The Complete Guide to Graduate Admissions
Our process to getting into a top Master's or PhD program
Our highly successful process
We've worked with hundreds of applicants from around the world, helping place a significant portion of each year’s new PhD cohorts at Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, Oxford, Cambridge, and more. We’re proud that we've opened graduate studies up to more first generation and international students, but we've outgrown our ability to provide one-on-one support to everyone. Now we're sharing our process with as many applicants as possible.
Henry Weikel (UC Berkeley, Oxford) - Humanities, Social Sciences
Henry Cerbone (Harvard, Oxford, Rhodes Scholar) - Life Sciences, Engineering
Daniel Ortiz (Chicago, Yale, Oxford) - Humanities, Divinity, Creative Writing
Michael Pusic (Columbia, Oxford, Harvard Law) - Law, Social Sciences
Ian Erickson (UC Berkeley, Harvard Graduate School of Design) - Architecture, Design
Luxi Liu (Imperial College London, AI at Amazon) - Artificial Intelligence, Math
Materials covering every stage of the process
Five real case studies.
See how students at top programs navigated a range of common circumstances, such as applying after having worked for many years or applying without research experience.
20,000+ regularly updated words.
Our seven chapters walk you through the whole process in order, from your undergraduate years through your final interviews. We go into detail on finding a research niche, getting published, and writing application essays that stand out.
Five downloadable templates.
Save time by accessing the tools developed by our most organized applicants: email templates, school list spreadsheets, and more.
How it works
This interview between our lead admissions consultant and a former student (now at Harvard) outlines the key steps in our process.
Save money and get accepted
The admissions counseling industry can be secretive and predatory. Students are ashamed to admit that they sought out support for this daunting process - or are even told by universities that they aren’t allowed to - despite the fact that most successful applicants do so, whether by paying for it or relying on personal connections in the field. These dynamics allow the largest companies to charge $300+ per hour for strategy guidance that is often unhelpfully general. Meanwhile, essay editing services charge by the word for low-impact changes to grammar and style.
Neither service focuses on what matters: specific expertise on formulating a strong research proposal. Our goal is that you could use this guide to make yourself as competitive for top PhD programs as possible without needing to work with a tutor at all. However, working through this guide on your own first will also help you get the most out of any admissions consultant you choose by coming prepared.
Our process in action
“Hiring OES to edit my SOP and PS was one of the best decisions I made during my study abroad preparation. They really get to the heart of what I'm trying to say in my documents, so I don't end up writing in a way that I didn't intend, and they help me come up with phrases that are more accurate and effective than the original sentences. Beyond proofreading, they also thought about whether the sentence made sense in context or what information I should add or delete to make me a more compelling applicant. In addition, their feedback was not a one-time thing, but a continuous process throughout the application period, and it was very prompt. It's hard to be sure of anything during the application process, but I knew that my SOPs and PS would be better with OES’s feedback, so I was able to prepare without much stress.”
S. was accepted to a UW Madison master's program on a full scholarship in 2023. She was also accepted to UC Boulder and Indiana University.
Oxford English Services helped me express myself clearly throughout the application process. Their work was even more effective because we edited everything and communicated in real time over Zoom! I highly recommend OES to anyone who wants to upgrade their writing to the next level.
S. was accepted to a PhD program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She was also accepted to UCLA, University of Minnesota, Penn State, and UIUC.
“I've tried other commonly known editing companies in Korea, but OES was the only one that went beyond just correcting words and grammar to help me refine my writing to make it logical and organized. They also had an excellent understanding of research as they studied at the graduate level. I was able to communicate to them the direction I wanted my writing to go in, my interests and research topics, as I was able to do so in real-time via Zoom. I believe that the best SOPs that OES helped me with were a big part of the reason I was accepted into all four master's programs I applied to and received scholarships. I plan to use OES for my future PhD studies as well.”
In 2023, OES helped M. get offers and scholarships from 4 top research master's programs in the social sciences.
OES helped me the most while preparing to study abroad. OES doesn't just correct sentence structure or check for typos. They also help you understand the research proposal process. And they do it very quickly! Not only that, but if you want, you can get opinions from various angles, such as what storyline fits American culture, so with OES, you can submit a high-quality application. And since Henry, who has personally experienced the graduate school admissions process, will help you, his advice and opinions are very trustworthy. For reference, I was accepted to UC Berkeley and had an interview opportunity at MIT Media Lab and Artcenter through this service. I highly recommend it to others!! :)
— G. was accepted to a Master's in Design at UC Berkeley in 2024.
OES teaches advanced English writing at a different level. I was able to get my academic plan for graduate school abroad critiqued, and I was taught how to write concisely and precisely about my work. With a low GPA and no journal publications, I was able to get a scholarship to my desired graduate school abroad because of their professional help.
— A. was accepted with full funding at multiple research master's programs in Canada.
Choose a pricing plan
All plans include regularly updated course text and materials. Save hundreds on your application process by writing a stronger first draft.
Special Offer: Full Course + Document Templates
$49
- Full course text and all materials including key document templates for your application.
Full Course + CV Review + 30min SOP Consultation
$189
- Full course text and all materials.
- Expert CV review including field-specific comments on key sections.
- 30 minute SOP consultation with an admissions consultant experienced in your field. Detailed guidance on SOP focus and flow.
Full Course + CV Review + 60min SOP and PS Consultation
$269
- Full course text and all materials.
- Expert CV review including field-specific comments on key sections.
- 1 hour application strategy and SOP consultation with an admissions consultant experienced in your field. Explore your SOP, PS, and school list in depth.
Course curriculum
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1Getting Started
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2Key Context on Academia
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3How to Approach your Pre-Doctoral Studies
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4Preparing to Apply
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5Writing and Assembling Documents
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6Editing Your Application
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7Preparing for Interviews
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