I just received comments on my statement of purpose from one of my old professors, and...ouch. Here they are:
I’m not sure what to suggest. It’s unusually well-written, but I think a review committee for a Phd program at least would say that it doesn’t target specific research areas you would work on—other than the most general-- and sounds a lot like many other letters of application (even the information about depression to explain wobbly grades, surprisingly.) For an MA program, it’s probably fine.
I have severe depression and PTSD that was untreated in college, and I mentioned it in my SOP to explain some withdrawals I have. My GPA is 3.78, so it's not super shabby, I think. Should I take this information out? It is related to my research interests (disability studies).
My second question is the most important: how specific can, and should, I get on my research interests? I don't have an MA, and I feel sort of lost where this is concerned. Any words of advice would be appreciated!