Steven G Olswang, JD.

, PhD Vice Provost and Professor, University of Washington; Fulbright Academic Administrative Fellow these data do not reveal much about the individual, his/her motivation, why the applicant is interested in that particular program, or whether the applicant is the kind of student the Faculty want around the department. The Statement of Purpose exists to allow applicants to convey something personal about themselves and to convince the Faculty making the admissions selection that the applicant is an especially attractive candidate. The first thing to remember is that each application process for each university is different. That means that the questions asked in the application MUST be the questions answered As a general rule, the two generic questions that need answering, at least inferentially, in most Statements of Purpose are: "Why are you interested in this program?", and "What makes you special?". Why are you interested in graduate study? " There is some personal reason that made you decide to continue your education beyond the bachelor's degree. Tell them directly why. This may be something that you have always wanted to do, or for which your parents or others were role models, or perhaps you have recently been excited by new possibilities of learning. All the Faculty had their own reasons for going on to get their graduate degrees and they will want to know that you are truly interested for a legitimate reason. Do not try to write what you think Faculty want to hear ("to advance the field"); they have heard it all already. Why are you applying to this particular graduate program? " Is the program noted for a particular emphasis, speciality, or orientation? Is it in the same city where your sister lives, and you could get free housing that would allow you to go to graduate school? Are there particular professors with whom you want to study because of their area of expertise? Whatever the reason, explain it. This is where the Faculty evaluating your application will be able to tell if you have thought seriously about their particular program. It will indicate your interest in them and show that you did your homework, a good early sign of a serious student. What is it about you that is special? " It is important that you explain your motivations and your goals This is what will distinguish you from all other applicants and make you memorable to the Faculty...Explain your academic background and your performance in the bachelor's degree program. If you wrote a bachelor's thesis, briefly explain its importance and what you learned from writing it. Be sure to mention any prizes you may have won. If you worked while in school, tell why, especially if it was for a Faculty member. If you had any special experiences outside the formal learning environment that directly relate to the field of study you are interested

in pursuing (e.g. travel or study abroad; employment in the field) tell about those. Describe any experience that demonstrates your creativity, dependability, and independence - these are important personal characteristics that Faculty desire in their students. Are there items that need special explanation? " Faculty will first look at the empirical data in your application: your grades, transcripts, test scores, even the recommendations, before reading the Statement of Purpose. They will spot peculiarities they want explained. Is there a gap in your years of study; did it take you more than the traditional time to finish your degree; did you leave to work to support your family, or to care for an ill family member; did you change fields; do you have related work experience? All these are questions that need to be answered. Unexplained voids in your record make you a less attractive candidate. On the other hand, honest explanations make you human and the kind of person with whom others will want to work. Do you add diversity to the program? " American institutions of higher education are very interested in diversifying their student body, particularly at the graduate level. If you are a woman, a member of a minority group, disabled, or have another distinguishing characteristic that may be relevant, let the Faculty know in your Statement in an appropriate way. It may relate to your motivation to pursue a graduate degree. Understand that under American law, Faculty cannot ask questions about many personal topics. Since it is unlikely that many international students will interview in person at all the graduate schools where they submit applications, the Faculty will know you only by what you write in your Statement. What to Avoid " While there are some things that a Statement of Purpose must address, there are some matters that generally also should be avoided. Do not be overly informal. " The written Statement of Purpose for many applicants is the way they first introduce themselves to their prospective professors. The Statement should be formal, direct, and appropriately respectful in tone. Undue informality or attempts at irrelevant humour should be avoided. Do not include irrelevant information. " Try to keep to the topics that directly relate to your qualifications and desire for admission to the graduate program. Information about hobbies, outside interests, academic pursuits that do not have any real connection to your credentials for success in your chosen field only take up valuable space and divert the Faculty's attention from what is really important in your Statement.

Do not write your life story. " If the application instructions give a specific -or maximum - length for the Statement of Purpose, do not exceed it. If there is no stated length, remember that Faculty on admissions committees may be reading hundreds of such Statements. Be brief, yet complete. Do not talk about anything in your life before you began your baccalaureate program, unless it's absolutely relevant. A suggested maximum length is four pages, three is even better. Style & Presentation " A guide of this kind would be incomplete if it did not mention something about the presentation of the Statement. We live in an era of word processors and personal computers. Unless the directions specifically require that the Statement of Purpose be hand-written - and I doubt that any still say that - it should be typed or printed, double spaced, with absolutely no spelling or grammatical errors. It does not matter if you are applying for a graduate program in English Literature or Physics, Art or Physical Education, you are expected to be literate and to be able to communicate well. A spelling error on your application will make the Faculty evaluating your application view you as careless and not really interested enough in their program to consider you further. Many will stop reading the Statement at that point, regardless of how good your other records are. They will react similarly to errors of grammar, pronoun errors, using plural verbs with singular subjects, and the like. Proof-read your statement many times. Have someone else read your Statement critically. Run it through 'spellcheck' and 'grammarcheck' on your computer. " ...In sum, the Statement of Purpose is your way to introduce yourself personally to a group of intelligent people . In this document you are asking strangers to allow you to enter their working homes for an extended length of time to learn from them. This presents them with a major decision. In this statement you must present yourself in a favourable light, show who you are, express your interest in them and the subject they teach and tell them why you are special enough to be admitted. It must be honest in conception, accurate in detail, and direct in address. And it must look good and be error-free. "If you are satisfied that you have given a fair and accurate picture of yourself, as seen in your best light, Faculty will be equally pleased."

UC Berkley Career Center

Above all, this statement should contain information about you as a person. They know nothing about you unless you tell them. You are the subject of the statement. Words and phrases to avoid without explanation significant interesting challenging satisfying/satisfaction appreciate invaluable exciting/excited enjoyable/enjoy feel good appealing to me appealing aspect I like it it's important I can contribute meant a lot to me stimulating incredible gratifying fascinating meaningful helping people I like helping people remarkable rewarding useful valuable helpful

Determine your approach and style of the statement There is no such thing as "the perfect way to write a statement." There is only the one that best fits you. DO

Be objective, yet self-revelatory. Write directly and in a straightforward manner that tells about your experience and what it means to you. Do not use "academese." Form conclusions that explain the value and meaning of your experience, such as what you learned about yourself and your field and your future goals. Draw your conclusions from the evidence your life provides. Be specific. Document your conclusions with specific instances. See below a list of general words and phrases to avoid using without explanation. Get to the point early on and catch the attention of the reader. Limit its length to two pages or less. In some instances it may be longer, depending on the school's instructions.

DON'T

Use the "what I did with my life" approach. Use the "I've always wanted to be a _____" approach. Use a catalog of achievements. This is only a list of what you have done, and tells nothing about you as a person. Lecture the reader. For example, you should not write a statement such as "Communication skills are important in this field." Any graduate admissions committee member knows that.

SoP= what you want to accomplish by means of the professional training a graduate program provides. - This is also the place, though I'd suggest to a lesser extent, to talk about your pedagogical interests and again how you are already prepared, or plan to prepare yourself, to teach.

Think very seriously about why you really want to go to graduate school and put it in your statement. Make your Statement reflect your thought about the research and writing work you have done. It should mention what inspired you to pursue literary criticism, and the sort of very broad trajectory youd like to pursue. Its fine to mention professors who inspired your work and thought, and why. Personal history is fine if it is relevant to your decision or what you intend to pursue in school. Be ready to outline your interests as closely as you can. Explain what you want to work on and why a particular programs faculty is exciting to you. U Cal Santa Barbara Faculty (If you know what you want to study, foreground that. It gives you something specific to say and helps you to write a vibrant and detailed statement. Don't have as your primary goal sounding cute, clever, witty, and brilliant. Have as your goal presenting yourself as an interesting and serious student/person, someone who is reflective about her goals, pursuits, life. I don't mean write something boring, obviously but foreground yourself and your interests in a fairly local and precise way. I think the main thing I'd stress - and really stress this - is that the student should have two or three or more other people read their proposal before sending it in. Preferably faculty or folks who have read a lot of these things. Tone is crucial and is hard to teach, but adopting the wrong tone - overly-cute, precious, "intellectual" - is deadly.)

(I look for a sophisticated sense of what graduate study is all about A well articulated expression of interest in some particular field can also be important, as can evidence of some serious engagement with that field. Personal stories can sometimes be effective, particularly stories of hardships overcome or of an emerging sense of purpose. Stories of that sort can also help with certain kinds of fellowships, which are only available to students who come from a disadvantaged

background. But stories of whatever sort must of course be made relevant to the hope of studying for a Ph.D.) (Remember that the more you do the Admissions Committee's work for them by providing explicit evidence that you will make excellent use of the opportunity to train in their program, the easier it will be for them to admit you AND to give you support money. Theyre gonna read a lot of apps. So, evidence that the person applying will be able, right off the bat, to participate actively in training her/himself - that is, someone mature enough to motivate and discipline her/himself in seminars and TA work for the next five to six years; evidence that this person has a mind that her/his faculty will enjoy watching at work on literary texts; The Statement of Purpose is where you can present yourself as someone who is aware of the different kinds of work involved in this professional training and excited about engaging with them. Your "voice" should be confident about your preparation and potential for the program.)

I received advice from my advisor to sell your strongest point first, so my first sentence was not a general answer to why I'm interested in the field - it jumped right into why I decided to apply to graduate school (so I could continue the research I'd started) followed by a discussion of what I've done so far and then why I'm interested in studying issues in that field. my SoP made it clear that my goal for the next few quarters is to find that research niche I would like, and mentioned a few areas/names that interested me at this point. It was clear that I don't really KNOW who I want to work with, but it was also clear that I was definitely thinking about it and did actually read their profiles, even if I hadn't studies their specific published works.

but the SoP is your chance to show how your poli sci background has uniquely prepared you for rhet comp and keep them from wondering about your interest in the field. What interested you about poli sci that you've now brought to your interests in rhet comp? How has your background in poli sci helped prepare you for rhet comp? Your SoP needs to answer questions similar to these; you will need to show there's a trajectory.

The issue is that you should never try to be cute or funny with your SoP. Present a mature research goal or interest and back it up with the skills and knowledge you have that will allow you to pursue it. I added a section to my CV to explain the coursework I did. IMO, the projections of my future work as a professor resonated because I did not tip my hand. Instead, I presented myself as an aspiring academic who would enthusiastically do both. Second, was the realization that I wasn't writing for a group readers who had a lot of power over my future and that I needed to impress them. Instead, I understood that I was writing for an audience that included potential peers and that I needed to earn their respect. If I wrote a SOP worthy of their respect, every thing else would take care of itself. Obviously if you are applying to study archaeology at the graduate level, it's pretty much assumed that you're fascinated by the ancient world and probably enjoy museums. But so do lots of people. What makes you unique. Attempt to demonstrate your passion for the field Relevant Coursework - what we did and who was teaching in my next go-round I just attached a sheet with all my applications called "Undergraduate Coursework in Literature" or "Relevant Coursework," and then divide it up into "English" and "French." Under each category, I had the course number, the actual full title, the prof, and my grade in it.

1. Focus. Like it or not, they want to be able to categorize you. You can have secondary interests, but they have to be clearly secondary and bear some relation to your main focus. 2. Fit. Everyone tells you this, but it's true. I spent a lot more time really researching profs on the websites, then looking up and scanning through a few key articles, and skimming through the courses they taught. It really gives you a better idea of whether their interests and methodologies ACTUALLY fit yours, or whether it just looks like that on paper. I then tailored my fit paragraph to show how multiple faculty members could support my research interests (this may be English-specific, as in other non-humanitites disciplines you are applying to work with one advisor).

Also, if the department has a pet methodology, it's helpful to know that - they'll look for students who fit that bill. Interdisciplinary programs that faculty are involved in and subfield/methodologically-specific colloquia, etc. are also things to look for. 3. Future. for me what helped was focusing discussing even my past towards showing how it formed a trajectory for the future. the point is that you are CAPABLE of conceiving of a future direction for yourself. I focused on telling a story (i.e. "I'm interested in the relationship to place in Modernist literature") and cutting all details of my past that didn't mesh with that. So by the end I was able to say look! What I discussed doing in paragraphs x (gloss of relevant coursework/advisors, focus), y (challenges and triumphs of writing my thesis and learning theory), and z (teaching, living different places) all feed into the project I'm proposing in this last paragraph (though the project was sufficiently broad so as not to pigeonhole me). I said that I wanted to go in certain different directions, but it was clear that it would be a continuation of my development, not starting anew. They want to see that you are capable of functioning independently as an academic (should be demonstrated by your past and by the fact that you can independently come up with good future directions), but that they have something to offer in terms of guiding you. Fit - I talked mostly about how I liked the faculty's general approach to their scholarship, and how this approach would complement the project I was proposing. naming profs you love isn't the only way to convince an adcom that you're a good "fit" for their program.

[FOCUS, FIT, and FUTURE. This is the exact way to go. The focus(of Sop) should be on your current and (mostly) future research plans, and it should be apparent what your interests are as early as possible Fit - Mention anything unique that the program offers - resources, reading groups, any kind of opportunity like an exchange or a diploma. fit is also understanding your intended department's attitude towards things like collaborations, innovation, going in unexplored directions, doing quantitative/qualitative/theoretical/practical/etc work. Include a list of course names/numbers, the instructors, and a one-paragraph description of each course. All those details don't really have to be in your SOP, unless they're directly tied to your current/future interests. 2nd mention]

Awards in SoP - just in the C.V. I mean, the way I see it, that's cool that other people thought you were awesome and gave you awards, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that the adcomm judges you as awesome now

The SoP should be much more earnest in tone, not really focused on telling how decorated you are but on demonstrating in an observable way how much direction, drive, creativity, etc. you have, Certainly mention why you're qualified, but keep in mind that taking a class in no way qualifies you to do more advanced research. The knowledge and understanding you synthesized from the class is what matters. What they're looking for is "will this person be someone I can stand to have in my office weekly for the next 5 years?"

Your essay should give them an idea of your personality, not reiterate your resume The opening sentence should capture the readers attention and curiosity. It should entice them to keep reading on

Avoid: allow me to introduce myself these are the reasons you should admit me thank you for your time and consideration I hope you grant me the opportunity

Double check each school for the word limit and stick to it. Use normal vocabulary. Dont remind the university about their rankings or strong faculty. dig deeper and get specific about THAT particular university and certain faculty members. Go to the website and research each and every faculty member until you find one that has similar interest as you. For example, do talk about a particular faculty member who is currently doing research that is interesting to you. Then e-mail that professor, telling them you are impressed with the research they are currently doing and that you hope you can learn more about when you are accepted. Then you go back to your essay and say I have even sent Dr. so and so an e-mail expressing my interest. Make sure to twist your weaknesses into something good

It is always better to include brief mention of why your grades faltered - no more than a sentence or two. Otherwise the adcomm will have no way to know that you were struggling with something legitimate (as opposed to, say, laziness), but if you discuss it too much it winds up sounding like an excuse. -what you learned

The advice my advisor gave me as far as the structure of my SOP was concerned was to write it in narrative form...the SOP flowed a lot more naturally when I took this approach [Taking a look back at my SOP for history, here is my general formula: P1: Brief overview of my academic interests - the grand "this is my region, time and subtopics" summary P2: More details on my first subtopic, including why X University fits my interests well P3: More details on my second subtopic, again with the fit P4: Why it is nifty that I'm into both of these subtopics (e.g., this is where I show I can ask insightful questions which unite my interests - this may not be relevant for you if you are interested in obviously related things) P5: Scholarly works which influenced me - this demonstrated a grasp of current historiography and where my work would fit in with that, but I don't know that most people include this and it may not be relevant for other fields P6: Thesis proposal - this should be well-conceived, reasonable, and focused. You don't necessarily have to do this exact project but you should demonstrate that you know how to create a proposal]

I received advice from my advisor to sell your strongest point first, so my first sentence was not a general answer to why I'm interested in the field - it jumped right into how I decided to apply to graduate school so I could continue the research I'd started, followed by a discussion of what I've done so far and then why I'm interested in studying issues in that field. (P1) General statement of what I am interested in and where the interest came from. General statement about the education that has prepared me to be a competitive applicant (most recent school and what I got out of it). General statement about my research interest and why I want to go to grad school. (P2) Described the rigorous academic training that I have received and pursued myself outside of coursework (so, research, teaching, conferences etc.). The academic work that is related to research interest... (P3) THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL: What is it? Why is it important? Other similar research--what others have done (how does the proposed research fit with similar works-contextualize research interest), and more importantly, what others have NOT done that I am going to do with the experience and knowledge that I have already cultivated. Why am

I the best person to conduct this research? (P4) Conclusion. Why this school is right for me. Who I want to work with and why.

Course explanation doc - I think it had to list the official course names, the instructors' names, a brief description of content, any textbooks used in class, and I added a one-line description of the paper(s) I wrote for each class. - explains what was covered, what kind of work it entailed (number of essays/classes/lectures) and how much time was spent on it. 3rd Mention

It commits the sin of telling instead of showing (your passion). It does nothing to set you apart from other applicants or teach the adcom anything new about you and your interests. Like every other part of your SOP, the introduction should say something unique and new; Identifying relevant areas of research will be one of the first things readers of your SOP will be looking for, and if your interests fit the school and its strengths

I prefer just getting right into what your interests are and why you think you'd fit in at the university, Don't use the word passion - it sounds forced and cheesy. You should illustrate your passion by how you explain your research interests, not by simply stating that you have passion. You will want to demonstrate that there is faculty at the school that you can work with. One way to do that is to highlight your overlapping areas of interest, and starting the SOP with those interests should catch people's eyes. It's a professional way of getting right to the point without losing any space on unnecessary details. Fit- You're not just demonstrating to the adcom that you'll be a good grad student they'll have a pile of applicants that can do that. You need to show them why their university, their program will make you into the scholar you want to be.

[Adcoms don't expect you to have a thesis in handafter all, then you wouldn't be applying for this degree. But a strong SOP will be very clear about the future work

you'd like to undergo. (Adcoms expect that this will change over time as you do your work/research, and it's not as though someone will hold you to it once you get in. But articulating a clear vision of what you want to do if you are admitted to school X is critical to a strong statement.) In my statement I spent about the first page talking about my research interests, the kinds of project(s) I envisioned doing if admitted, and my career goals.]

Ideally you want to be more specific than broadly describing a field or even a sub-field, but you don't want to be as specific as a thesis topic