Proofread and Spell Check: Sadly, this piece of advice does bear repeating. Spelling and grammatical mistakes may not disqualify you, but they certainly don’t cause the reviewers to be favorably inclined.

The Personal Statement: The personal statement is meant to round out or personalize the Marshall application. Basically, this is your chance to connect with the reviewers.

The topic(s) of the personal statement are very open: your background, your future goals, your passions, your inspirations, etc. Virtually anything that would accomplish the above ends would be appropriate.

Avoid anything that seems formulaic or overly contrived. The personal statement should be interesting and uniquely you.

The format and level of formality of the personal statement is highly flexible, and you should feel free to get creative with it – up to a point. Be careful not to cross the line from “interesting” into “bizarre”.

Don’t be too modest. Write honestly about your skills and accomplishments, and don’t be afraid to let your passion show through.

The Academic Proposal: The academic proposal should show serious thought regarding where you want to study and why.

You should have and demonstrate a detailed knowledge about the university and program to which you will be applying, including the names of the people you wish to study under.

Don’t automatically assume that Oxford or Cambridge would be the best place to study.

The academic proposal should make a clear connection between the details of the degree program proposed and your current or future academic aspirations. Make it obvious why this program is the best one for you.

If you only have one strong preference, go the extra mile to show why none of the other similar degree programs offered at the numerous other U.K. schools would be suitable for you.

Do not write an academic proposal along the lines of “I want to study at Oxford because it’s a prestigious university”.