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What are the points to be covered in a statementof purpose for applying for graduate school?Seeking details on how to start, how to build the letter, how to end it, and moreimportantly how not to write.

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Two additions to Sunil's great answer.

This is not like a college application essay. When applying tocollege, you are rewarded for being personal, quirky, talking about yourextracurricular hobbies, etc. I have heard multiple times that this comes offas odd and unprofessional in an application for a Ph.D. program. (I'm notsure about business, law, and med programs. Read successful essays to seewhat you think.) If a rule of thumb is possible, an adventurous andpersonal style probably tends to work better with professional admissionsstaff (as in college admissions departments and business schools) thanwith professors, who are the ones doing admissions in Ph.D. programs andusually have more of a "no­nonsense" attitude.

Do not signal mismatch with the school's mission (and if thereis mismatch, don't apply to the school). To take a concrete example,my program is not geared toward people who aim to go into industry aspractitioners of business. One of the main ways in which the essay can beuseful is to flag that a student is seeking something other than what theprogram can offer, e.g. by saying "One of my main goals after the Ph.D.program is to start a successful multinational business." So ask somequestions (asking a current student works best) about what kinds of goalsand interests the program is not suited for.

If the answer includes something that is of primary interest to you, don'tapply! My very strong sense is that the primary predictor of success andhappiness in graduate school is whether the actual day­to­day work ofacademic research in that graduate school is what you really enjoy doing­­what you do for fun.

20,392 views • 71 upvotes • Written 12 Sep, 2010

Upvoted by Jessica Su, CS PhD student at Stanford • Pasquale Ferrara, Ph.D.student doing research in Electronic Design Automation

Ben Golub, Ph.D. in Economics, Stanford Graduate School of Business

71

The answer to this question likely depends on your discipline of interest.Having recently applied to graduate school in computer science, I can offer theadvice I received while writing applications for research­oriented programs:

Upvoted by Jessica Su, CS PhD student at Stanford • Andrew Boysen, PhDstudent, studying strategy and entrepreneurship at Whar… • Kaicheng Liang, gradstudent

Sunil Garg, was once a grad student at georgia tech

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A research statement.This should comprise the majority of your essay. The reader is likelyconcerned with your ability or potential to conduct research, so hopefullyyou have a successful track record of research and coursework. Discusswhat research you've done and things that you might be interested inworking on as a graduate student.

Explain what motivates you to pursue graduate study.Are you looking for a career in academia or research? Did your previousresearch experience convince you to pursue a career in research? This isthe place to say so.

Convince the admissions committee that you're qualified.You should have already done this while covering the above points, andyour recommendation letters and CV serve this purpose as well. Even so,address any remaining red flags that might be on your application. Forexample, if you are switching fields, you might want to explain why, and ifyour background doesn't have an obvious alignment with your newinterest, discuss what makes you qualified to enter the program (eg. a non­technical person entering computer science would likely require remedialcourses to make up for the lack of technical undergrad training).

Explain why you're applying to this particular school.What does this school offer you that others do not? If there are individualprofessors whom you're interested with working with, you might want tomention them and which projects of theirs interest you – this is a good wayto nudge your application to their inbox even if they're not on theadmissions committee. Are there research papers from this school thathave interested you? (If you put school­specific things in your essays, becareful to submit the right copy with each application!)

Beyond these general points, I highly recommend that you ask fellow studentsand friends in your discipline for their personal statements. If you're workingwith students who are currently applying, volunteer to review each others'drafts. In addition, get advice from people who are already graduate students.

Good luck! 19,961 views • 173 upvotes • Written 11 Sep, 2010

173

I work for a business school program, and often times I'm the first person toread a statement of purpose. Sunil and Ben have a nice list of things toconsider for research­based and PhD programs. From the B­schoolperspective at the Master's degree level, I'd say that admissions departmentslook for a slightly different approach.

Keep in mind that my answers are based on finding students for a mid­seniorlevel executive business leadership program: http://www.sandiego.edu/msgl

First, we do like to see personality. While we wouldn't advise "quirky" (as Benputs it), we do like to see a well­rounded applicant that has interesting workhistory.

Second, since we're a leadership program, it's not hard to figure out that we'reinterested in candidates with leadership experience. Even if you don't havedirect reports at work, you can still demonstrate peer leadership at work (doyou serve on committees?) or even within your community (volunteer forpositions of leadership).

Third, we want to know that you can complete the coursework and contributeto the overall learning of the group. If you have less­than­perfect grades, you

John Ruzicka, Marketing and recruiting manager at Univ. of San DiegoSchool of Business Adm...

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might want to explain why. Many of our students were working their waythrough school, or maybe they didn't consider graduate school an option somany years ago.

Fourth, as Ben mentioned, do your short and long term goals align with themission of the program and school? For example, if your only purpose inbusiness is to make money for your shareholders (ignoring ethical, CSR, andother issues), the University of San Diego may not be the best fit for you. Ourmission includes creating socially responsible leaders with a global mindset ­how does that fit you?

Good luck! 5,156 views • 16 upvotes • Written 26 Jan, 2011

16

First of all, let me emphasize the fact that any applicant's SOP is THE mostimportant organ of the overall application.

Everyone read the statement above 3 times and let it sink into you that this isthe part of your application you are gonna work upon the most. Beforeanswering the question, I would like to explain why is an essay of around a1000 words going to decide your future:

1. It is the only part of your application through which you actuallycommunicate with the admissions committee ­ You must haveoften heard that the interview is the deciding factor when sitting for jobplacements. Except for a few programs (mostly Ph.D.) graduate schooladmission process does not constitute of an interview round. So how is theuniversity going to judge you (yeah I have to use that word), and how arethey going to decide whether you are fit to roam their campus? They can'thear you talk, so they read you, through your SOP.

The admissions committee know that anyone with a large number ofinfluential contacts can build up a pretty decent CV, but if he/she is not ascapable as his/her resume speaks, then it will clearly show when they starttalking (in this case, writing in their SOP).

2. It is the only chance you have to wash your previous sins andconfess/explain clearly ­ By sins here I mean a sucky grade or anunfinished project, nothing more.

Lets imagine you are applying for an MS in Computer Science in a reallyreputed university. You are not there in the top 10% of your class. You have2 stinky incomplete projects, a ghost of an internship and no researchpapers. However, you have definite and clear goals and you are brimmingwith motivation for grad school. Can you show the university this side ofyours? OF COURSE! Explain in your SOP! Be honest and tell them whyyou failed to work to your best of capabilities, but also tell them that youplan to do so now, and explain how. The university will be impressed.

Of course, you need really great professionally persuasive skills and a touchof crispness. You are really marketing yourself through your SOP, thatswhat you are doing.

Your SOP should portray you like this guy here:

Upvoted by Andrew Boysen, PhD student, studying strategy and entrepreneurshipat Whar…

Pratyush Havelia, Stanford University

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3. It is the only way you can express your desire and motivationfor enrolling in that specific university ­ There can be a thousandreasons for you to enter a specific university, for example, a unique coursecontent, a specially designed program, a qualified professor,research/entrepreneurial focus, etc. Please just don't say that the universitywas top ranked so you wanted to study there. That will achieve nothing.

Talk about laboratory resources, specific research opportunities, potentialfor cross­disciplinary academics and other such stuff, and you will get thecommittee listening.

4. It is the only component of your application where you get to beYOU ­ The committee really looks forward to reading your SOP as that isthe only way they can get to know you and your thought processes beforeyou actually enter the college. You can get even get a teeny tiny bithumorous and personal in your SOP. It doesn't hurt as far as your basicaim is to show the university your motivation for graduate studies and thesolidarity of your goals. Do not lie, be transparent, and the university willdefinitely get impressed.

Ok, I think now that I have displayed the significance of the SOP, I should goon to answer the actual question ­ What are the points to be covered in aStatement of Purpose?

Due to the fact that my SOP got me selected to MIT and Stanford, the topranked institutions in the world (trust me, in real life I am really modest), I willbreak down my SOP here paragraph by paragraph and try to explaineverything as clearly as I can. Here I go:

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Para 1: Explain the significance of your field to the world in general. Startwith an analogy or a fact. For example if you are going to pursueEnvironmental Engi...

(more)

990

Elements of a Good SOP I hope this post dispels a lot of issues that people face, both in mind and rotewhen penning their SOPs. Here is what I look for in many cases when I reviewpeople's SOPs. These are some minor points, which make a major difference,and some major points, which also make a major difference. I have tried tooutline as many of them as possible, both from what I have seen in SOPs tillnow and what I got on my own SOP reviews from other people better than me.

1. A Theme.

This is one of the foremost elements of your SOP. It is its soul and substance. Itis supposed to take the reader through your intent and purpose to pursue yourMasters / Ph.D or whichever advanced degree you are applying for. It givesthem an insight into what laid the foundation for this major decision in life,what was the motivation to make this happen.

At the same time, this is one of the most difficult elements to fit in, mainlybecause the theme, along with the clarity of thought is what causes the readerto get a hang of your thoughts about the matter. Get the reader to think likeyou for moment, put himself in your place. This is going to fall into place aftera lot of revisions from many people. So do not worry if you do not get it right atthe first go.

2. Flow of Thought.

This is what I personally consider to be the element that makes the reader’s jobeasier to judge the standard of your SOP. I have seen many a SOP that has alot of clutter. People have so many ideas to put in, so many things that theywant to convey, that in the end, they make a hash of things. You tend to jumpfrom your motivation during your childhood and suddenly link it to whathappened sometime during your working days. Then you tend to jump back tocollege foundations and then move on to how you became more focused etc.

This kind of SOP clutter is what kills it. The SOP has to have a free flowingstyle, moving smoothly from one phase of your life (I use this term loosely, butwill clarify it later on) to another. The phase transition should coincide with thetransition and maturity of thought through your phases. One you get this right,you are done with around 25%. I normally look for a smooth transition whenreading. I start raising red flags against the SOP when I start to sense a lot ofjumping about. The other major 50% comes from the theme and the clarity ofthought, one handled in the previous point and the other in the next point.

3. Clarity of Thought

This element dictates how well you can express your thoughts to the personreading your SOP. This interacts, combines and encapsulates a lot of otherelements, for e.g., the theme, the flow and the precise nature of your writing.Here is how it works. I would define clarity of thought if you can achieve a levelof expression with optimal sentence formation (not forming long, drawn outsentences) while maintaining a good, clear flow of thought that sticks to thetheme of the SOP.

At first look, it seems to be a daunting task. But as you slowly go through SOPrevisions, you will start to realize how the clarity develops and how it binds

Upvoted by Edwin Khoo, Graduate studentBhavin Palan, Technology Advisor in the Financial Industry

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WITH the other elements and how it binds the other elements TOGETHER.

4. Precis(e) Writing

Precis(e) writing is exactly what the name says it is. Keep it sweet and simple.Do not ramble on and on. Your SOP reviewer on the admissions committee isdefinitely not interested in knowing what you did during school. This is what Imeant when I said I am using the term phases of life loosely. Just because youhave to develop a flow does not mean that you have to start when you were 5years old. And the reader definitely does not need to know a lot of technicaldetails about your projects. You have a limited amount of space, so make itcount. Also, avoid blowing your own trumpet. It is perfectly ok to state factslike you were the college topper, but avoid making it sound like there is no onelike you, if you get my point. One other thing, tone down the use of superlativesas much as you can.

5. Grammatical Correctness

Another important part of your SOP is your grammatical correctness. I knowmany people tend to think that they are being grammatically correct and manymistakes go unnoticed. This happens when you keep reading and re­readingyour own SOP. You tend to overlook a lot of small mistakes that can be easilycaught by another person who does not share the same mindset.

Try to maintain as much grammatical correctness as possible. When you thinkyou have done the best you can, check #7. Get someone else, who you think isbetter at english than you to re­read your SOP. Unless you are a Professor ofEnglish yourself.

6. Sentence Formation

I hope to make this topic clear with a case in point. Do not, I repeat, do notramble on and on. Form short sentences. The attention span of the humanmind is too short. If you ramble on, the mind forgets what is the beginningbefore it reaches the end. And that does not bode well for you. When you gothrough so many SOPs, your mind is trained to notice the good parts and thebad parts. So if you start rambling, people find out very easily. If you think youare forming too long a sentence, only one solution. FRAGMENT.

7. Peer Review.

Finally, one of the most important parts, I daresay, the most important part.Select 3­4 people (or even less) who you think are better than you in differentareas, someone in your technical area of specialization, another person whohas a better command over English than you have and a totally unrelatedperson who has nothing to do with your field. Get your SOP reviewed by thesepeople till a majority of them are satisfied with how it is.

The first one serves to oversee your SOP’s minor technical details and they canunderstand what you are talking about. They will serve as a proxy for theadmissions committee members who review your SOP since they can relate towhat you are talking about.

The second one serves are your reviewer for grammatical correctness.

And finally, the third one serves as an unrelated person who might catch someoverlooked errors that the other two and you might have missed.

Hope this helps anyone who is formulating an SOP and finds it really difficultto start. Don’t worry. You can start by writing down everything that you wantto write. You can always make the long story short. But making a short storylong takes a lot more effort. So put onto paper whatever you have and thenstart revising it.Eventually, after 7­8 revisions, you will have close to a perfect SOP.

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13,184 views • 92 upvotes • Written 7 Aug, 2011

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Interesting answers.

Let me add a different point of view. I've been a professor for 10 years, andhave looked through hundreds of SOPs every year as part of grad admissionsfor our CS department.

OK, this is going to be slightly disappointing to some of you, but at least mypersonal view is that, with the exception of a couple of points which I'llmention below, in general, the SOP just doesn't matter. You have to realize weadmissions committees look through hundreds of these. So everyone will havesome version of "I found my first PC when I was 4 years old and fell in love..."story. It's cool, and it means a lot to many of the applicants, but it doesn't domuch to help their case for why THEY should be admitted over the otherhundreds of students in the pool. So yes, do NOT make grammatical errors, donot say inane things that reflect *negatively*. But beyond that, most SOPs willdo little to hurt or help your application.

Now let me get to the exceptions. Yes, there are ways to stand out amongst thepiles and piles of applications and make a faculty member remember you.How? Simple: talk research. The best way to convince the admissionscommittee you're ready for a phd is to talk research. Tell us your ideas, what'syour vision for your area, what big inevitable trends do you see in the future,and how do you capitalize on them? What are hard problems you've alreadytried to tackle, and how did you succeed/fail? This is where an applicant canshow that they have the clarity of thought to think hard about a real problem,and show the reasoning skills (and intuition for identifying tricky or interestingproblems).

I'm always excited by the rare applicant who clearly has thought through aresearch area, and has some ideas and real thoughts about problems he/shewants to tackle. It's fine if the ideas are not likely to succeed, or if the thoughtsare not realistic for current research. What matters is that the student showedtheir logical reasoning skills, and their passion for research at the same time. 97,331 views • 1,643 upvotes • Updated 15 Sep, 2013

Upvoted by Jessica Su, CS PhD student at StanfordBen has 180+ answers in Graduate School Education.

Ben Y. Zhao, Professor of Computer Science, PhD/MS UC Berkeley,BS Yale

1.6k

These are the boxes you are looking to tick with your personal statement:

Good communications skills (esp. writing skills) — Whether you're inliberal arts or science, grad school will have you writing a whole lot. A lot ofscience majors underestimate how much these skills will help theirapplication. Plus, there's a good chance you'll be expected to teach at somepoint, so if you have any prior teaching or tutoring experienceyou should mention it.

Hard working and motivated — You can't just say you're "self­motivated" like every other boob writes on their resumé. You have to offeran anecdote or evidence that demonstrates your motivation. For me, thiswas an anecdote about the DARPA Grand Challenge where we lost due toour reliance on GPS sensors. This motivated me to want to solve theproblem of robot navigation without GPS.

Understanding of the field — If you don't have this, spend a weekreading whitepapers and Wikipedia articles. This will give you enough

Neil

Neil Traft, MSc of Computer Science at UBC

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keywords to let you talk conversationally in terms that an insider willrecognize. It will make a big difference. Google Scholar and CiteCeerX areyour friends.

Reasonable expectations about what you will achieve — Don't tellthem you're hell bent on being the next President of the United States.That's childish and unrealistic. Present a balanced perspective that showsambition, optimism, and hopefulness, but also restraint.

A focus on research — This will differ from field to field, but in mostfields what they really want to hear about is research. Like teaching, ifyou have any research experience it should feature prominentlyin your essay. In addition to the research you've already done, they'llwant to hear about the research you plan to do in grad school. Show thatyour plans are focused by being specific, but also show that you are opento other possibilities. Ideally, you should already know the scientificquestion you want to answer. If you don't know this, then you shouldbe able to present some ideas to show that you're already thinking aboutproblems (though this is less important for an MS). If you haven't doneany research at all, you're in serious trouble unless you have impeccablegrades to make up for it. So dig deep. Find anything that remotelyresembles research. You need to prove to them that you can do research onyour own, without guidance.

Finally: How are you going to stand out?? — How are you going tostand out in the admissions officer's mind?? What will they call you toremember you by? "Oh, that's the librarian who's interested in accessibilityof information," or "that's the guy who went backpacking in Europe," or"the guy who competed in the DARPA Grand Challenge." This doesn'thave to be something academic. It just has to be the one thing that isreally, truly unique, interesting, and memorable about youressay. It doesn't even have to be a significant moment in your life. It justhas to be something that the mind of the reviewer can latch onto,something so they will still remember and identify you after readinghundreds of essays just like yours (no problem, right?).

One last tip: Try to write your essay so that it still reads the same if areviewer reads only the first sentence of each paragraph—sometimesthis is all they will have time to read! (In case you didn't notice, this is how I'vewritten this post!)

Also, you should read the following books. Whereas I've only tried to give youthe overall themes you should strike upon, these books will give you the in­depth view. Try to find them at your local library.

Graduate Admissions Essays, Fourth Edition: Write Your Way into theGraduate School of Your Choice, by Donald Asher

How to Write the Perfect Personal Statement, by Mark Alan Stewart

Getting What You Came For, by Robert L. Peters

A PhD is Not Enough, by Peter J. Feibelman

5,450 views • 31 upvotes • Written 1 Jan, 2013

31

This might help clarifying the somewhat contrasting opinions on this page. Ifeel there are 2 criteria's for admission into the top 10 PhD programs for anyfield.

Rejection Criteria:

GPA, Research Experience and GRE scores. If you fall below the threshold forany of these criteria's (For example: GPA < 3.5/4 or No Research Experience)

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it is very difficult to get admission just on the basis of your SoP. Not to be rude,but if you are low on these 'hard' criteria I would suggest don't apply to topprograms and waste your money and their time.

Selection Criteria:

Your SoP is perhaps the most important selection criteria at a top school. Letme explain. The following are approximate stats for my program (top 3 in myfield). This is no official data but rather my own estimate based on seeing a lotof applications. Nonetheless, I feel that the data is fairly reliable.

Average Applicant GPA: ~3.6/4Average Admitted Student GPA: ~3.7/4Average Applicant Research Experience: ~1.5 yearsAverage Admitted Student Research Experience: ~2 years

Hence, you can see that most people who apply to a top program would haveexceptional grades and research experience. Many students who have highGPA's ~3.9/4 and/or research experience of >2 years are rejected by myprogram. The way the admitted students distinguish themselves from thesestudents is by their SoP and Letters of Recommendations. While you can tryand get LoR's from professors who write good letters, they are not really inyour hand. Your SoP on the other hand is completely in your own hand.

Your SoP is a major selection criteria only when you are as good asthe other applicants on the other 'hard' criteria's (GPA, ResearchExperience, GRE scores). If that is the case, the following advicemight help you.

Tips for a good SoP:

Disclaimer: Writing is hard. Very hard. Seriously! It's often harderthan doing the research. While these tips should help you, you haveto spend a considerable amount of time iterating through draftsand refining your SoP. There is no substitute for that.

Do not allow your essays to descend into an impenetrable bulk of buzzwordsand banality. You are an interesting person. Your essays should beyours. I found How to Write a Great Statement of Purpose to be veryhelpful.

Consider, for example, Gotera's comparison of two hypothetical introductoryparagraphs for a master's program in library science:

I am honored to apply for the Master of Library Science program at theUniversity of Okoboji because as long as I can remember I have had a loveaffair with books. Since I was eleven I have known I wanted to be a librarian.

vs.

When I was eleven, my great­aunt Gretchen passed away and left mesomething that changed my life: a library of about five thousand books. Someof my best days were spent arranging and reading her books. Since then, Ihave wanted to be a librarian. As Gotera says: each graf was 45 words long and contained substantively thesame information (applicant has wanted to be a librarian since she was ayoung girl). But they are extraordinarily different essays, most strikinglybecause the former is generic where the latter is specific. It was a real thing,which happened to a real person, told simply. There is nothing better thanthat. The second para is an example of a passionate hook!

Often, grad schools will ask you to address some questions in your SoP. Justuse common sense in focusing on each. Don't address them in the same order

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as the grad school has listed. Combine them; rearrange them; do whatever youneed to do to show yourself as an imaginative person, not a parrot following aline of Brazil nuts to crack.

If you have some problematic academic background, address that as well toreassure the admissions committee. For example, let's say that you got all C'sone semester. Take a (brief) paragraph to explain that you had some emotionalsetback that semester but then demonstrate how your grades have been sterlingsince then, and that you now have a 3.83 grade­point average in the discipline.If you spin this well, your story will enhance the admissions committee's imageof you as someone with the abilities to "take on challenges" and "to finish ontime."

Here's an organization I would recommend:

1. passionate hook

2. segué to your background in the field

3. specific classes by title and professors you have had (especially if well­known in the field)

4. related research and extracurricular activities (especially if they hint atsome personal quality you want to convey). While describing a researchexperience, focus more on "Why you did that project and why it isimportant rather than what you you did in detail"

5. any publications or other professional accomplishments in the field(perhaps conference presentations or public readings)

6. explanations about problems in your background (if needed)

7. why you have chosen this grad school (name one or two professors andwhat you know of their specific areas or some feature of the programwhich specifically attracts you).

Some general rules about writing:

Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are usedto seeing in print.

Never use a long word where a short one will do.

If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

Never use the passive where you can use the active.

Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you canthink of an everyday English equivalent.

Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

TL; DR: Find a subject you care about. Do not ramble, though.Keep it simple. Have the guts to cut. Sound like yourself. Say whatyou mean to say. Pity the readers. Brevity is appreciated. 5,854 views • 41 upvotes • Written 28 Dec, 2013

This answer pertains specifically to the statement of purpose for doctoralprograms, though it may be adapted for application essays for master'sprograms.

The Content of the Statement of Purpose

Lan Upvoted by Pasquale Ferrara, Ph.D. student doing research in Electronic Design

Automation

Lan Ngo, Author of The PhD Guide: Get Into Doctoral Programs

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In terms of content, your essay should address these two areas: 1) yourobjectives for doctoral studies and 2) your background. I found that mostschools required a single application essay, often referred to as the statement ofpurpose. In some cases, you may need to write more than one essay for a singleprogram application. When I was applying, the University of Michiganrequired two essays, one addressing the objectives for graduate study and theother addressing my background. However, the other four grad schools Iapplied to required just one essay, and I found that the vast majority of othergrad schools I looked into also required just one application essay. Whetheryou have to write one comprehensive statement or two/multiple ones, carefullyconsider and address each of the two major components.

Statement of Purpose Major Component 1: Objectives for Doctoral Studies The clearest, most helpful tips I found regarding how to address my objectivesfor doctoral studies in the application essay came from the University ofMichigan website. The link to the page no longer works, but, fortunately, I hadcopied and pasted the tips into one of my Google Docs. Below is theinformation from the University of Michigan website presented verbatim withonly slight changes in formatting: Objectives for Doctoral Studies: Guidelines on the Content of theApplication Essay from the University of Michigan

What should an ideal Ph.D. application essay include?

A good essay is an important part of the Ph.D. application. As you write youressay, you should take into consideration the following guidelines:

1) You should present a clear statement of a substantive concentration areaand your reasons for selecting this area.

2) Your essay should include a statement of research interests within an areaof substantive concentration (For instance, if you indicate that readingcomprehension is your substantive concentration area, you might want tofocus on characteristics of students with comprehension disorders, or oncurriculum design, etc.). Please be as specific as possible (we understand thatthis focus will develop during your graduate career). Some questions thatshould be answered in this statement are:

· Why is this area of interest to you?· What experience do you already have in this area?· What question(s) are you eager to answer?

3) You should include the names of faculty members at Michigan with whomyou would like to work and explain why (please suggest a potential advisor ifpossible). Note: A strong Ph.D. applicant will spend some time looking intothe research interests of Michigan faculty. This can be done via our facultyweb sites or by a trip to a research library to seek out some of our recentpublications.

4) You should also include a discussion of the career path you propose tofollow after completing your Ph.D. The above guidelines tell you just what you need to include in your applicationessay for any school and program.

Statement of Purpose Component 2: Your Background This part of the essay may be difficult, in that you may feel tempted to includeyour entire life story or every relevant experience you can think of. To ward offthis temptation, begin by free­writing and then scrutinizing your free­writing,selecting only the most crucial parts of your background. Remember, you canalways return to your draft and easily add more information; however,

8/22/2015 (3) What are the points to be covered in a statement of purpose for applying for graduate school? ­ Quora

http://www.quora.com/What­are­the­points­to­be­covered­in­a­statement­of­purpose­for­applying­for­graduate­school 12/13

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removing content is much more difficult. A lot of what you want to includemay be omitted without impairing the substance of your essay. If youexperience great difficulty with distinguishing between the most importantpieces of information and the unimportant pieces, use the essay’s word limit toforce yourself to choose carefully. See the end of this section on writing theapplication essay for tactics for adhering to the word limit. In addition to what to include, another obstacle is how to present yourbackground within a limited space in a way that would make sense to othersoutside of your context. Considering that the people who will read yourapplication essay are strangers, it’s important to be prudent in terms of theassumptions you make about the application readers. As you write your essay,extracting information from your free­writing and weaving in new pieces, askyourself, “Would this make sense to someone who doesn’t knowme?” Asking a friend to read your essay and provide feedback regarding thisquestion might be helpful, because at least you won’t be your own judge in thematter. Ideally, you would ask someone who is further removed from youwhether the background information you wrote makes sense. The end of thissection on writing the application essay includes suggestions regarding fromwhom you might seek help. Also, after reading the actual application essaysincluded in this section, you should gain a better understanding of one way toexecute the background component of the essay. Be sure that there’s a clear connection between your background and yourobjectives for graduate study. Otherwise, why is that piece of your backgroundin the essay? Remember, the ultimate goal is to show that you have a strongdesire and are highly qualified to complete a certain doctoral program. 3,332 views • 16 upvotes • Written 2 Oct, 2012

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In writing my essay for my application to NYU Wager, I started with somethingspecific that happened in my life and then pulled back and spoke more broadlyabout how that event shifted my perspective and priorities. Whoever is readingyour essay reads many of them, so starting with something unique and detailedwill pull the reader in and make you stand out. Be genuine and let yourmotivation and what makes you who you are show through. Don't write aboutwho you think they want you to be, it'll be clear that you aren't being sincere.We write best about what we really know.

Aside from this, of course always answer all the questions completely. 2,833 views • 8 upvotes • Written 24 Oct, 2012

Faigy

Faigy Gilder, Community Engagement & Digital Marketing

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SOP is supposed to cover these aspects about your profile­

Background – Academic, Personal, Professional and Extracurricular

What are your goals?

How does MS fit into it?

Why are you applying to University XYZ?

Why should the University accept you?

To address these, you can include the following components in your SOP­

1. Background and Aspirations ­ Clear goals help

2. Academic and Professional relevance ­ Show you are good in your field

Nistha has 3 endorsements in Graduate School Education.

Nistha Tripathi, MS CS from UIUC, half MBA from NYU, authored abook MS for Indian engineers

8/22/2015 (3) What are the points to be covered in a statement of purpose for applying for graduate school? ­ Quora

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3. Personal Story ­ Show a face behind the application | Talk about how youhave overcome challenges | what motivates you?

4. Talk about how you have applied your learning ­ Show that you canexecute your lessons in practice

5. Why are you applying to this school?

6. Why should this school admit you?

I designed something called SOP canvas to help you write that first drafteffectively by understanding what Admission Committees are looking for.Eventually a SOP is nothing but your sales pitch to the school. You need to sellyourself and convince the school that you are in love with it. I have written about this in detail in my book ­ MS BOOK: Smart Engineer'scomplete guide to MS in USA 879 views • 9 upvotes • Written 12 Aug

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Four steps:

1. Begin with a story.2. Segue your story into your professional goals.3. Segue your professional goals into why you like that particular graduateschool.4. Revise dozens of times until every sentence, every word is crisp.

I used this to get into Harvard Law, Johns Hopkins SAIS, and a bunch of othertop grad schools, in addition to landing some big scholarships.

For more writing tips, see my book Career Talk (Amazon.com: Career Talk:Everything You Need to Know to Have a Great Career eBook: Andre Castillo:Kindle Store ). 849 views • 10 upvotes • Updated 10 Jun

Andr

Andre Castillo, Author & CEO, Career Mavin

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