| Graduate
School Statement Strategies |
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Why
Graduate School?
Because people do not make career
decisions based purely on reason, it can be difficult to explain why you have
chosen a particular field of study. What follows are some categories into which
your ideas may fall, but your focus should be on your unique, personal details.
Also, keep in mind that you are not limited to any one of the following, but
should develop multiple reasons as you see fit--so long as your points are
focused and coherent.
Early
Exposure to Your Field
Graduate school is a serious commitment,
and it may have been your goal for a long time. Describing your early exposure
to a field can offer effective insight into your core objectives. Watch out,
however, for these two potential problems:
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Avoid
offering your point in such a clichéd, prepackaged way as to make your reader
cringe. For example, you should not start your essay, "I have always wanted to.." or "I have always
known that [X field] was my calling." Instead, you should discuss specific
events that led to your interest in the field.
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Do not rely solely on your initial
reason and forget to justify your choice with more recent experiences. Think
about what you have learned about your chosen field-and yourself-that has
further stimulated your interest and reinforced your conviction that you
are well suited to that course of study.
This
applicant traces his interest in photojournalism to his collection
of baseball cards and sports pictures at a young age. The youthful sense
of curiosity and passion he conveys is sincere and draws the reader into
his individual mindset. The writer goes on to describe the evolution of his
hobby, which becomes a vocation after he earns some publishing credits and
enrolls in a BFA program.
Goals
Graduate school is, of course, a
means to an end, and admissions committees prefer students who know where they're
going and to what use they'll put their education (though the occasional soul-searcher,
who may exhibit exceptional raw potential, is welcomed). For many people, the
long-term goal is to work in academia, and to differentiate yourself in such
cases, you can stress more specific objectives such as your research interests
(see the following section).
Other degrees can lead to work outside
the academic setting. This
applicant describes his reasons for pursuing a degree in public
policy: "Providing health care to 44 million uninsured Americans, while keeping
insurance affordable, is one of the most difficult challenges facing policymakers.
I want to work in state or local government to resolve this health care crisis
and ensure that the disadvantaged get the care they need and deserve." Rather
than offering a clichéd sentiment about wanting to "help people" or "change
society," he identifies a specific issue and explains the origin and evolution
of his interest.
Research
Interests
Read the instructions carefully:
Sometimes schools will ask for a statement of purpose describing your specific
research interests in lieu of, or in addition to, a personal statement that
emphasizes your character and qualities. For these types of essays, you can
assume that a faculty member will be reading your statement, but it should
still be accessible enough for a non-specialist to understand. Remember that
such essays should also still aim to engage the reader in a way that conveys
your own enthusiasm for the subject matter.
This
applicant demonstrates the depth of her knowledge about her subject.
To engage the reader, she identifies specific problems that she hopes to
investigate: "My junior year and private studies of Anglo-Saxon language
and literature have caused me to consider the question of where the divisions
between folklore, folk literature, and high literature lie. Should I attend
your school, I would like to resume my studies of Anglo-Saxon poetry, with
special attention to its folk elements." The essay is not scholarly, but
it offers a glimpse of her intellectual character and proves the maturity
of her goals.
Addressing
the School
While professional schools tend to
have similar curricula, the differences between graduate programs abound. The
highest-ranked institution in your basic subject might not be strong in the
particular areas that you want to pursue. Moreover, graduate school involves
more direct faculty relationships, so you want to evaluate your potential mentors
carefully.
You should do this research for your
own sake, of course, but discussing your discoveries in your personal statement
can help convince the admissions committee that you are a good fit. Avoid mistakes
like discussing the school's rank or prestige, or simply offering generic praise.
Instead, mention faculty members by name and indicate some knowledge of their
work. Consider contacting faculty members first and discussing their current
research projects and your interest in studying under them. Then refer to these
contacts in your essay. You may also want to discuss your interest in becoming
involved in a particular student organization or activity.
This
applicant demonstrates a carefully considered interest in the
school's program in Paragraphs 7 and 8. She explains, for example, that this
particular university's cross-disciplinary focus holds a specific appeal
for her. Additionally, she reveals an in-depth understanding of the work
of one of the school's faculty members, mentioning Akhil Gupta by name and
expounding upon Dr. Gupta's influence upon her own work.
Similarly, this
applicant, after describing how her laboratory experience has
led to a heightened interest in neurological diseases and their underlying
causes, demonstrates in detail how Mt. Sinai's Ph.D. program is an excellent
fit for her. She is clearly familiar with Mt. Sinai's faculty, which includes
many experts in her field of interest, several of whom she mentions by name.
Note, however, that mentioning several professors is not as effective as
describing one in further depth. The previous applicant left no doubt that
she knew Dr. Gupta's work well, while it's not clear that this applicant
did anything more than superficially research the areas of specialization
of four professors.
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