10 Tips to Write a Great Statement of Purpose

10 Tips to Write a Great Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose should convince readers– the faculty on the selection committee– that you have solid achievements behind you that show promise for your success in graduate study. Think of the statement of purpose as a composition with four different parts.

Read : Statement of Purpose - what's in it?

1. Grab the spotlight.

Let your personality shine and show what is unique about you through your statement of purpose.

2.Share your experiences.

As a non-traditional student, you can enrich your academic studies and those of others by sharing your life experiences and wisdom. Talk about your journey – the hurdles, triumphs and lessons learned.

3.Elaborate on your academic interests

Here you indicate what you would like to study in graduate school in enough detail to convince the faculty that you understand the scope of research in their discipline, and are engaged with current research themes.

a) Indicate the area of your interests. Ideally, pose a question, define a problem, or indicate a theme that you would like to address, and questions that arise from contemporary research. This should be an ample paragraph!

b) Look on the web for information about departments you’re interested in, including professors and their research. Are there professors whose research interests parallel yours? If so, indicate this. Check the specific program; many may require you to name a professor or professors with whom you might work.

c) End your statement in a positive manner, indicating your excitement and readiness for the challenges ahead of you.

4.Express your passion.

Describe why the program inspires you. Explain what you’re interested in learning and how you think the program will help you achieve your ambitions.

5.Show instead of tell.

Use sensory details, concrete nouns, active verbs and small moments that symbolize larger personal truths. Suddenly, your description of objects, actions and feelings spring to life.

6.Demonstrate your knowledge of the program.

Identify particular paths of study that appeal to you. Characterize your fascination with a professor’s research or your interest in a particular theory or school of thought.

7.Follow the rules.

Evaluators who sift through thousands of applications are easily frustrated by an applicant that didn’t read or observe instructions. If they want 500 words, that's what you give them. Perfect your grammar and punctuation. Eliminate typos, misspellings or other inaccuracies.

8.Seek feedback.

It's not cheating to have friends, co-workers and writing consultants review your essay and provide suggestions.

9.Conquer the blank page.

If you freeze before a blank page, shelve your inner-critic and mute your inner-editor. Set a timer for 10 minutes or more and write without stopping. Let your ideas out. Write about your achievements, failures, hobbies, volunteer work, likes and dislikes. Anything about you is fodder for your first draft.

10.Give yourself the time to write.

Creating a powerful essay that reflects who you are takes a lot of time. You need to develop ideas, create a first draft, produce multiple revisions by critiquing and editing. And when you’re finally satisfied, you need to proof your work several times.

Essential Tips

1. What the admissions committee will read between the lines: self-motivation, competence, potential as a graduate student.

2. Emphasize everything from a positive perspective and write in an active, not a passive voice.

3. Demonstrate everything by example; don’t say directly that you’re a persistent person, show it.

4. If there is something important that happened to you that affected your grades, such as poverty, illness, or excessive work, state it. Write it affirmatively, showing your perseverance despite obstacles. You can elaborate more in your personal statement.

5. Make sure everything is linked with continuity and focus.

6. Unless the specific program says otherwise, be concise; an ideal essay should say everything it needs to with brevity. Approximately 500 to 1000 well-selected words (1-2 single space pages in 12 point font) is better than more words with less clarity and poor organization.