Writing skills are important for all graduate programs. The final essential piece of a strong statement of purpose or letter of intent is strong writing. They want students who are genuinely enthused about their specific program and positioned to get the most out of what they have to offer. Programs want to admit students who aren’t just passionate about the field. Showing that you and the program are a match shows that you chose the program thoughtfully and have genuine interest in it. You should be able to identify both specific reasons why your work fits with the program and why the program suits your work/interests! Are there particular professors you’d like to work with? Does the department have a strong tradition in a certain methodology or theory you’re interested in? Is there a particular facet to the curriculum that you’d like to experience? The third essential ingredient to a great statement of purpose is to clearly lay out why you and the program are a good fit. Past successes: slithering, sliding, shedding, snaking. This gives admissions committees concrete evidence that you are qualified to undertake graduate study! But be sure to draw on specific, vivid examples. You might draw on your thesis, major projects you’ve worked on, papers you have written/published, presentations you’ve given, mentors you’ve worked with, and so on. You’ll probably discuss your undergraduate studies and any professional experience you have. To this end, you’ll need to provide evidence of how your background qualifies you to pursue this program and your specific interests in the field. They want applicants that will be able to follow through on their research/professional plans! Your program understands that interests change-they won’t be pulling out your research statement to cross-reference with your dissertation proposal!Ī great graduate school statement of purpose will also show programs that you have already been successful. If you are vague or say that everything in the field interests you, you run the risk of seeming unfocused or not actually that passionate.ĭon’t worry that being too specific will box you into a particular research area or subfield during your entire tenure in graduate school. Use examples of particular phenomena, tools, or situations that you find exciting. You should be as specific as possible in discussing what interests you. But we believe PrepScholar is the best GRE prep program available right now, especially if you find it hard to organize your study schedule and don't know what to study.Ĭlick here to learn how you can improve your GRE score by 7 points, guaranteed. You don't NEED a prep program to get a great GRE score. Not sure what to study? Confused by how to improve your score? We give you minute by minute guide. Quick side note: we've created the world's leading online GRE prep program that adapts to you and your strengths and weaknesses. For a more professional program, discuss what interests you within the professional field and what skills/knowledge you hope to gain through the program. Again, for a research-focused program, this will focus primarily on the research project(s) you want to undertake while you are there. Here are the essential elements of a strong graduate school statement of purpose:Ĭlear Articulation of Goals and InterestsĪ strong statement of purpose will clearly and specifically lay out your goals in undertaking the program and what you hope to accomplish with the degree. What’s in a Great Grad School Statement of Purpose? Why do you fit there, and how does what they offer fit your interests? Show how you fit together. For more professionally-focused graduate programs, your statement of purpose will primarily discuss how your pursuit of this professional program relates to your past experiences, and how you will use the skills from the program in your future career.Ī statement of purpose for grad school is also where you sell the admissions committee on why you belong in their program specifically. For research-focused programs, like most PhDs and many master’s degrees, your statement of purpose will focus primarily on your past research experience and plans. The Graduate School Statement of Purpose: An OverviewĪ statement of purpose (also called a letter of intent or a research statement) introduces your interests and experience to the admissions committee. ![]() ![]() ![]() Finally, we’ll direct you to even more helpful examples that you can find online! ![]() We’ll also provide analysis of what makes them successful. Then we’ll provide you with four successful statement of purpose examples from our graduate school experts. Not sure what graduate schools are looking for in a statement of purpose? Looking at successful graduate school statement of purpose samples can help! In this guide, we’ll orient you to what makes a great statement of purpose or letter of intent for graduate school.
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