Annual statement of purpose panic!

[strategicallyessential]

It's that time of year...and I'm totally panicking about my statement of purpose. I've read a number of threads on this forum and the SOP specific one, and while I certainly have a sense of what I should be doing, I also have yet to find any sociology-specific examples. Other GradCafe folks have posted their SOPs and admits after the admission cycles (see: ). Is that something current soc grad students would be willing to do? I honestly don't even need/want the level of info--really just an example or two of what a good soc SOP looks like. 

 

Alternatively--or additionally, I guess--are there any current grad students or other older and experienced folks on the forum who would be open to reading/critiquing my SOP? I have folks IRL who will, including some profs. However, I don't have any peers who are currently soc grad students and, because I went to a small LAC, I get the sense that my profs are not super up-to-date on the process. Mostly what I'm looking for is a discipline specific critique. Is that even necessary? Or are those poli sci examples and the thoughts of friends (including some current grad students in different fields) enough? 

 

Thanks in advance for your help! You all continually impress me with your usefulness and generosity. Thank you for taking the time to make this whole process a little less opaque and terrifying.

Edited September 23, 2014 by strategicallyessential

[GeoDUDE!]

A good statement of purpose is one that states the reasons why you want to go to graduate school. It is not as complicated as one thinks.

[lyrehc]

A good statement of purpose is one that states the reasons why you want to go to graduate school. It is not as complicated as one thinks.

 

I'll second that. It is really easy to over think SOP, but all you need is something that says "I want to go to your program because. . . "

 

I'm in Comm but almost decided to go Soc (I debated between the two). The programs I almost applied to (all sociology) would have had very similar letters.  This is the one I used (identifying information removed):

 

 

            My friends call me a disaster magnet.  While it is true that I evacuated for Hurricane Rita, survived an Oregon cyclone, lived through eruptions of two separate volcanos, experienced smoke from multiple forest fires, and dealt with multiple occurrences of extreme cold or heat these events could have happened to anyone.  Disasters can occur anywhere at any time and preparedness is essential, but an overwhelming number of households are not prepared.

            Disaster research is my passion and I focus primarily upon determining why people do or do not plan for disasters.  Communication is the field of study I believe to be best suited to my research.  The research I completed as an undergraduate and as a Master’s student has led me to question whether the current emergency management model contributes to a lack of preparedness.  Would households make decisions differently if the emergency management structure was not built on a civil defense model?  How can city, state, and national leaders effectively communicate the risks of being unprepared?  In addition to organizational and risk communication, I also believe that examining these questions through the lens of persuasion theories might provide a key to better understanding how to promote the message that preparedness is vital.

            I am applying to the Communication PhD program at xxxxx for two reasons.  First, xxxxx has similar research interests to mine.  The ability to collaborate with him would be an incredible opportunity and one I hope to have.  Second, xxxxx is located in “tornado alley.”  While this might not appeal to other students the ability to research disaster messages in an area of the United States where residents are well-aware of hazard risks would be of great benefit.

          

 

This statement is not fancy but my department liked my straightforward and concise approach.

 

(If I had decided to follow the sociology path I would have probably mentioned Dr. Quarantelli, Dr. Dynes, Dr. Fothergill, or Dr. Tierney and how their research has affected my research path.)

HTH

Edited September 24, 2014 by lyrehc

[strategicallyessential]

Thank you, lyrehc! The example is useful--and I do get the point of the statement of purpose, I've just been trying to figure out the most effective way to write one.

[uselesstheory]

I'm worried I'm going to go too far to the solely academic extreme with mine - very straightforward, solely about research interests, faculty interest, what I want to pursue and why...and so on. That's my first inclination as to what seems appropriate, especially with length constraints, and I sort of assumed there was no need for personal reasons/background unless there were necessary issues to explain, but now I'm reading some examples and they sound a bit more "literary", if that makes sense. 

 

The only school to which I'm applying that requires both an academic SOP and a personal statement is UMich, and I see the obvious difference in topic and writing perspective, but I assumed that for schools only asking for an academic SOP, a strictly academic approach is fine.

 

Am I wrong to assume? Or am I confusing myself when it's actually very simple?

[strategicallyessential]

Uselesstheory, I've also been erring on the more academic side. I've been thinking of it as a cover letter--so, it should be interesting, but I'm staying more professional instead of doing the whole "personal story hook" thing. I do spend some time talking about what I've been up to post graduation and how it's led me back to sociology, but all in a way that is about demonstrating qualifications. Not sure if that helps? I would also be down to switch SOPs if you think that could be useful! 

[cheff]

How important do you all think it is to have a project proposal in a SOP? A pretty big section of mine is outlining a potential project my research interests could become, with the idea of "show don't tell". I tried to make it as actionable as possible- outlining connections to a lab where I could do an "in situ" ethnography, etc. Overkill maybe? 

[uselesstheory]

@cheff: I'm (considering, for some departments) using a project proposal as my writing sample. I feel like attempting that in a SOP would be difficult, but it's possible! I have been told to err on the general side by some people, but others have said to be quite specific with my interests, which led to the ultimate answer of "the risks/benefits of being that specific vary by department and it's almost impossible to know which departments prefer which approach". I'd say going to the point of discussing connections to a lab may be interpreted as too rigidly fixed on one specific project, but again, that depends on where you are applying.

 

@strategicallyessential: thank you - definitely. That sounds very similar to what I'm doing, sans "post graduation" part. In a way, I feel like the "personal story hook" thing must get annoying for adcomm people after a while and I don't think there's anything wrong with emphasizing research experience and interests, as long as a true passion for sociology is obviously conveyed. That's what I'm hoping, at least. 

 

All of my interesting personal stories are too controversial/personal to go into a SOP and the bland ones are...bland.

[strategicallyessential]

@cheff, I think uselesstheory is right in that we can't know what each school is looking for. That said, some schools (U Wisconsin is the one that comes to mind--http://ssc.wisc.edu/soc/grad/Admission%20advice.pdf) specifically say they don't want t a research proposal. So maybe it's worth digging around each website and seeing if schools say anything? Obviously vagueness seems to be the most common thing, but it never hurts to check.