Why Graduate
School?
Because people do not make
career decisions based purely on reason, it can be difficult to explain
why you have chosen a particular field of study. What follows are some
categories into which your ideas may fall, but your focus should be on
your unique, personal details. Also, keep in mind that you are not
limited to any one of the following, but should develop multiple reasons
as you see fit--so long as your points are focused and coherent.
Early Exposure to Your
Field
Graduate school is a serious
commitment, and it may have been your goal for a long time. Describing
your early exposure to a field can offer effective insight into your
core objectives. Watch out, however, for these two potential problems:
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Avoid offering your
point in such a clichéd, prepackaged way as to make your reader
cringe. For example, you should not start your essay, "I have always
wanted to…." or "I have always known that [X field] was my calling."
Instead, you should discuss specific events that led to your
interest in the field.
-
Do not rely solely on
your initial reason and forget to justify your choice with more
recent experiences. Think about what you have learned about your
chosen field-and yourself-that has further stimulated your interest
and reinforced your conviction that you are well suited to that
course of study.
This applicant traces his interest in photojournalism to his
collection of baseball cards and sports pictures at a young age. The
youthful sense of curiosity and passion he conveys is sincere and draws
the reader into his individual mindset. The writer goes on to describe
the evolution of his hobby, which becomes a vocation after he earns some
publishing credits and enrolls in a BFA program.
Goals
Graduate school is, of
course, a means to an end, and admissions committees prefer students who
know where they're going and to what use they'll put their education
(though the occasional soul-searcher, who may exhibit exceptional raw
potential, is welcomed). For many people, the long-term goal is to work
in academia, and to differentiate yourself in such cases, you can stress
more specific objectives such as your research interests (see the
following section).
Other degrees can lead to
work outside the academic setting.
This applicant describes his reasons for pursuing a degree in public
policy: "Providing health care to 44 million uninsured Americans, while
keeping insurance affordable, is one of the most difficult challenges
facing policymakers. I want to work in state or local government to
resolve this health care crisis and ensure that the disadvantaged get
the care they need and deserve." Rather than offering a clichéd
sentiment about wanting to "help people" or "change society," he
identifies a specific issue and explains the origin and evolution of his
interest.
Research Interests
Read the instructions
carefully: Sometimes schools will ask for a statement of purpose
describing your specific research interests in lieu of, or in addition
to, a personal statement that emphasizes your character and qualities.
For these types of essays, you can assume that a faculty member will be
reading your statement, but it should still be accessible enough for a
non-specialist to understand. Remember that such essays should also
still aim to engage the reader in a way that conveys your own enthusiasm
for the subject matter.
This applicant demonstrates the depth of her knowledge about her
subject. To engage the reader, she identifies specific problems that she
hopes to investigate: "My junior year and private studies of Anglo-Saxon
language and literature have caused me to consider the question of where
the divisions between folklore, folk literature, and high literature
lie. Should I attend your school, I would like to resume my studies of
Anglo-Saxon poetry, with special attention to its folk elements." The
essay is not scholarly, but it offers a glimpse of her intellectual
character and proves the maturity of her goals.
Addressing the School
While professional schools
tend to have similar curricula, the differences between graduate
programs abound. The highest-ranked institution in your basic subject
might not be strong in the particular areas that you want to pursue.
Moreover, graduate school involves more direct faculty relationships, so
you want to evaluate your potential mentors carefully.
You should do this research
for your own sake, of course, but discussing your discoveries in your
personal statement can help convince the admissions committee that you
are a good fit. Avoid mistakes like discussing the school's rank or
prestige, or simply offering generic praise. Instead, mention faculty
members by name and indicate some knowledge of their work. Consider
contacting faculty members first and discussing their current research
projects and your interest in studying under them. Then refer to these
contacts in your essay. You may also want to discuss your interest in
becoming involved in a particular student organization or activity.
This applicant demonstrates a carefully considered interest in the
school's program in Paragraphs 7 and 8. She explains, for example, that
this particular university's cross-disciplinary focus holds a specific
appeal for her. Additionally, she reveals an in-depth understanding of
the work of one of the school's faculty members, mentioning Akhil Gupta
by name and expounding upon Dr. Gupta's influence upon her own work.
Similarly,
this applicant, after describing how her laboratory experience has
led to a heightened interest in neurological diseases and their
underlying causes, demonstrates in detail how Mt. Sinai's Ph.D. program
is an excellent fit for her. She is clearly familiar with Mt. Sinai's
faculty, which includes many experts in her field of interest, several
of whom she mentions by name. Note, however, that mentioning several
professors is not as effective as describing one in further depth. The
previous applicant left no doubt that she knew Dr. Gupta's work well,
while it's not clear that this applicant did anything more than
superficially research the areas of specialization of four professors.
