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What Makes a Good Statement of Purpose for Graduate School? Part II
November 19, 2004
Our three admissions experts from Harvard, NYU, and Yale
return to offer additional insight into what should and should not be a part
of your statement of purpose.
Career Center (CC): How should an applicant deal with discrepancies in their
record (grades, test scores, etc.)?
David P. Giovanella (DG), New York University, Graduate School of Arts &
Science, Graduate Enrollment Services: Applicants should either include this in the personal
statement or add an amendment paragraph briefly describing the situation.
Gregg Glover (GG), Associate Director of Admissions, Harvard Graduate School
of Education: The statement of purpose can be a useful place to discuss
discrepancies in your record if no other appropriate place in the application
exists to do so. For example, one can explain further why a GPA declined one
year due to a severe personal hardship. While some applications provide a separate
space for such explanations, the statement provides the opportunity to elaborate
on specific situations if they are relevant.
Try not to leave any doubts or questions in the minds of the admissions committee.
Admissions committees are, at some level, trying to determine if the applicant
will succeed, and hopefully thrive, in their program, and the statement can
allow you the chance to present your case most accurately and fairly. But do
not dwell on discrepancies, either.
Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo (LCL), Assistant Dean, Yale Graduate School of Arts
and Sciences: You should mention any discrepancies in your academic record
briefly (1-3 sentences) and perhaps provide an explanation of the circumstances
as to why this happened and how you have addressed these issues. You may wish
to ask one of your recommenders to briefly provide some explanation as to why
there are issues in your record.
CC: Are there any special topics that should be covered in the statement
of purpose?
DG: Applicants should discuss educational objectives, career plans, how their past experience
contributed to future goals, why the particular program interested them, and how
they will relate to the program. The applicant should show that she/he has researched
the program.
LCL: You should definitely discuss your specific research interests
in the program you are applying to and how your interests match with the interests
of faculty and or resources that the particular program has to offer. You should
include a brief discussion of relevant research experiences which have allowed
you to clarify your educational and career objectives in the field, as well
as your understanding of the current relevant research literature in your field.
Also, clearly explain your career objectives and what you hope to accomplish
once you receive a PhD. These objectives should be realistic and well-informed,
not idealistic and vague.
CC: What should you not include in the statement?
DG: The applicant should not repeat him or herself, be grandiose, or
be too long.
GG: It is not wise to include irrelevant or excessive personal information,
or to try to be overly humorous. Also, the essay should always keep to the required
length.
LCL: If you are applying to PhD programs, you should not spend a lot
of time describing your extracurricular and/or volunteer activities unless
it is directly relevant to the PhD program of study you are applying to. PhD
admissions committees are interested in whether or not you have the ability
to become an outstanding scholar in the field and whether or not you are a good
fit with the academic environment and resources offered within their program.
CC: How personal should you get?
DG: This is up to the individual applicant.
GG: It's acceptable to offer insights to an admissions committee about
who you are and what is important to you, or what is driving your desire for
graduate study. At our school, the reasons for pursuing programs in education
can often be personal ones, derived from an applicant's personal or professional
experiences. It is fine to describe these, and sometimes powerful to do so.
An applicant may benefit by describing one's "passion," but only in
a context that is relevant to the proposed graduate study.
One shouldn't, however, get too personal or offer too much biography in the
statement. For example, four pages of biography in a five-page essay are too
much! Do not include a laundry list of activities or repeat one's resume. Include the resume instead,
and highlight an important experience or two. I would only include personal
information that is 1) relevant and 2) compelling and important to one's desire
for graduate study. Personal information should not outweigh a discussion of
an applicant's plan or reasons for graduate study in an essay. Remember, writing
essays for graduate applications is about making choices -- what to include, what
to highlight, what to elaborate upon.
LCL: Do not spend a lot of time talking about your personal life story;
and mention it only briefly if it's relevant to your motivation for graduate
study.
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