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Tips for creating a great Statement of Purpose
So here it is…the first "Tips" post:
Here is the golden rule about Statements:
Your Statement of Purpose is a critically important part of your application materials. Do not dwell on information in your Statement that is covered by your other application materials. Your Statement represents your humanness, what you bring to a program, not just in terms of academics, but who you are, what has brought you to this moment, and where you want it to take you. Don't just say, "Post-graduation, I want to be an attorney in a successful firm"…tell them, "Ever since I was a child, I have dreamed of being an attorney. My dad was an attorney, and I remember how people looked up to him, respected him, and how much he loved his job helping others".
Look, you are writing about your favorite topic, the subject that ignites your passion for living… so let it shine through! Let them feel your love for your work..! And if you don't feel this for your work, then it's time to reassess.
A good Statement of Purpose needs to cover five (5) areas (not necessarily in this order):
1) Who are you and what led you to the subject/discipline/degree you are pursuing?
2) What are your research interests?
3) What are your plans post-graduation?
4) What relevant academic/professional/volunteer experiences have you had?
5) Why do you want to go to this particular school?
Comments on the outline:
1) Take for example a young man who was close to his grandfather. The grandfather contracts a deadly disease which may have been treatable or his life extended, but there are no quality healthcare services available and dies. The grandson then goes on to pursue medicine, or public health, promising that people in the future that he encounters or serves in his work will never go without proper healthcare coverage, or at least get reduced pricing for medical care.
It's anecdotes like this that make you more human and endearing to the admissions group/ person. Just saying, "I want to help people" is not enough, your passion and drive needs to be explained. Don't just say, "I find medicine rewarding", tell how when you helped a small child, they gave you a hug when they felt better, that this reward was worth more to you than money.
2) Your research interests, if it is applicable need to be in line with the program you are applying to. If you are applying for a PhD Organic Chemistry program and the program's professors are all involved in Inorganic/Physical Chemistry, you need to re-think your program. If your work with pseudo hallucinogenic compound cyanogen is right up the alley of one of the school's professors, then mention it! This will make you stand out! Plus, professors are constantly trolling applications looking for free labor.
3) These are where your short and long term goals go. It's obvious you want to succeed in the academic program in the short term, so don't mention it here. Explain your dreams post-graduation. For example, a DDS/DMD student wants to work post-graduation in a group dental practice, and upon building their exposure, go on to a private practice and dental medical mission work. This is the adult version of "what do you want to be when you grow up?"
4) Relevant academic/professional/volunteer experiences: do not fall into the trap of putting your resume/CV into prose form. The school will already have your resume/CV. This is your chance to show what you have learned from your experiences in terms of skills, lessons you have learned, how you have matured, and how this will be an asset to the program you are applying to, and in your career post-graduation.
5) Every single school wants to know why you chose them. If they don't ask you in the application process, they will ask you in person. This is a critically important question, and if you are using a form letter for 10 different schools, seriously consider doing a little research into each school, and customize each letter, even if it's just one paragraph about why you want to go to each specific school. And think about it: if you hate cities, why are you applying to an urban campus school? If you love the beach, why are you applying to a school in Wyoming? Seriously, though, think about things like the teachers you want to learn from, the kind of classmates you want to interact with. Most of the information you need to answer this question is right on the school's website, or doing just a little digging in Google.
Probably the best help anywhere online can be found here: MyStatementofPurpose
So here it is…the first "Tips" post:
Here is the golden rule about Statements:
Your Statement of Purpose is a critically important part of your application materials. Do not dwell on information in your Statement that is covered by your other application materials. Your Statement represents your humanness, what you bring to a program, not just in terms of academics, but who you are, what has brought you to this moment, and where you want it to take you. Don't just say, "Post-graduation, I want to be an attorney in a successful firm"…tell them, "Ever since I was a child, I have dreamed of being an attorney. My dad was an attorney, and I remember how people looked up to him, respected him, and how much he loved his job helping others".
Look, you are writing about your favorite topic, the subject that ignites your passion for living… so let it shine through! Let them feel your love for your work..! And if you don't feel this for your work, then it's time to reassess.
A good Statement of Purpose needs to cover five (5) areas (not necessarily in this order):
1) Who are you and what led you to the subject/discipline/degree you are pursuing?
2) What are your research interests?
3) What are your plans post-graduation?
4) What relevant academic/professional/volunteer experiences have you had?
5) Why do you want to go to this particular school?
Comments on the outline:
1) Take for example a young man who was close to his grandfather. The grandfather contracts a deadly disease which may have been treatable or his life extended, but there are no quality healthcare services available and dies. The grandson then goes on to pursue medicine, or public health, promising that people in the future that he encounters or serves in his work will never go without proper healthcare coverage, or at least get reduced pricing for medical care.
It's anecdotes like this that make you more human and endearing to the admissions group/ person. Just saying, "I want to help people" is not enough, your passion and drive needs to be explained. Don't just say, "I find medicine rewarding", tell how when you helped a small child, they gave you a hug when they felt better, that this reward was worth more to you than money.
2) Your research interests, if it is applicable need to be in line with the program you are applying to. If you are applying for a PhD Organic Chemistry program and the program's professors are all involved in Inorganic/Physical Chemistry, you need to re-think your program. If your work with pseudo hallucinogenic compound cyanogen is right up the alley of one of the school's professors, then mention it! This will make you stand out! Plus, professors are constantly trolling applications looking for free labor.
3) These are where your short and long term goals go. It's obvious you want to succeed in the academic program in the short term, so don't mention it here. Explain your dreams post-graduation. For example, a DDS/DMD student wants to work post-graduation in a group dental practice, and upon building their exposure, go on to a private practice and dental medical mission work. This is the adult version of "what do you want to be when you grow up?"
4) Relevant academic/professional/volunteer experiences: do not fall into the trap of putting your resume/CV into prose form. The school will already have your resume/CV. This is your chance to show what you have learned from your experiences in terms of skills, lessons you have learned, how you have matured, and how this will be an asset to the program you are applying to, and in your career post-graduation.
5) Every single school wants to know why you chose them. If they don't ask you in the application process, they will ask you in person. This is a critically important question, and if you are using a form letter for 10 different schools, seriously consider doing a little research into each school, and customize each letter, even if it's just one paragraph about why you want to go to each specific school. And think about it: if you hate cities, why are you applying to an urban campus school? If you love the beach, why are you applying to a school in Wyoming? Seriously, though, think about things like the teachers you want to learn from, the kind of classmates you want to interact with. Most of the information you need to answer this question is right on the school's website, or doing just a little digging in Google.
Probably the best help anywhere online can be found here: MyStatementofPurpose
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