Writing the statement of purpose for graduate school
2015-10-11 02:28:24
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Writing the statement of purpose for graduate school UC BerkeleyGraduate School - Statement
Graduate and professional schools
Writing the statement of purpose for graduate school UC BerkeleyGraduate School - Statement
Graduate and professional schools often require some sort of written statement as a part of theapplication. The terminology differs, but may include "statement of purpose," "personalstatement," "letter of intent," "personal narrative," etc. Some statements require rather specificinformation--for example, the applicant's intended area of study within a graduate field. Otherssuggest subjects which should be addressed specifically. Still others are quite unstructured,leaving the applicant free to address a wide range of matters. Some applications call for onestatement, while others require responses to a series of six or more questions, ranging from 250to 750 words each. The importance of the statement varies from school to school and from fieldto field. Determine your purpose in writing the statement Determine the content of your statement Determine your approach and style of the statement Words and phrases to avoid without explanationDetermine your purpose in writing the statementUsually the purpose is to persuade the admissions committee that you are an applicant whoshould be chosen. You may wish to show that you have the ability and motivation to succeed inyour field, or you may wish to show the committee that, on the basis of your experience, you arethe kind of candidate who will do well in the field. Whatever its purpose, the content must bepresented in a manner that will give coherence to the whole statement. Pay attention to the purpose throughout the statement so that extraneous material is leftout. Pay attention to the audience (committee) throughout the statement. Remember that youraudience is made up of professionals in their field, and you are not going to tell them howthey should act or what they should be. You are the amateur.Determine the content of your statementBe sure to answer any questions fully. Analyze the questions or guidance statements for theessay completely and answer all parts. Usually graduate and professional schools are interestedin the following matters, although the form of the question(s) and the responses may vary: Your purpose in graduate study. This means you must have thought this through beforeyou try to answer the question. The area of study in which you wish to specialize. This requires that you know the fieldwell enough to make a decision and are able to state your preferences using the languageof the field.
