DespSeekPhd

How could one write a statement of purpose while being deliberately vague about your, well, purpose? I'm not saying it didn't work for you, I'm just curious. I assume that when they ask for a statement of purpose, they want to see how well your can detail your plans. After all, they don't want people in their program who are floating around still trying to figure things out. They want to see that you have a narrowed focus that you are passionate about and can articulate it. Right?

I applied for an MA program, as my husband's medical residency precludes me from moving anywhere for a PhD for 3 more years. I briefly outlined my research interests (ecclesiastical medieval history) and noted three professors and how they could assist me. It took a couple paragraphs. The other question is, what is the benefit of working with a professor who does not have similar research interests to you?

I have no choice but to apply to programs based on one professor - the only existing program I can find that has more than one professor in my area of interest is Toronto. Every other program has maybe one professor that does early medieval and even touches on ecclesiastical. So I look at whether the professor is tenured, how long he/she has been there, how invested he/she is in the program, etc. When I apply for my PhD in a couple years, I'll need to apply to at least 10 programs to get myself a slot. So goes the application process.

How could one write a statement of purpose while being deliberately vague about your, well, purpose? I'm not saying it didn't work for you, I'm just curious. I assume that when they ask for a statement of purpose, they want to see how well your can detail your plans. After all, they don't want people in their program who are floating around still trying to figure things out. They want to see that you have a narrowed focus that you are passionate about and can articulate it. Right?

I applied for an MA program, as my husband's medical residency precludes me from moving anywhere for a PhD for 3 more years. I briefly outlined my research interests (ecclesiastical medieval history) and noted three professors and how they could assist me. It took a couple paragraphs. The other question is, what is the benefit of working with a professor who does not have similar research interests to you?

I have no choice but to apply to programs based on one professor - the only existing program I can find that has more than one professor in my area of interest is Toronto. Every other program has maybe one professor that does early medieval and even touches on ecclesiastical. So I look at whether the professor is tenured, how long he/she has been there, how invested he/she is in the program, etc. When I apply for my PhD in a couple years, I'll need to apply to at least 10 programs to get myself a slot. So goes the application process.