Writing Statement of Purpose for Different Universities

The statement of purpose is a very important factor on your application. If you are planning to apply to different schools, you can get some tips from Personal Umich. Here are some of the ideas you will find in the site:

What’s important on writing the statement of purpose

While the statement of purpose is the best way for the admissions committee to gauge your writing skills, it is quite different from the college admissions essay, or the law school personal statement. Admissions committees will not be looking for the most well-written essay with the catchiest introduction. What they really mean when they talk about the statement of purpose is that the research interest match between you and the program is the most important factor for admission, and your interests are revealed in the statement of purpose.

Because of this, it is best that whatever topic you talk about, you have to connect it closely with the whys and hows of your application.

What you have to avoid

Don’t list experiences and awards
If awards are listed elsewhere in the application (which they are according to nearly all forms), don’t put them here again. Not only is it a waste of space but it also makes you sound arrogant. If there is something listed on your c.v. that deserves explanation, you can put it in here, but even then it could be better to have a letter writer mention it, if the award is something he or she is familiar with.

Your accomplishments are already listed on your resume. So you have to reserve the pages of your essay to attributes that could not be shown through your other application documents.

Another thing you have to avoid is being too emotional:

Don’t get too personal
Remember, it’s called a statement of purpose, NOT a personal statement. This is not an essay about your emotional development. If something in your personal life is integral to your studies, then you should include it. However, most of the time, professors do not want to read about your personal life. The statement of purpose should read more like a professional document.

You have to think of your readers. According to this site:

Remember your audience. Law school faculty and administrators are not persuaded by I learned more in my extracurricular activities than I ever learned in class or Varsity football was the most valuable part of my undergraduate education.

You have to say something deep and meaningful with regards to your application

In order to impress the admissions panel through your statement of purpose, you have to work hard on it. You have to make your essay not just interesting but also witty.

Comments

You must be logged in to post a comment.