Today’s one of those shows where I’m going to be the sole presenter.

I actually started preparing this show during the World Series way back in October. Yes, folks, after 108 years of losing, the Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series.

At the same time, we were working (and have worked in the past) with amazing applicants who overcame hurdles – sometimes large and sometimes small – to get accepted either first time or via reapplication.

To me, these events had much in common. The applicants and the Cubs didn’t let their past define them. They looked to the future. And that’s what applicants need to do as they approach the admissions process – both first-time applicants and reapplicants.

While you can’t and shouldn’t ignore your background and previous experiences – both good and bad – I find that applicants tend to focus inordinately on the past and way too little on the future.

Focus on The Future

Let’s start with first-time applicants, because what I say here really applies to both first-time and re-applicants.

I sometimes get inquiries from applicants that start with what they’ve done in the past. And certainly, past achievements and blemishes are critical to this arduous process that you’re going through. They have to be dealt with, but the starting place for your application has to be your goals: What do you want to do when you finish your education? The answer to that question determines what degree you seek. The future you see for yourself is really the starting point of your application.

What Role Does Your Past Play?

Once you have that first ingredient of a successful application, you need to season it and perhaps temper it with your past. Your past will show if you are competitive in ways other than your goal. Look to see that you meet the requirements of your target programs (appropriate degree, required classes, test scores, relevant experience if required). Then evaluate your competitiveness by comparing your profile with the class profiles and other qualitative information available from your target programs and perhaps its students and recent alumni. You should be competitive at most of the programs you are applying to.

If not, you have to either improve your qualifications or change your target schools. Realize that for the overwhelming majority of you, there are multiple paths to achieving your goal. You don’t all have to go to Harvard or Top Choice Grad School to be the doctor, lawyer, business person, academician or whatever that you want to be. If Top Choice U (and its close cousins that are probably out of reach) didn’t exist, what you would you do? What would be your plan then? Would it be Second-Tier U that still has excellent placement in the kinds of firms you want to work for or the specialties you’d love to match at? Would it be a different career path?

Or, you can choose to improve your qualifications to become competitive at Top Choice U. We have lots of information on the site, www.accepted.com, about overcoming all kinds of weaknesses.

How to Change Your Chances

But if you don’t want to change your goal, or change the schools you want to target, then you may need to change YOU to compete effectively in an intensely competitive process.

This is where not letting your past define you really comes into play. If you have poor study skills, take advantage of courses and resources to improve those skills – either ...