-I think the number 1 mistake is being too general.  I notice this with writers of every level.  When you write these admissions essays or resumes, you want to be specific.  People remember specific examplesand stories a lot more than general statements.  For example, it is notgood to say “I will be a great graduate student because I am smart.” It is much more powerful to say “I will be a great graduate student,because I finished in the top 5 on a competitive university entranceexam, I achieved high honors every semester in school, etc.”  So, insummary, be specific and sell yourself a lot!

-Another mistake is that many are too wordy.  In general, you wantto be concise and use as few words as possible.  Shorter sentences areeasier to read and understand, and there is less chance to confusemeanings.

-Many of the essays have word or page limits.  This means everysentence should have meaning and contribute something to your essay. Sometimes I see sentences that don’t really say anything.  If you have sentences like this, delete them.

-I sometimes see resumes that aren’t very consistent.  By this, I mean the fonts, the font sizes, the alignment, all of these thingsshould be consistent and look nice.  They should not change in the samedocument.

-Also explain things that aren’t self-explanatory.  If you writethat won an award or if you use initials, most people will not understand what those initials mean if you do not write them out.