The Graduate School Application Process:
Letters of Intent, Letters of Reference
Do’s and Don’ts: Avoiding the Kiss of
Death (KOD)
KOD concept:
Appleby, D. C. and Appleby, K. M. (2006). Kisses of Death in the
Graduate School Application Process. Teaching of Psychology 33(1),
19-24.
From a survey of graduate admissions committee chairs (N = 88),
the authors identified 5 categories of mistakes made by applicants.
These mistakes can potentially sink your application in the eyes of
an admissions committee.
KOD cont.
“ The ideal student, seen through the eyes of graduate faculty, is
 Gifted and creative,
 Very bright and extremely motivated to learn,
 Perfectly suited to the program, eager to actively pursue the lines
of inquiry valued by the faculty,
 Pleasant
 Responsible
 Devoid of serious personal problems. “
(Keith-Speigel & Wiederman, 2000, p.3 with format changes)
KOD cont.
 Major KOD Categories:
a) Damaging personal statements
b) Harmful letters of recommendation
c) Lack of program information
d) Poor writing skills
e) Misfired attempts to impress
Damaging Personal Statements
 Personal mental health
 Excessive altruism
 Excessive self-disclosure
 Professionally inappropriate (e.g., letter printed on
“cute” paper; inappropriate/insensitive language, etc.)
Harmful Letters of Recommendation
 Undesirable applicant characteristics
(anything suggesting the person is not intelligent, motivated,
pleasant, responsible)
 Inappropriate letter writers (e.g., your next door neighbor,
your pastor, a work colleague who is not a supervisor, a family friend-even if that person is a psychologist, physician, mayor, or judge)
Lack of information about Program
 Program focus (clearly not being familiar with the nature of
the program)
 Fit into Program (wanting to be a part-time student when
the program is full-time; wanting to specialize in an area that is
not related to interests/expertise of any of the faculty, etc.)
Poor Writing Skills
 Spelling and grammar
 Poorly written application materials
Misfired Attempts to Impress
 Being unduly critical of undergrad program or
overly praising program applying to
 Name dropping, especially names of people not
professionally relevant.
General advice: Letters of intent
 Avoid KOD factors
 If in doubt about what a program is looking for, call and
ask
 Have a friend proof for writing issues, but have your
advisor read for tone and content.
 Give yourself enough time to let the letter sit for a few
days before doing final edits
 Try to read it from the committee’s point of view
General Advice: Letters of Reference
 Be thinking of “referees” early on
 When at the point of needing letters, talk with potential
letter writers
 Be organized, plan ahead and provide as much
information as possible
 Periodically check with referees and remind them of
deadlines.
 Let them know the outcome of your applications