Lesson 2: Getting Started
The statement of purpose should focus on your academic interests in graduate school and plans after you graduate; spend much less time describing how you reached the point of wanting to go to graduate school and highlight only those experiences that illustrate your potential to succeed. Your academic history should be used as evidence that you are prepared for this next step and can distinguish yourself in your program.
Think of a statement of purpose like the cover letter for a job application. (Don’t ever confuse it with a personal statement for undergrad admissions.) You wouldn’t tell stories about how much you loved biology class in an application to work at a lab. You’d highlight your skills and experience in very specific terms. Likewise, in your statement of purpose for graduate school you want to emphasize what you’ve done that has equipped you for this next challenge, especially your research experience.
Remember too that the statement of purpose should clearly state your particular research interests, but you’ll also need to show a general curiosity about the field as a whole. Why? Professors want to know that you will be a willing and active participant in their seminars.
“The people who read these things want to know whether or not you will be an asset to their program. You have to prove that you have the potential to eventually publish, teach, and make presentations. You have to present yourself both as professional and as someone who is able to be taught.”
- from Jane Bast, “Making a Statement,” Chronicle of Higher Education (February 19, 2004)
You need to define your interests specifically but not narrowly and highlight a secondary field that aligns with the faculty expertise at the institution to which you are applying. It’s a Goldilocks problem: You want to identify a particular area of interest and avoid seeming too narrow or too broad.
One practical matter: Your statement should be around two pages (not just one and definitely not three), double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman. That’s about 500 to 750 words. Of course, if an individual program defines specific requirements, follow those!
A note about University of California schools: The University of California also requests a personal statement. The focus here is on identity and diversity--yours personally, in terms of your background and upbringing--as well as professionally in addressing issues related to gender, race, class, human rights, oppression, and inequality within your research and career plans.
Programs other than the MA/MS or PhD (e.g., MSW or EDD) may have specific prompts. Address these, of course, but keep in mind that all the advice here still applies. Faculty members need to know why you want to earn a graduate degree; what specifically you hope to study; and how your interests fit with their program. Even in questions that seem to ask you to opine on larger or abstract issues, remember that you want to emphasize the skills and experience you bring to graduate study.
