Hi everyone,
what do you think about mentioning in your SoP the profs you intend to work with when you get admitted to grad school? I have seen this advise often in SoP books but I am a bit skeptical because if this professor will go to another university, has not got a tenure track position, is on absence soon, retires, or simply doesn't like your application it might weaken your application.
Secondly, if you apply to top schools I am also not so sure if you should give reasons (though this too is recommended) because it should be pretty obvious why you apply at, say, Harvard and Stanford (because they are the best) and given particular reasons might even sound a bit insulting to such high-ranked places.
What do you think?