minke

In at SPEA and Humphrey, waiting to hear from Maxwell (syracuse), WWS, GPSS, and Evans (UW).

I think you could omit the first two sentences without losing any content. I agree, this is a well-focused paragraph and a strong intro.

What's important to you in a grad school? The website isn't the only source of information about a school, they have entire departments devoted to admissions. Call them up and ask for a brochure. Set up an informational phone appt with an admissions person and ask them the questions you'd like to know the answers to. Just because it's a good program doesn't necessarily mean it's a good program for you... it's good to answer this in an sop, but even better to know for yourself. I wouldn't mention geographical location or general reputation as a reason for picking the school. They know their reputation, and geography isn't a compelling reason to let you in.

Is your master's program just a year long? Trying to figure out why you're applying to PhD programs before you start a master's... especially when it seems like you might have access to resources (aka real live comp lit professors) this winter. To answer your question directly, I think you should consider learning more about comp lit. Talk to current comp lit grad students if you can find them to see how focused they were in their sop's. Troll the internet. A quick google search led me to the cuny's website, where their student bios look like they have some pretty diverse interests represented: Area of concentration: British and American realist novel; 19th and 20th century Russian/ Slavic literature; exilic memoir; aesthetics, ekphrasis; literature and art; literature and science Area of concentration: Romantic, 19th and 20th century literature (American, German, Polish); theories of anxiety; the aestheticization of the urban landscape; intersections of philosophy, literature and history. Area of concentration:18th and 19th Century Russian Literature, 19th and 20th century British Literature, Classical and Modern Drama, Short Story, Latin Try reading course catalogs online to get a better idea for things you might want to study within the discipline. You've got time to research, and it sounds like you're getting tripped up on the sop because you need a little more clarity of purpose. Some amount of change once you reach a program is to be expected, but you should come up with a working hypothesis that you're excited about.

They might want to hear what sector of the working world you're interested in, which field you specifically plan on going into, why you think you're a good fit for their program, and what your career goals are after you graduate. More background in what, exactly? SEO? Code languages? Interface design? Do you want a CS Career? SOPs for master's programs have writing prompts where they're pretty clear about the questions they want you to answer. Here's Standford's: Statement of Purpose - 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. Make a list where you respond to each red word (bullet points are great for this), and you'll be well on your way to a first draft of an SOP.

It seems extremely relevant. I'd try to find a non-cheesy way to include it, maybe not share a gory anecdote but more something along the lines of what you shared with us. Your childhood (?) in the balkans deeply motivates you to study these issues, and furthermore provides you with the language skills necessary to do so. Then spend more time talking about your academic preparation and everything else an SOP is for.

I wouldn't mention it unless it's directly relevant. Ie, my spouse survived breast cancer, so now instead of being some other kind of scientist I want to cure cancer. Look at the average age of people in the program you're applying to... the average age of a first marriage in this country is 26. Spend your valuable words elsewhere.

I think you'd benefit immensely from cutting this paragraph in half. It's verbose, passive, and I don't feel like I know you or your likely success in an english grad program any better after reading the entire thing. A statement of purpose is your opinion or belief by definition, any use of these phrases is redundant. I revised your intro sentences. You used ~80 words, I used ~50. The quote “experientia docuit” is usually translated as “experience teaches,” but in a wider sense it can mean experience is the art that teaches all other arts. This rings true of my academic career; each of the side paths that I explored contributed to my passion for the academic study of the English language. This is your thesis. Spend the essay proving it. My year spent teaching English in South Korea after my undergraduate work led to an interest in secondary school education, which informed my decision to pursue a Bachelor of Education. I gained a great deal from this second bachelor’s degree, with two facets that stand out in particular: the reinvigoration of my passion for research and academia and my first exposure to the field of gender studies. The latter, in particular, has been both illuminating and inspirational; continuous academic research as well as first-hand practicum teaching experience has allowed me to explore the deep impact of gender socialisation on secondary school students and the need for more understanding. Any particular insights here? More understanding on whose part? Insofar as interdisciplinary pursuits usually beget unexpected results, this practical experience has unexpectedly evolved into a desire to explore the theoretical in an attempt to understand the deeper bedrock of prevailing Western societal conceptions of gender by means of literature. I have spent the intervening period since my undergraduate degree doing independent, interest-based research grounded in the intersection of these two great passions of mine: gender studies and Renaissance literature, which has helped me to focus my dedication as well as hone my motivation, tenacity and research skills. I strongly believe that this exploratory period away from academia has allowed me to grow personally as well as discover my interests fully and absorb new ideas. Who did you read? Who did you find most compelling? Why do you want to study this for so long? Edit brutally! Print it out and get out the red pen! Have fun with it... Also, consider leaning towards masters programs. If you don't have high level undergrad preparation in these areas, despite all of your self-directed study you might benefit from some structured academic exploration of the discipline before attempting a PhD.