It is to your benefit to use every opportunity to showcase your strengths. You can do this through essays, interviews, follow-up correspondence, and virtually any contact you have with a school.

To determine what your most positive attributes are, talk with those who know you well—particularly those who will write your letters of recommendation. Pay attention to what they tell you. Their insight may help you write essays and prepare for interviews. There should be agreement between the positive attributes highlighted in your application and what your letters of recommendation say.

Demonstrate your fit with the strengths of the school. Explain what you will contribute to the program and your class, in addition to what you hope to gain from them.