SOProblems

Hello again, thanks alot for all these helpful comments! I think (or rather hope;) that you really helped me to improve my SOP. @ R Deckard: Thanks for the two remarks you made. In the second draft of my SOP (see below) I added an introductory sentence/paragraph as you told me and I also revised the other sentence with the intention to make it sound utterly positive;) @ coffeeplease: That you think that I made a good start gave me alot of motivation to not give up! Thanks! You also told me to be more specific. I tried that a little bit - and I think it made the second draft alot better than the first one - but I guess I need to be even more specific... But that is really hard! @ psychgurl: I kicked the "If you don`t know what to do, then ..." quote. You might have noticed that I am not native in english. And this is why my quote sounds that odd. I once made a semester abroad in an english speaking country and then I met this prof in one of my classes and he said something along these lines. But I forgot the exact wording. What I do know is that he also meant it a little bit ironically (or sarcastically), if you know what I mean. I.e. it was actually meant like "If you really have nothing else to do, then..." - in a funny way. He was just a nice guy and this is how he made a complement on the paper I delivered. But now I don`t use that in my SOP anymore. Just too confusing. And I also tried to incorporate my research experience, I think this is the main improvement of the second draft. What do you think? @ splitends: I am not applying next fall. Actually, I am applying next week. I apply to european programmes and the deadlines are a little bit later than in the US. Next week will be the first deadline of one out of a couple of programmes that I am applying to, so I will need to have at least something up until then. But I guess I will change my letter alot before I apply to all the other programmes (there is still some weeks left for the others). And you are right! The first draft was very generic (a new word I learnt in this forum;), but now I improved on that (hopefully). @ wine in coffee cups: Your comments are valuable too. I tried to take them into account. Thanks! And here is my second draft: =============================================================================================== I am applying for the doctoral XYZ of the XYZ program to prepare for the XYZ and for the PhD at XYZ. My research interests lie first and foremost in the areas of microeconomics, development economics, international trade and in the interplay between these disciplines. Specifically, I am interested in microeconomic perspectives of development and in the linkages between trade and development. I started studying economics because I wanted to know how economies work in detail. The questions that I had in mind before I began studying - at the time I had a rather vague idea about economics as an academic discipline - were questions that I would now, five years later, classify as typical macroeconomic issues. Why do economies grow? How does the international monetary system function? And what about business cycles? Ironically, after the first semester of my Bachelor studies I knew exactly what I want to focus on: micro- rather than macroeconomics. What fascinated me the most about microeconomics is its abstract, analytical and coherent approach, the extensive use of mathematics in microeconomic modelling (all of which reminded me a lot of physics that I had as a major in high school) and the wide range of possible applications (such as the study of strategic interactions in game-theoretic settings). As a result, I ended up taking as many micro and micro-related courses as possible and specialized in microeconomics, public economics and game theory. Studying these disciplines greatly influenced my way of thinking. I began seeing the world through different eyes, through the eyes of a (micro-)economist. The course program I pursued during my Bachelor studies also equipped me with a wide range of quantitative skills in the areas of mathematics, statistics, econometrics and information systems, to name just a few. As I have studied microeconomics extensively during my first three years of studying, I felt inclined to explore other areas of economics that I also have great interest in during my Master studies. This is why I decided to choose a Master program in International Economics and to focus on development economics, international trade and quantitative skills. I am now close to graduating from the Master's program and I am eager to begin with the doctoral programme in economics at the XYZ this fall for many reasons. Firstly, while I already have acquired special knowledge and skills during the coursework of my previous studies, I want to plunge in deeper into specific disciplines, especially in the areas of modern development and advanced microeconomics. I would also like to deepen and strenghten my already solid quantitative skills. Particularly, I would like to get more training in advanced econometric techniques, such as advanced time series analysis, and to apply these to my PhD research questions. Secondly, I want to contribute towards cutting-edge research. I discovered my passion for research when I made a six months internship with an interdisciplinary, independent and non-profit think tank during my undergraduate studies. As the reseacher of a project team that developed a social policy scheme aiming at alleviating the disequality of opportunities in the XYZ education system I gathered my first experience as a researcher. Moreover, to optimally prepare for PhD studies, I tried to do as much academic writing as possible during my Master studies, above all in the areas of development economics, international trade and applied econometrics. To give just one example, in my most recent seminar paper I analysed the effectiveness of XYZ by applying advanced econometric techniques to a self-composed panel data set. While my research built on the work done by other authors, by using unique model specifications I was able to better deal with potential endogeneity problems (omitted variable bias in this particular case) and to create new and useful knowledge. The feedback my professors gave me on my academic writings during my graduate studies (8 papers in total without the master thesis) were utterly positive in all cases. As such, I am profoundly convinced that my research bears the potential to contribute to the literature. During my second exchange semester with the XYZ in XYZ I also attended the weekly PhD research seminar at the Department of Economics at one of my professors special invitation. This experience reinforced my decision to do my PhD in Economics. And thirdly, ... ============================================================================================================ What do you think? Is there anything that sounds odd? Shall I leave it like that with the comparison between micro and physics or shall I kick that out? Any other thoughts? Obvious spelling, grammar, punctuation mistakes? Thanks alot for any comment! Oh and then: Shall I mention that I was a teaching assistant (in micro)? And then, I am also the student with the best grades in my master studies. Shall I point that out or would that sound swanky?

Hi there, I am planning to apply for a PhD in Economics and I have to, of course, hand in a short SOP. The problem: I find it quite difficult to write about myself. I am somehow blocked, it just does not work that well. Moreover, I don`t really know what they expect. Of course I read alot in this forum and elsewhere, but still ... I attached the beginning of my kind of first draft of my SOP. I know that it is far from perfect! I would appreciate a lot of helpful comments (and probably even corrections of spelling, grammar and punctuation). Does it go into the right direction or am I messing this up completely? So here we go (just the beginning): ============================================================================================= “If you have no other plans, you should become a professor in economics”, a professor once told me after having read my paper on XYZ that I wrote in his XYZ class. I started studying economics because I wanted to know how economies work in detail. The questions that I had in mind before I began studying - at the time I had a rather vague idea about economics as an academic discipline - were questions that I would now, five years later, classify as typical macroeconomic issues. Why do economies grow? How does the international monetary system function? And what about business cycles? Ironically, after the first semester of my Bachelor studies I knew exactly what I want to focus on: Micro- rather than Macroeconomics. As a result, I ended up taking as many micro and micro-related courses as possible and specialized in Microeconomics, Public Economics and Game Theory. The course programme I pursued during my Bachelor studies also equipped me with a wide range of quantitative skills in the areas of Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics and Information Systems, to name just a few. Due to my strong preference for attending micro-related courses during my first three years of studying economics I was not able to adequately cover other disciplines that I am also interested in, such as Trade and Development. This is why I decided to choose a masters programme in International Economics and to focus on Development Economics, International Trade and quantitative skills. I am now close to finishing my master studies and I am eager to begin with the doctoral programme in economics at the XYZ this fall. ============================================================================================== Thanks!