Any way to see the full Application forms for past years ?

[ahmadka]

Hi guys .. I want to apply later this year for Masters in CS field from a known US university .. I wanted to see the previous years' application forms for different universities (Cal, CMU, Stanford, etc.), but then found out that universities have closed those online forms on their sites as the deadlines have been crossed.

 

So is there any way to see the past application forms given the above, so that I can prepare myself for the form in advance ?

[ahmadka]

So I guess there's no way to see the actual application forms from previous years ? I would have thought such information is probably like a public record or something

[Vene]

That's a lot of very personal information, why would it be public record?

[Gvh]

I think he just wants to see what the application *looks like*, not necessarily filled out applications. But, I don't think this is possible either; you could try emailing the school if you're dead-set. 

[TakeruK]

Most schools will open their forms again by July or so. Most deadlines are around December. Do you really need more than 5 months to fill out the forms? 

 

If you really really want them though, maybe you can write to the graduate office and ask for a paper copy (since many places will accept paper forms). But, they might not even be ready and by the time you receive them, it might be July anyways.

[ahmadka]

Yeah I just wanted to see the empty forms ...

 

I just wanted to see them to confirm what their prompts are for the PS/SoP, because they kind of vary between universities .. If I have the exact prompts in advance, I can start working on the essays in advance too .. As much as 5 months may sound, given my job and family errands, it might still not be enough for me

[Gvh]

To be fair, if you just want SOP prompts, you might be able to find that info on the school's website. I managed to find much of this kind of info before the application opened when I was applying for masters... 

[samiam]

If you post this in the Computer Science forum, someone who went through the process last year might be able to help you. No guarantee the prompts will remain the same, though.

[themmases]

SOP prompts typically don't change from year to year. An SOP is what it is-- a short essay about your qualifications, goals, and interest in the program. Individual schools or fields might have norms about length or specific information about your skills that you must include, but it's not like schools are assigning a unique essay topic each year-- this isn't the GRE.

 

For example, this page describes the SOP for a masters degree in CS at Stanford: http://cs.stanford.edu/content/checklist

Your Statement of Purpose should be concise, focused, and well written. It should describe succinctly your reasons for applying to the proposed program at Stanford, your preparation for this field of study, research interests, future career plans, and other aspects of your background and interests which may aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study. The Statement of Purpose must be no more than 8000 characters in length. This includes spaces in between words. it will be submitted as part of the online application.

 

That's a really standard description of an SOP, and it's generally all the prompt you get. The rest of the content and topic is supposed to be about you, and supplied by you.