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Donald Asher is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the graduate admissions process. Tens of thousands of students
have seen his lectures, tapes, and teleconferences. He is the author of eight books, including Graduate Admissions Essays,
the best-selling guide to graduate admissions. He has been a keynote or featured speaker for the Ronald E. McNair Scholars
National Conference in Delavan, Wisconsin, the annual Penn State McNair Conference, the University of Puerto Rico-San Juan
McNair Conference, the New McNair Directors Training Program in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Penn State TRIO Training
Institute offered coast to coast, the SREB Compact for Faculty Diversity, the Maryland McNair Conference, the Oregon
Statewide Graduate School Fair, the Indiana Statewide Conference on Undergraduate Research, the Wisconsin Statewide
Conference on Undergraduate Research, Caltech’s Ph.D. Career Development Days, and at hundreds of colleges and universities
throughout the United States.
He has been a contributing writer to the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Examiner, and to Web sites such as
jobstar.org and Monster.com’s college site, monstertrak.com, and the Los Angeles Times career development Web site, and
to academic journals, including national and regional publications of the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
He was twice a special guest speaker at the annual conference of the National Association of Graduate Admissions
Professionals, and three times the keynote presenter for the National Teleconference on Graduate Admissions. Mr. Asher
makes his home in San Francisco.
Group Session 1: Graduate School
- Why graduate school
- Challenges of 1st generation & underrepresented students in graduate school
- How students discover top programs in his/her field
- How to chose the right program
- The three main ways students can stand out against the competition
- How can students not "freak out" about the GRE
- Why some 4.0 students are rejected and 2.8 students are admitted/funded
- How to represent low grades, low GRE scores, and other difficulties in the best possible light
Group Session 2: Statement of Purpose
Note: Students should bring a draft of their personal statements.
- How can students write a truly outstanding statement of purpose
- What are five techniques that will improve any student's essay
- How personal should a student's statement of purpose be: sciences vs. humanities
- Can a student get help with the statement of purpose: legitimate vs. illegitimate help
Group Session 3: Completing the Graduate School Application
Note: Students should bring at least 3 applications (or printouts) from different graduate schools.
- How should a student fill out the application form
- What information is requested and why
- Should a student apply online or with paper materials
- Why do these types of details really matter
Note: Students will benefit most from the retreat if they have a copy of Mr. Asher's book Graduate Admissions Essays (rev.ed., 2000)
with them at the retreat. A limited number of copies will be available for purchase at the retreat.
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