admissions committees review it, and decisions are released.…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. Many applicants assume that graduate admissions work like undergraduate admissions. After all, both processes involve applications, transcripts, recommendation letters, essays, and admissions decisions. However, this assumption is one of the most common mistakes prospective graduate students make.…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. For many applicants, the most stressful part of the graduate school application process begins after they click “submit.” The statement of purpose is finished. Recommendation letters have been uploaded. The application fee has been paid. Now comes…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. Graduate admissions can feel mysterious. Applicants spend months crafting statements of purpose, requesting recommendation letters, polishing resumes, and researching programs, yet many have only a vague understanding of what happens after they click “submit.” Who reads the…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. If you’re researching the University of Chicago masters in economics, you’re probably trying to answer one of several questions: How competitive is the program? What GPA do I need? Is it good preparation for a PhD? Is…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. If you are considering graduate school, you may be wondering: is a Masters in Economics worth it? The answer is that it depends on your goals. For some students, a Master’s degree in Economics can lead to…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant If you’re considering a masters in computer science program, one of the first questions you’ll ask is: What are the admission requirements? Most universities provide a straightforward list of requirements, including a bachelor’s degree, minimum GPA, prerequisite…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant A master’s in computer science can be one of the most valuable graduate degrees in the current economy, but only if you understand what the degree is actually designed to do. This is where many applicants get…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant If you’re considering a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), you’ve probably started researching admission requirements. Unfortunately, most information online focuses almost entirely on application checklists. You’ll find pages that tell you to submit transcripts, recommendation letters, a…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant If you’re researching doctoral business degrees, you’ve probably encountered the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA). You may have also encountered a lot of confusion. Some sources describe the DBA as a practical alternative to a PhD. Others…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant The Short Answer Yes. If you earn a legitimate PhD in Business Administration or a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from an accredited institution, you have earned a doctoral degree and may use the title Doctor. In…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant The Short Answer Is a DBA worth it? For some people, absolutely. For others, it is an expensive and time-consuming mistake. That’s probably not the answer you were hoping for, but it’s the honest one. A Doctor…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former Assistant Director of MBA Admissions and graduate admissions consultant The popularity of online DBA programs has grown dramatically over the past decade. And it’s easy to see why. Many professionals reach a point in their careers where they want more than another…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant If you’re considering the highest level of business education, you’ve probably encountered a common question: Should I pursue a DBA or a PhD? At first glance, the two degrees can appear remarkably similar. Both are doctoral degrees.…