Grad App Academy
Opens August 1, 2022
Applying to Grad School without the Stress
You are at a coffee shop on a Sunday, staring into the blinking cursor on your laptop, unsure what to write about in your grad school personal statement.
Maybe you are a first-generation college student or an international student trying to get into a US university, and you aren't sure what admission committees are looking for.
Where do you begin writing your life story in one page?
How do you stand out from the competition?
What would it be like if, instead of starting from scratch and scrolling the internet for resources, you had support to make writing the application essays quick and pain-free?
Instead of being alone and trying to motivate yourself to work on your application outside of your 40-hour work week, imagine you have a weekly accountability group and a mentor helping you through the process and giving you feedback along the way.
Watch your imposters syndrome fade away as you learn to write about yourself with confidence and ease.
Fast forward to a few weeks from now, where you will understand and embody the principles of how to tell your story in a statement of purpose or any application. You will take this skill set and apply it to any scholarship application, any job application cover letter, or anything else you pursue!
Just think of how good it will feel after you hit submit on your application, confidently knowing that you put forward the strongest application possible.
Inside our Grad App Academy, I help applicants gain clarity and confidence on their grad school goals and write faster and more powerfully than ever before.
Should You Go For It Alone?
You can find many free resources on applying to grad school, but the quality can vary. I started my YouTube channel to give the best free advice on applying. But this can be time-consuming, and you might struggle to apply the information to your specific needs.
You might have downloaded writing templates or seen online courses on writing personal statements, but often these provide generic advice and aren't targeted toward graduate school.
You might have looked at consulting, proofreading, or essay review services, but these providers may not have experience on an admissions committee or be unfamiliar with your specific field.
Your Mentor, Lauren Valdez, MCP/MPH
I've helped over 500 people apply to graduate school, and in my experience on a few admissions committees for graduate school and fellowships, I've read upwards of 1,000 personal statements. I regularly see the same mistakes over and over, and I know what it takes to stand out against the tough competition. I've learned a lot along the way about how to guide students to stop doubting themselves and learn how to write powerfully about themselves.
[INSERT PHOTO OF LAUREN]
I'm a woman of color who overcame significant struggles to be the first in my family to attend college. I graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in architecture and a minor in international development. I went on to be a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil. With a below-average GPA and GRE score, I got accepted to every graduate school I applied to (MIT, UCLA, UC Berkeley), with top scholarship offers from each school. I completed dual master's degrees in Public Health and City Planning. I also spent three years teaching UC Berkeley students, where I helped students improve their research and writing skills.
I'm not smarter than the average person, but I learned how to write powerfully and stand out on applications. In my professional career, I've been awarded over $4 million in grants, and I've also served as a Program Officer in charge of awarding funding to applicants.
What I Do That's Different
Life Coaching
I take a holistic view in reviewing grad school applications. I help you discover your strengths and communicate your potential. I do more coaching than directing. I'm not an expert on your life or your field of work. But I am a master of storytelling. I can point out your blind spots. I can help you connect the dots between your experiences. I will ask you tough questions to help you think deeply about what you want, not just in grad school but in life. It's not uncommon for me to have students cry when I hit an emotional chord or for me to be moved to tears when reading a powerful personal statement.
Group learning
I believe that students learn best by seeing examples of what works and what doesn't, which is why my youtube channel has many real essays of students admitted to top graduate programs.
During my weekly office hours, we will learn together by reading many essays to learn from each other. All of us have blind spots in our writing. When we work in a group, the group can point out areas of weakness we often can't see ourselves. Someone may ask a question that you never thought to ask, but the answer ends up being beneficial to you. As I coach students through improving their essays, you will find that my prompts or suggestions also apply to you.
Wrap-around Support
Not only will I review your essays and give your personalized feedback, but you will have access to an online community forum for wrap-around support throughout your application journey. The online forum will have separate chat threads for support on asking for letters of
What's Inside Grad App Academy
Community Edition
Access to small group weekly live office hours to share your essays and get feedback between August to October 2022.
Access to an online group discussion forum to get questions answered.
Lifetime access to the alumni discussion forum after you have submitted your essays to get support on scholarship application, finding grad school funding, support on transitioning into grad school.
Free access to all 2022 workshops (valued at $100 per workshop)
Personalized Edition
Everything in the Community Edition plus,
Two rounds of personalized edits to your grad school essays sent over email with a recorded video with comments.
Premium 1:1 Edition
Everything in the Personalized Edition plus,
Two 60-minute 1:1 Coaching Sessions
Personalized feedback on all application materials including essays, CV, letters of recommendation, and short answer questions.
Final proofreading and copy editing.
Priority Support for rapid feedback turnaround.
Bonuses
Lifetime access to private community discussion forum.
Free access to all 2022 writing workshops (valued at $100 per workshop)
First Access to Tools for Rapid Success:
Asking for Feedback Template
Letter of Recommendation Outreach Template
Sample Letters of Recommendation
Professor Advisor Outreach Template
Statement of Purpose Outline Template
Sample Essays not posted on YouTube
Testimonials
"I reached out to Lauren to gain clarity on how I can best convey my experiences, passion, and goals for the future in a succinct manner and was amazed with how she addressed my questions. She was able to tell me how I can detail out my experiences and make sure that my unique perspective stands out. Her recorded video was especially useful as it provided personal, detailed inputs on my work. She has incredible first-hand experience and is empathetic towards applicants with diverse backgrounds - I highly recommend her resources and services.
I was accepted into both my top choices for graduate school, Carnegie Mellon (Master of Human-Computer Interaction) and UC Berkeley (Master of Information Management and Systems)."
-Gowri Swamy
Grad School & Beyond
Imagine if every time you had to turn in an application for school, a fellowship, a grant, or even a job, you could feel confident hitting submit, knowing that you can powerfully communicate your story and abilities.
You could apply to more things because applications are quick and pain-free for you. As you get more acceptances and awards, your confidence grows and you apply for bigger awards and more promotions. Getting into grad school is just the beginning.
You can’t afford to waste the most valuable resources of all - your time and your potential. Don’t spend years reapplying to grad school. Don’t resign yourself to not applying for top awards and schools because you doubt yourself. Don’t settle for less than you know you are capable of.
Join me on this incredible journey of learning how to get good at applications.