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Hi everyone, with application season in full swing I have been feverishly writing out a generalized version of the SOP that I will then tailor to be more applicable to individual schools. If anyone has the extra time to spare, it would be greatly appreciated if you could view over my SOP and give some constructive criticism about where I need to improve and alter what I've wrote. I will be providing an attachment below, but if you would prefer me to DM it to you I would be more than happy to oblige. If you would like to do a swap as well in order to be more enticed I would be happy to do so as well. Thanks everyone :) Grad Cafe SOP Review.pdf

Hey all, It has been a long time since I've been to this forum, but I thought I would write this post to share my experiences as an anthro major in undergrad to getting my MA through the MAPSS program at UChicago, and where I am now, in case any of you are wondering if it's worth it, or are just looking for some perspective in a field that is only getting more difficult to make something of, both academically and professionally. Please note that this review/perspective is from someone who decided *NOT* to pursue a PhD, but instead chose a non-academic career path. Maybe you can relate to this feeling, but when I was in undergrad, friends and family smirked when I told them I was pursuing anthropology. "What will you do with it?" and all other questions ensued. I myself wasn't too sure what I was going to "do" with it; I believed college was for pursuing what made you feel whole, and the "job" aspect of it was only an afterthought. Immature and naive, especially for a student going some $25,000 into debt at an unremarkable California State University. I did it, and considered going into the Peace Corps and made it through the final interviews, but ultimately didn't go. I was working in customer service at a tech company, answering phones all day. Personal things in my life made me move from NorCal to SoCal and I was in my second round of applying to graduate school after being rejected by the seven programs I had applied to the year prior. That second cycle I was only admitted to UChicago's MAPSS program and after a month of anguish over whether I should take out more debt (I had 50% funding), I decided to do it. I'm not really a strong proponent for MAPSS. I had spent hours and hours researching the program, talking to professors before I accepted, to educate myself on what my day-to-day would be like there. I found that the experience did differ pretty significantly from what I was told. It really was a grueling time, but that isn't to say it wasn't worth it. Lowlights / Highlights of the Experience -While I wouldn't call the program a "Cash Cow" program like so many LOVE to quip, there were aspects that made it feel that way, like the forced "Perspectives" course. That was far and away the most useless university course I've ever taken. It is a surface-level course that goes over different major concepts/canonical works of the various social sciences. It's bad enough we had to waste 2.5 hours of our lives once a week in the dreadfully boring lectures, but to make it worse, the grading for the midterm/final is so severe that it is set up for students to fail. Out of my cohort of about 240 people who were forced to take the class, only 17 people received an A or A- on their midterm, and the figure was lower for the final. I was told that anything less than a B+/B in graduate school is considered to be failing, so a B+/B is considered a C or C- in terms of GPA. I have no idea what the program's logic is to forcing you to take a class and then taking a blow to your GPA right out the gate. Seriously. ????? The fact that students are forced to take this course makes it feel like the program does it just to make more money off the enrollment or something and then kicks you while you're down on top it all. -The MAPSS cohort is sadly what many have described. Most MAPSS students are not very intellectual--that's not to say they weren't "smart" in their own right, but they did not compare to the level of the other graduate students in terms of how intellectual they were. You could tell right away who was a MAPSS student in your classes versus PhD students. MAPSS students weirdly tend to have a sort of braggart, or pretentious, way about them when the things they would drivel on about were inane topics that you might find a newly-minted freshman undergraduate might talk about. I knew many MAPSS students who thought they were just so smart and would constantly, CONSTANTLY whine about the workload and how everything was so 'unfair'. It was insufferable to listen to because no one forced them to do the program, and the workload, while difficult, was not impossible (and, I had a part time job!). This being said, I made no friends at MAPSS. They lacked the maturity that I seem to find in PhD candidates or even some undergraduates. -I did very well academically only because I lived and breathed the program. I had a part time job, but I was able to work from home which was a huge part in why I could dedicate myself wholly to the program. I spent almost all of my free time in the Regenstein library and it got to be depressing sometimes, but I found ways to make it somewhat positive (like always treating myself to hot tea or coffee and taking little breaks to draw). I think to be successful in MAPSS you have to be very independent and self-motivating; otherwise, it will be easy to lose sight of what you're doing/why. I think others have mentioned this, but do make it a priority to go downtown and explore the other neighborhoods of Chicago. I would "treat" myself to a bus/El ride and just go anywhere, to see something new, to see something that wasn't UChicago. It helped immensely. -I had read about the difficulties of finding an adviser/establishing a relationship early on with a potential adviser, so in my first quarter I zeroed in on the faculty member I really wanted to work with. I made sure to take at least one class of his every quarter, participated in all discussions, did all the readings, and did very well when it came to group projects. He would take smoking breaks and I would join him, or I would walk with him to his office after class. I didn't ask him to be my adviser until much later; I just built a relationship with him and got to know him and his work, and allowed him to get to know me. If you aren't a go-getter in this way like I was, I think finding an adviser is very difficult. I knew many people who had to have preceptors assigned as their advisers because they couldn't find anyone willing. -One of the saddest moments I had in the program was during the office hours with said adviser of mine. He told me that he didn't expect much in terms of quality from MAPSS students, but was sympathetic to their plight (earning a master's and doing fieldwork//research/composing a thesis in 9 months) and sort of graded based on that, which was very disappointing to hear. I had hoped I would be treated like any other PhD student who was completing the MA portion of their candidacy, but that's not the case. He also revealed to me that he knows of some professors who ban MAPSS students from taking their courses because of the inferior quality of discussion that MAPSS students bring to the table, which was heartbreaking to hear as well. -While all of these things are really disappointing about MAPSS, I will say that the academics of UChicago seriously changed my life. I am also someone who takes academic matters seriously, so maybe this isn't saying all that much, but the classes I took were some of the most amazing and beautifully taught courses I've ever taken. I was exposed to wonderful academic literature that will stay with me forever. If you are someone who appreciates knowledge and academic inquiry for its own sake, I think you will be hard-pressed to find a more rigorous university than UChicago. If MAPSS is the only option you have at this moment to experience that, I would say it's worth it for that alone. Where I'm at Now All this being said, I did well and graduated in Spring with only 20% of my cohort (the rest graduated in August). I earned an A on my thesis, but it likely was inflated because of my adviser's sympathies to the MAPSS program, which I struggle with when listing that as an "accomplishment". After graduating, I worked full time for a bit for the company I had been working for during the program, and took 3 months off to live in Hungary. While abroad I interviewed for market research positions/firms and landed a position at a very prominent global market research firm, I'm 25 years old and my starting pay is 75k which exceeded my hopes and expectations for earning potential as someone with a "useless" undergraduate and graduate degree in anthropology. I will be able to pay off my student debt and live decently on that income, which is what I personally could only have hoped for in taking such a huge risk to pursue what I loved, anthropology. This is just one experience among many. I'm nothing/no one special, but I did work very hard in the program and I worked hard to secure a job that is related to my degrees and research interests. I did not "like" the program in the least, but I don't regret doing it. It was the most difficult academic year of my life and I did have to seek counseling in the Winter quarter which helped a lot- the student mental health services are very easy to access, so please avail yourself of that if you need it. I hope this review helped!

Hello! Could someone please review my SOP for CMU's MSE program? SOP Guidelines are provided by the program.

Hello, everyone! I'm currently in the process of writing my SOP. If anyone is able to review my SOP and offer suggestions/comments, please PM me. I'd appreciate it! Best, The Sailor Scholar

I know it is pretty late but I just want to know if I should apply to more safe universities. Country: India Undergraduate institution: Reputed university in India GPA: 60.75% (can't convert to US GPA as i am not sure which formula is correct) Master's from a private university. GPA: 3.7 Interested course: Ph.D. in materials science Research experience: I have done a 2 month project which led me to file a patent, a 4 month project (I am currently writing this paper) and there is another project going on right now. All these projects are related to my field of interest and were done in my postgraduate university. i have done no internships. I do have a book chapter that was accepted for publication by Springer International Publishers. Along with that I have presented a poster in an international conference. GRE: 163 q 163 v TOEFL: 111 Applied to: Uni of Michigan, Uni of Colorado Boulder, Georgia Tech (chemistry department), Casewestern Reserve (chem department), Texas A&M (currently struggling with the application), Uni of Delaware (considering to apply) Can you please suggest me where else to apply. Although deadlines for most of the universities are over but there might be some left. I am very confused whether I should aim higher or lower. Should I apply to universities having rank < 500. Please help!

Can anybody please help me review my SOP for MS in Computer Science? It would be a great help! Will PM my SOP to whoever can help.

Hello Everyone, so i'm applying for Grad school in Belgium to further on M.Sc Geography. well everything seem to be going fine until i got stuck on the statement of purpose. I decided to check out some of the SOP review experts online, some of them charge a fortune for a work that looks scripted and lacking in true identity. So I have decided to post a copy of my SOP over here, I will be glad if anyone can just look through and share their opinion. Thank you in advance. Growing up I was always fascinated about the world we live in, I often wondered how plants grow from seeds? What forms the rain? And always asked, what is above the blue sky? I was that curious Kid. The questions kept coming and some of the answers I found interesting but not convincing. These curiosities made me passionate about geography and thus lead to the pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in Geography. As an undergraduate, my perspective changed, from curiosity and passion to a need to proffer solutions to the various environmental problems faced in our society and how it affects our daily lives. During my bachelor’s study, part of my course work involved the study of Remote sensing and Geographic Information System (G.I.S), I was amazed by the many application of GIS in our lives and the enormous unexplored potentials of GIS, most specifically in acquiring spatial data for the study of climate change, land-use changes, mapping, and agriculture, especially in precision farming which combines sensor data and imaging with real-time data analytics to improve farm productivity. This experience made me realize that the application of spatial data to boost agriculture productivity especially in Africa has not been fully explored. The food and Agriculture organization FAO estimates that to satisfy the growing demand driven by population growth and diet changes, food production will have to increase by at least 60 percent in the next decades, but the possibility of achieving this seems less feasible with the challenges posed by Climate change. The effect of climate change is strongly felt in agrarian society, where yearly reduction in agricultural yield is driving communities into extreme poverty, hunger, and insecurity. An example is the recurring clashes between farmers and nomadic herdsmen caused by shrinking and receding vegetation that has affected grazing fields. These changes are also marked by excess or lack of adequate rainfall, seasonal floods and the loss of arable lands to droughts and desert encroachment. But besides this climate issues are the everyday and global discussions of urban congestion, seasonal floods and urban overcrowding due to poor planning. These problems have a far-reaching implication on the environment, food production, and political stability. Many of these could be mitigated if real-time data are used in decision making. I strongly believe the application of GIS can provide timely intervention aimed at preventing or solving these problems. Putting all these into consideration, the need to provide a rapid solution inspired my further study in the field of GIS at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. I hold a strong research interest in the use of GIS and remote sensing in making informed decisions on land use, land cover mapping, and planning. Fortunately, at Vrije Universiteit Brussel my research interest is well aligned with the focus of the department on urban remote sensing, monitoring and modeling of urban dynamics, map projection design and will provide the perfect opportunity to learn, contribute and work with experts whom share similar research interests as I.I absolutely have no doubt that I will be receiving supervision from one of the finest in the field at the prestigious Vrije Universiteit Brussel. In other prepare myself and get acquainted with fieldwork and data collection, I had a six month internship as a survey assistant at the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation North-West zonal office in Nigeria, this position helped me develop a hands-on field experience, it was a practical way of exerting all I have read in books and studied in the classroom. I learned from handling the survey instrument to the main process of data acquisition, and also the vital aspect of analyzing and presenting this data for use. This experience was of great help during my undergraduate thesis as my research focused on “The distribution and impact of the prepaid system on household energy consumption”, the research involved understanding how the prepaid system has affected household energy consumption. After my Bachelors’ degree, I got a position as a Geography teacher in a secondary school, I was tasked with preparing the students for their Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE); our course work involved a general introduction to geography, both Physical and Human Geography. I also had the opportunity to introduce the students to map reading. As part of our term project, I was able to successfully set up a mini metrological station at the school where we took a daily temperature reading, wind speed, wind direction and rainfall amount. I saw the position as an opportunity to advance my leadership skills while also improving my knowledge of geography. A high point for me was when the majority of my students passed with distinction in their SSCE, I felt really proud of my achievement. My interest has not limited my scope to GIS only but also spread across both physical and human geography. Presently I am studying journals and papers that highlight the effects of climate change on land use and agricultural productivity. Also one of my memorable experiences is a field trip to the Mambila Plateau in Nigeria, where I observed the surrounding landforms and its vegetation and explore how these landforms influence the socio-economic activities in that environment. Concerning my personality, I believe I am a very responsible individual who loves to learn new things in life and to seek new experiences. I enjoy observing nature and interacting with people. I consider myself to be a highly motivated and diligent student; I am certain to push through with the dedication I have always worked with to accomplish my goals and gain more knowledge and insight in Geography. In closing I believe I will highly benefit from this master's program, as international experience will provide an opportunity to work with diverse individuals, who are highly involved in the field of geography. But also I will be contributing to the various body of research in the department while also setting leadership examples both on and off the campus, I am confident that this program offers the perfect blend of courses so as to build a rigid foundation for my career. With a burning desire to learn more and venture ahead in my favorite field, I apply for the graduate program in Geography that I will ultimately stretch my passion of becoming a GIS expert and consultant.

Hi, Here's my SoP for applying to PhD in Astriphysics mainly in European Universities. Thanks in advance for helping me out with the review. <SOP> Being an ardent lover of science, I always wondered about the underlying physical processes in the universe. I spent a considerable amount of learning about astrophysics which predisposed me to want to get into Astrophysics research. I enrolled myself in a BSc Physics program at Ramnarain Ruia College followed by the University of Mumbai for MSc in Physics. At both the institutes, I had an experience of both education and research going hand in hand creating a stimulating environment where one gets the flavour of scientific research very early in their careers. I went to two of Astronomy and Astrophysics courses outside of my curriculum which introduced me to various branches of the subject including stellar physics, planetary sciences and active high energy astrophysics. As a subject, physics continues to dazzle me. I think my interest in physics is mainly because I have a knack for understanding the basic structure of things. I am particularly intrigued by how fundamental physical laws can be used to explain the underlying physical processes behind the formation and evolution of the universe. In recent times, I have been doing research internships focused on exploring observational and computational aspects in astronomy and astrophysics. These internships have opened up for me the fascinating world of complex astrophysical phenomena and their understanding from a physicist’s point of view Here are the Astrophysics and Space Physics projects I worked on during my BSc and MSc program: ● Stellar Polarimetry (June 2018-July 2018): As a part of the research fellowship on Observational Astrophysics organised by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) and the Indian Academy of Sciences (IAS), I worked on a project involving Optical Polarimetry, where I measured distances to the molecular clouds of Taurus and Ophiuchus using polarimetry. For this, I had used data from the data release DR2 of Gaia satellite as well as Heiles 2000 catalogue. Furthermore, I also tried to point the magnetic field directions in the map of these clouds with the same data. This project was done using Python. ● Convection-diffusion Forbush Decrease (FD) study (April 2017-March 2018): In my MSc project at the University of Mumbai, I worked on a phenomenon of cosmic rays called Forbush Decrease (FD). I studied the variation of solar wind speed and magnetic field along the FD profiles using a convection-diffusion model with the help of WIND satellite data. From the results of the study, I concluded that this is the first attempt to reproduce the complete FD profile of both types of events (ICME-induced and CIR-induced) using the diffusion-convection model. The project is under review with the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS). ● Very High Energy (VHE) detection of Fermi AGNs (May 2017-June 2017): I did a project in the Astrophysical Sciences department of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). The main objective was to investigate how many sources will be detectable by the Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (MACE) situated in Hanle, Ladakh. I used the 3FGL catalogue from NASA’s Fermi satellite for the source detection. The project was done using the C language and I used two models of PowerLaw and LogParabola models. ● Radio Astronomy Research Camp (December 2014): I was selected for a Radio Astronomy research camp held in New Delhi in December 2014 in which I worked with radio images of GMRT in the FITS format and used SAO Image DS9 software for its analysis to identify which galaxies belonged to the class of radio galaxies of FRI and FRII. The Observational Astrophysics research fellowship at IIA covered a variety of Astrophysics branches via lectures from experts in the field, mainly from IIA and some from ISRO and NCRA, along with an introduction to different tools of IDL (Interactive Data Language), Spectra Cyber, powspec and HeaSoft and gave a basic idea of how spectroscopy is practically measured and how analysis of astronomical data is done. This is precisely what made me interested in various astrophysics branches, stellar astrophysics being one of them. The PhD position at the Physics of Stellar Objects (PSO) of the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies interests me because it focuses on one of the very important aspects in Astrophysics of the Mach number. How Mach number simulation for stellar evolution provides an easy way to study the entire life cycle of a star capturing its temporal evolution, which otherwise is computationally challenging, interests me the most. I have also worked with magnetic fields for my project during my MSc while studying the effects of the magnetic field and its components on Forbush Decrease. Magnetohydrodynamics was a part of my curriculum as part of my Plasma Physics course. Additionally, although it was not extensively used in my project on FDs, I needed to have a basic understanding of MHD equations, which is what makes me a suitable candidate for this project. Moreover, the position requires experience in numerical methods. Apart from my projects in Astrophysics and Space Physics that included numerical methods, like the Trapezoidal method for integration and the Lagrange method for Interpolation for my project at BARC, I have had an entire course on Numerical Methods in the third semester of my MSc which exposed me to a number of major numerical techniques useful in Physics. The PhD position at the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies suits my preference as it provides an ideal climate to pursue my interests. I believe that the kind of training that I had through my course work and internships will prove an asset in pursuing my research career at the PSO group. It would be a perfect environment for me to apply the skills and knowledge acquired in summer schools and projects to the research in an area of my choice. The knowledge and skills that I would gain from this experience would go a long way to help my aim to achieve a greater understanding of astrophysical processes and equip me with the necessary ingredients to keep working in this highly exciting field. </SOP>

Issue Prompts: Claim: In any field — business, politics, education, government — those in power should step down after five years. Reason: The surest path to success for any enterprise is revitalization through new leadership. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based. In each field of study and society, those in power are in control of high-level, high-pressure issues. They are experts in their fields and they have spent, sometimes decades, working to get there. The ones who last have gotten where they are have done so on merit, skill, and knowledge. Cycling through those preeminent in their field every five years would lead to a lower level of success overall, constant, chaotic change, and ridding institutions of one of their most valuable keys to continued success: trust in their leader’s abilities and judgement. The adage, “knowledge is power” holds true for many fields, especially ones as prominent as business, politics, and government. Most fields benefit from people in power who have deep knowledge of their area and are experts - scientists who have spent decades researching the same topic, teachers who have specialized in one area of study, and CEOs who have spent their careers with the same company. Having wells of knowledge creates leaders who can draw on their own stores and their personal experience to solve dynamic problems and forge strong entities, such as businesses, governments, and universities. There is also the opposite side of the adage, which says that “power corrupts” - a phrase that looks over a fundamental element of high-powered, high-performing entities and institutions. Namely, if there is corruption (moral, financial, or legal) it will not be tolerated on the scale of CEOs, Presidents, and scholars. Suggesting that those in power should change every five years also cuts out one of the most valuable aspects of having a seasoned, veteran member in a leadership role: losing that much industry-specific or company-specific knowledge, and arguably more important, the trust that is built over 5 years, is tantamount to firing and hiring all new people every five years. The intrinsic knowledge that is gained with experience is not transient from one leader to another, as is not their leadership style or the trust they have built over time. These factors are more crucial to the success of companies, the happiness of employees, and the performance of the leader than anything else they do. Getting rid of someone after so little as five years would certainly add new leadership- whether that new leadership would “revitalize” is unlikely. Five years is not much time when talking about the life cycles of companies, educational institutions, and certainly not governments. Leaders set the culture and the style of their organization, which takes time to do - and undo. Changing leaders so quickly would likely muddle the culture, create backlash among employees, and be slower in reality that many would think. A change in leadership is also not guaranteed to revitalize the company. It would keep things in a state of flux, never allow for the normal flow of things to be establised, and detract from the important work being done. Ultimately, Trying to revitalize an organization is better acheived in strategy than in leadership changes. Talking about central institutions such as government and education, and changing something as important as their leadership is unwise and unreasonable to do so often and five years. Argument Prompts: The following is a recommendation from the Board of Directors of Monarch Books. "We recommend that Monarch Books open a café in its store. Monarch, having been in business at the same location for more than twenty years, has a large customer base because it is known for its wide selection of books on all subjects. Clearly, opening the café would attract more customers. Space could be made for the café by discontinuing the children's book section, which will probably become less popular given that the most recent national census indicated a significant decline in the percentage of the population under age ten. Opening a café will allow Monarch to attract more customers and better compete with Regal Books, which recently opened its own café." Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation. This argument from the Board of Directors leaves many unanswered questions that ultimately lead to flawed logic. Primarily, their comparison that adding a cafe would allow Monarch Books to better compete with Regal Books relies on basic assumptions that the two stores are the exact same. the question that needs to be answered is: what is Monarch’s customer base? They have a well-established customer base that relies on them for their wide selection of books, but we need to know how many of their customers would spend money in their cafe and how many more customers the added cafe would attract. If their customer base is more frugal, the cafe could fail; if their base is a significant portion of the town, can they expect the cafe to attract more customers to their bookshop? If Monarch Books’ does not make much money from their kids’ section, if their customers are affluent, and/or if they have a smaller portion of the town as their customer base, adding the cafe in lieu of the kid’s section could add to their success. Another question needing an answer is how much of their sales/how much of their client base is geared toward kids? If their kids’ section is a large part of their store and their store’s profits, getting rid of the section all together could make them less profitable. If their base is family-oriented, parents and their children may stop patronizing the store wholly. A cost-benefit analysis needs to be done comparing the kids’ section sales to the cafe’s projected sales in order to make an informed decision about whether to install the cafe and get rid of the kids’ section. If Monarch’s customer base is not family oriented and children do not frequent their store, adding the more profitable cafe could help Monarch compete better with Regal. Lastly, we need to answer the question of if Monarch adding a cafe will allow it to more directly compete with Regal books. The assumption made was that Regal Books and Monarch Books are the exact same and the only differentiating factor between them was Regal’s cafe. We need to establish other differences that could account for Monarch’s need to compete with Regal. We need to know the location of the stores - if Regal is closer to a university than Monarch, if they are in a wealthier part of town, if Monarch is outside the city, etc. Knowing the size and selection of their collections would help us see better the difference in clientele and spending habits; finally, we need to know if Regal Books’ success is in large part due to their cafe, or some other factor of their store. If Regal has a large kids’ section and their cafe has been wildly successful, as well as establishing that the two stores are similar, Monarch could let go of their kids’ section and put in a cafe to avoid fighting for sales in both areas. Overall, we need to answer these questions in order to make an informed decision about Monarch’s next business decision. With the forthcoming information, we cannot accurately decide whether or not a cafe is the right choice for Monarch. **I didn't edit at all, so it's very raw

Issue Prompts: Claim: In any field — business, politics, education, government — those in power should step down after five years. Reason: The surest path to success for any enterprise is revitalization through new leadership. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based. In each field of study and society, those in power are in control of high-level, high-pressure issues. They are experts in their fields and they have spent, sometimes decades, working to get there. The ones who last have gotten where they are have done so on merit, skill, and knowledge. Cycling through those preeminent in their field every five years would lead to a lower level of success overall, constant, chaotic change, and ridding institutions of one of their most valuable keys to continued success: trust in their leader’s abilities and judgement. The adage, “knowledge is power” holds true for many fields, especially ones as prominent as business, politics, and government. Most fields benefit from people in power who have deep knowledge of their area and are experts - scientists who have spent decades researching the same topic, teachers who have specialized in one area of study, and CEOs who have spent their careers with the same company. Having wells of knowledge creates leaders who can draw on their own stores and their personal experience to solve dynamic problems and forge strong entities, such as businesses, governments, and universities. There is also the opposite side of the adage, which says that “power corrupts” - a phrase that looks over a fundamental element of high-powered, high-performing entities and institutions. Namely, if there is corruption (moral, financial, or legal) it will not be tolerated on the scale of CEOs, Presidents, and scholars. Suggesting that those in power should change every five years also cuts out one of the most valuable aspects of having a seasoned, veteran member in a leadership role: losing that much industry-specific or company-specific knowledge, and arguably more important, the trust that is built over 5 years, is tantamount to firing and hiring all new people every five years. The intrinsic knowledge that is gained with experience is not transient from one leader to another, as is not their leadership style or the trust they have built over time. These factors are more crucial to the success of companies, the happiness of employees, and the performance of the leader than anything else they do. Getting rid of someone after so little as five years would certainly add new leadership- whether that new leadership would “revitalize” is unlikely. Five years is not much time when talking about the life cycles of companies, educational institutions, and certainly not governments. Leaders set the culture and the style of their organization, which takes time to do - and undo. Changing leaders so quickly would likely muddle the culture, create backlash among employees, and be slower in reality that many would think. A change in leadership is also not guaranteed to revitalize the company. It would keep things in a state of flux, never allow for the normal flow of things to be establised, and detract from the important work being done. Ultimately, Trying to revitalize an organization is better acheived in strategy than in leadership changes. Talking about central institutions such as government and education, and changing something as important as their leadership is unwise and unreasonable to do so often and five years. Argument Prompts: The following is a recommendation from the Board of Directors of Monarch Books. "We recommend that Monarch Books open a café in its store. Monarch, having been in business at the same location for more than twenty years, has a large customer base because it is known for its wide selection of books on all subjects. Clearly, opening the café would attract more customers. Space could be made for the café by discontinuing the children's book section, which will probably become less popular given that the most recent national census indicated a significant decline in the percentage of the population under age ten. Opening a café will allow Monarch to attract more customers and better compete with Regal Books, which recently opened its own café." Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation. This argument from the Board of Directors leaves many unanswered questions that ultimately lead to flawed logic. Primarily, their comparison that adding a cafe would allow Monarch Books to better compete with Regal Books relies on basic assumptions that the two stores are the exact same. the question that needs to be answered is: what is Monarch’s customer base? They have a well-established customer base that relies on them for their wide selection of books, but we need to know how many of their customers would spend money in their cafe and how many more customers the added cafe would attract. If their customer base is more frugal, the cafe could fail; if their base is a significant portion of the town, can they expect the cafe to attract more customers to their bookshop? If Monarch Books’ does not make much money from their kids’ section, if their customers are affluent, and/or if they have a smaller portion of the town as their customer base, adding the cafe in lieu of the kid’s section could add to their success. Another question needing an answer is how much of their sales/how much of their client base is geared toward kids? If their kids’ section is a large part of their store and their store’s profits, getting rid of the section all together could make them less profitable. If their base is family-oriented, parents and their children may stop patronizing the store wholly. A cost-benefit analysis needs to be done comparing the kids’ section sales to the cafe’s projected sales in order to make an informed decision about whether to install the cafe and get rid of the kids’ section. If Monarch’s customer base is not family oriented and children do not frequent their store, adding the more profitable cafe could help Monarch compete better with Regal. Lastly, we need to answer the question of if Monarch adding a cafe will allow it to more directly compete with Regal books. The assumption made was that Regal Books and Monarch Books are the exact same and the only differentiating factor between them was Regal’s cafe. We need to establish other differences that could account for Monarch’s need to compete with Regal. We need to know the location of the stores - if Regal is closer to a university than Monarch, if they are in a wealthier part of town, if Monarch is outside the city, etc. Knowing the size and selection of their collections would help us see better the difference in clientele and spending habits; finally, we need to know if Regal Books’ success is in large part due to their cafe, or some other factor of their store. If Regal has a large kids’ section and their cafe has been wildly successful, as well as establishing that the two stores are similar, Monarch could let go of their kids’ section and put in a cafe to avoid fighting for sales in both areas. Overall, we need to answer these questions in order to make an informed decision about Monarch’s next business decision. With the forthcoming information, we cannot accurately decide whether or not a cafe is the right choice for Monarch.

I wanted to share my experience with the University of Chicago’s MAPSS program. I know that when I applied to the program, and when I was deciding whether to enroll, I found it difficult to find reviews online. I’m hoping this post will be of use to others. I was excited by the program because of its claims of offering a flexible curriculum and strong access to UChicago’s resources. I also was excited because the program bills itself as both a degree to prepare for a PhD, and, if students change their mind, as a versatile credential of employability. However, I was extremely disappointed with this program. What was told to me by faculty members and by MAPSS staff during my April visit day, and what is advertised on the website (at least as of Nov. 2018), does not hold up in reality. Indeed, I made the challenging—but correct—decision of withdrawing during the 3rd week of the first quarter. Why exactly? INABILITY TO ENROLL IN CROSS-SCHOOL COURSES: One of the appealing aspects of MAPSS is the purported ability to design a customized course of study. Indeed, UChicago bills itself as an interdisciplinary university that encourages cross-pollination among disciplines. One lecturer described the university to me as “America’s original think tank.” On the MAPSS website, the FAQ reads: However, as I learned, UChicago is unique in that there is no centralized university administrative structure; each school only reports to itself. That has its benefits. It results in a degree of intellectual independence, and perhaps contributes to the university’s heterodox atmosphere. But it also means that each school has its own unique and distinctive policies. Indeed, because each school reports to itself, there is no incentive for schools to communicate with each other about these differences. I learned this the hard way—twice. PART I: For instance, I tried to enroll in a business school economics course at Booth, given that my research interests center on industrial organization. However, it was never communicated to me that the deadline for Booth registration was a week before classes—despite preemptively e-mailing MAPSS in September, two weeks before orientation, asking how I could enroll. After attending the second course and submitting the assignment, I then went to the Social Sciences Dean responsible for registration. (Business school courses required in-person registration, and cannot be completed on the online student portal.) The Dean then told me that registration was closed. I asked why this wasn’t communicated to me. Surprisingly—and I’m unclear why he shared this—he noted that MAPSS administrators intentionally decided not to share the deadline with students, because there was an “internal discussion” that students would be unable to enroll at all in Booth courses during the first quarter. Naturally outraged at this, I then escalated this issue to the Dean of Students. I first told him that the course had 33 open seats and that I had since gotten the business school professor to petition on my behalf to the Booth registrar. However, whereas other schools assign more power to faculty than to administrators, at Booth, administrators manage faculty, to such a degree that they direct them in what courses to teach. While the Dean heard my frustrations and was helpful, he suggested the only course of action would be to petition the Booth registrar, using his influence to try to sway the Booth Dean. When I asked for a timeline, he said it could take 3-5 days! I was thankful, but I shared this would leave me in a hard and unsustainable position. Was I to complete assignments for a course I may ultimately not gain admission to, while also shopping for courses in their second-week, trying to catch up on their assignments? He advised I speak with the MAPSS Director (more on that later.) And sadly, this was only one course… PART II: I also enrolled in a public policy statistics course, as was suggested to me by my preceptor (an advisor to MAPSS students, who is either a current PhD student or postdoc.) The course was billed as being open to any student, regardless of division. But as I learned at the end of the first week of classes, Harris (School of Public Policy) students were required to complete a 2-3 month summer module on R, a programming language. Again, I was frustrated this was never communicated to me. And frankly upset at the position I now found myself in—two courses I would be unable to enroll in, and two-weeks behind in all other classes. I tried to see if I could make the best of the stats course by trying to gain access to the R module. I wanted to have, at the very least, all the necessary resources so I could try as hard as possible to succeed. Understandably, but disappointingly, Harris did not grant me access to this online module as I wasn’t a Harris student. When I asked the MAPSS director to subsidize the $300 cost, I was told I could attend a weekly R course in the computer science division. Again, this was a deflection that didn’t address my issue. I was then advised to consider enrolling in an undergraduate statistics course. I was shocked that a school as reputable and as esteemed as the University of Chicago oversold the ability of MAPSS students to enroll in professional school courses, nor was willing to work with me to find worthy substitutes. INFERIOR PERCEPTION OF STUDENTS: I also was disappointed that some faculty and many students from professional degree programs perceive MAPSS students as inferior. This creates a strange dynamic between UChicago graduate students, and limits the ability of MAPSS students to partake in UChicago programs, find a research advisor, and seek out extracurricular opportunities. This perception, justified or not, traces to the belief that MAPSS students are either (1) not smart enough to have gotten into PhD programs or are (2) wealthy students with the money to ‘buy’ the UChicago name. This was not something I would have known until I was on campus, but it quickly became apparent that saying I was in MAPSS made me a less appealing candidate to thesis advisors. In some respects this makes sense. Faculty have limited time and are more likely to benefit by taking on a PhD student, who is more accomplished and less ‘risky.’ Regardless, these perceptions add an additional obstacle for MAPSS students trying to take advantage of UChicago's resources and opportunities; there is additional energy necessary to "earn respect" as a MAPSS student. PIGEON-HOLING STUDENTS: MAPSS’s tendency to pigeon-hole students into pursuing one means of study, or to focus in one discipline, also was disheartening. When I expressed the above concerns to three deans from separate schools and to an ombudsman, I received some advice and tools to help me get back on track—despite it now being near the end of the second week of classes. But the Director of MAPSS suggested to me I was “doing the degree wrong—that MAPSS was not a professional degree.” He suggested I pivot my interests to Political Science, even though that was adjacent to my research interests. The lack of support in helping me achieve my academic and professional goals was disappointing, especially when I had proactively sought help and advocated for myself. If the program had been upfront in saying social science courses are encouraged, that there are limited options for cross-school enrollment, and that the degree is largely and exclusively an academic research degree—which does not double as a fall-back professional credential—I would have understood. And I would have known the program wasn’t for me. However, this is not how the program is advertised—currently, at least. - - - My advice is to stay away if you have a career, live in a different city, and believe the degree can be leveraged to advance beyond an entry-level position and/or lay the groundwork for a career-change. The website uses a lot of embellished marketing to convince students of the degree's value, and it is very much geared toward attracting students who have an unclear sense of their next steps. I admit I myself sat a bit in this latter camp. On the other hand, if you’re a recent college graduate (1-2 years out), 100% committed to academia (and, seriously, I mean 100%), are looking to gain ‘basic research’ experience, or come from a ‘non-brand’ school, the degree I think could serve its purposes. Whether it's worth 30k to 50k, is a personal decision. OTHER NOTES: I do disagree with the conventional critique about the program: it’s a cash cow that offers sub-par learning. Even if it may be a cash cow for the Division of Social Sciences, the academics at UChicago are strong. And the amount of resources the university wields is impressive. It’s just hard to access those resources as a MAPSS student. The MAPSS Career Office is growing, I believe, but was constantly overbooked. Two staff members are responsible not only for the 200+ students in MAPSS, but also for students in a program called CIR and for another Master’s program whose name I forget. Appointments starting from mid-October 2018 were booked one month in advance. The quality of preceptors varies. They have a huge caseload of advisees and also are responsible for teaching a mandatory 2-hour section of the “Perspectives” class each week. My preceptor had limited English abilities and did not drive strong conversation among students. I have heard students who were satisfied with their sections (even if from 5:30-7:30 on Friday!), so I think this varies preceptor by preceptor.

To understand the most important characteristics of a society, one must study its major cities. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position. The true characteristics of a society can only be found in small towns and villages where heritage and traditions sill in extant. The most of urban cities are diversified by people from different societies who came and settled in for various reasons such as education and employment. Urban cities are developed mostly with benchmark of cities from western countries. In major cities of India like Chennai, Bombay and Bangalore, we can see the population of non-natives are more than natives, due to this the birds-view study of a major city will not produce an accurate result of its true characteristics. In contrast, small towns and villages, we can still see a vast number of people still holding their customs and traditions for generations- the traditional festivals, foods, Old Gods, martial arts etc can be seen celebrated there which were long forgotten by urban community. However, due the amorphous development of internet and media, the small towns even getting changed. As per saying “change is the only thing will never change” – the characteristics of the socity will also will not be constant. The one which is considered as rule may considered as taboo in future. Still, the results collected from the any one developed urban part of a vast nation will not reflect the character of the bucolic village next to it.

In Applyweb, my application states that it is "Ready for Review." My question is does this mean that my application has not been opened yet? I was thinking that once someone has opened up my application it would go to "Under Review." I wanted to check because two people got an interview invite at the program I applied to and the suspense of knowing whether I got eliminated or not is killing me! ? Thanks!

Hello! I am applying to Ph.D. programs in History (Modern South Asian Legal history) and hoping to have my Statement of Purpose reviewed. I have a few people from my previous school giving me feedback, but I'm hoping to get a few more opinions. It's currently 4 pages double-spaced (1140 words). Reply/PM if you're willing to help me out! I'll swap if you have an SOP you want to be reviewed.

Hi there! I could really use some input on two practice essays I recently wrote, one for the argument and one for the issue prompts. If anyone has 20 minutes to spare, it would be a huge help! Feel free to be as critical as needed, any help is appreciated! Thanks! GRE Practice Essays.docx

Hello everyone! I'm in the process of applying for a Graduate program which requests I submit a Statement of Purpose. This is my first time doing one so I would really appreciate any advice on how to make mine better before I submit it. If you are up for reading what I have so far please send me a PM and I'll send you a PDF of it (unless you want a .word or .Page file instead). The program I'm applying for is Aging and Neuroscience so if you happen to have any advanced education in either topic then I would especially appreciate your advice! I look forward to your help, and I appreciated you taking the time to look it over.

Hello, may I have some help with having my practice essays reviewed? Thank you for your availability and help. ISSUE People's behavior is largely determined by forces not of their own making. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position. Human beings are very complex creatures, reacting and responding in a myriad of ways to our surroundings, thoughts, emotions, and others. Although, humans have an astounding ability to adapt, physically, emotionally and mentally. This allows humans to behave in such a manner that is not entirely subject to forces not of their own making. Firstly, there is a mind-bending lens called perspective. Perspective is one of the abstract advantages that humans over any other species. One of the characteristics about perspective that allows us to overcome external forces is that it is largely conceived in the mind. The things that are seen are not always as they wholly are. If all behavioral judgement is founded on what people see, we miss the profound elements of the human experience. Much of the potency that external forces carry, find their strength in the human mind. For instance, if I had a negative experience with dogs all throughout my childhood, I could grow up thinking all dogs are vicious – unless I came to understand that dogs are used to aid the blind. Furthermore, this point gives credence to the power of choice. Attitude, a sister of behavior, is a choice. Because of this, people have another arm to battle external forces with. The power to choose behavior is what drives the focus of military officials and soldiers through moments of extreme distress, and fuels their humility in serving their beloved country when these soldiers are viewed as heroes. The human mind is a powerful component of human being that can channel external forces for its own advantage. Although, this is not to say that environments and upbringing do not play some role in a person’s behavior. A child may very well take on the behavior of a father or mother in moments of much stress or joy. These complex, influential relationships in the home are the birthplace of phrases like “a chip off of the old block”. The yet-present weakness of this position although is that the child may move to a college education later on in life and adopt many different habits and perspectives. The issue at hand remains that our behavior does not have to largely be determined by forces not of our own making. While external forces are a part of the human experience, our brains are constantly responding to them, the human’s behavior does not have to be subject to them because of the power of perspective and choice. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARGUMENT The following appeared in a memo from a budget planner for the city of Grandview. "Our citizens are well aware of the fact that while the Grandview Symphony Orchestra was struggling to succeed, our city government promised annual funding to help support its programs. Last year, however, private contributions to the symphony increased by 200 percent, and attendance at the symphony's concerts-in-the-park series doubled. The symphony has also announced an increase in ticket prices for next year. Such developments indicate that the symphony can now succeed without funding from city government and we can eliminate that expense from next year's budget. Therefore, we recommend that the city of Grandview eliminate its funding for the Grandview Symphony from next year's budget. By doing so, we can prevent a city budget deficit without threatening the success of the symphony." Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation. The recommendation presented in the budget planner for the City of Grandview possesses some assumptions that deem it questionable. To begin with, there is a claim made that the citizens are aware of the want the Grandview Symphony Orchestra is suffering in its success. These terms of success are not defined. What does make for a successful Grandview Symphony Orchestra? Is there a lack of ticket sales? Involvement? Promotion? These are vital questions to ask, in order to determine what the city deems as a successful Orchestra. The orchestra may be very popular amongst student musicians, but have its position in a conference center next to a basketball arena. Likewise, the recommendation assumes that having attendance doubled at the concerts-in-the-park series, is a weighty factor for an increase in popularity. This too, can be considered fallacious because the higher attendance may have been due to the fact that the concert was providing free food. Many of the local students may have joined the orchestra as well. It is difficult to justly conclude that there would be a rise in lasting popularity for the orchestra. Lastly, to remove government spending because of an influx in private contributions is a weak force in the argument as well. In the last year, private contributions may be defined as the soup can-sized container next to the ticket window. In a whole year, contributions could barely exceed $200. If the government provided the orchestra with $20,000 while the private contributions hit a ceiling of $600, a 200% increase. Then, this would still only leave a proportion of 100:3, the government being a very vital contributor over the private contributions. The orchestra may very well need to raise the prices of their tickets, to hold larger events and have more support. While the recommendation does strive to present some knowledge to support it’s argument, the judgment is not wise. There are assumptions made out of ambiguity in the citizen’s awareness, private contributions, and doubled attendance at the concert.

Hey all, I'm starting to draft my statement of purpose and was wondering if any of you had any advice about the general structure of how the statement should look. It'd be great to hear any other advice as to what you believe the the essential aspects of a successful statement are Applying to sociology PhD programs and a couple of MA programs in theology, but would be happy to hear advice from those outside of these disiciplines as well. Thanks in advance!

hi, I'm preparing for GRE to apply to study abroad. Can anyone here help me by grading my essays? Please let me know if you can help and i will send you my essay. PS: I'm new and not native English speaker. Thanks in advance. I appreciate the help.

Hey guys, I just found this forum, and I have to say it is really great that there is something like this. I was wondering if somebody would be willing to review my SOP? I am currently applying for various PHD programs in Information Systems. I am German, and I could redo the favor or help you with other stuff, just let me know! Thank you very much in advance best regards

Hey all, Anyone willing to review the first draft of my SoP? I will send you a message of my SOP text. This for Masters in Human Computer Interaction and Design. Cheers,

Hey all, Anyone willing to review the first draft of one of my SoPs? I can offer an exchange and/or virtual brownies. This is for a Communication PhD program.

Hi, I’m a Dutch computer science major. Over the last couple of months, I have been developing my statement of purposes for the universities which I will be applying to. I'm finally at a point where I feel confident enough about my SOPs that I am willing to share it with people outside my family and references. My transcript and GRE scores aren’t anywhere near what I had hope so a solid SOP is really important. My average is a 7.6 on a 10-point scale which translate to roughly a 3.4 – 3.6 GPA. My GRE is V:155, Q:163 and W:4.5. For my letter of recommendations, I have found the following references: 1. Associate Professor whom I will be assisting in research starting next month. He gave the project I did during his course last year a 10. 2. Lecturer of the courses “Computer Architecture” and “Information Security”, I received good grades in both. He is not a professor but he is well known for his course on C++. 3. Associate Professor in machine learning. He is well known for his work in Vector Quantization. Did part of his MS. at the University of Washington. I am mostly interested in the research areas of CS Theory and AI/ML. Ideally, I would like to combine them both. I will be applying to the Ph.D. or MS. program at UCB, UW, GATech, UCSB, Toronto and Montreal. If all my applications would be unsuccessful I will probably continue with a master’s degree at my current university in the Netherlands. This is a top 100 school with a solid machine learning track, since I am guaranteed to be accepted here I decided to aim high. I’m looking for as much feedback on my SOP as possible, but I understand that it might nog be beneficial to post it here directly. I would be very appreciative if I could DM it to some people. Additionally, does anyone know of more platforms that could assist me in getting feedback on my SOP, free or paid? Thank you.

Hey, guys! As a foreign student, I've never had the need to write anything like a statement of purpose. Well, now that I'm applying to Grad School, I just finished mine. I would like to know if there's anyone here willing to take a look at it and give a few comments on how it is. Thanks!

Applicants are asked to provide a 1 - 2 page, double-spaced personal statement which includes the following: Why do you want to undertake graduate work? Why do you qualify to pursue a graduate degree at Virginia Tech? What do you expect to derive from your program of study? If you have a concentration or area of interest in mind, briefly outline your interests in this area. What do you expect to contribute as a student and subsequently as a member of the profession? If you have not previously indicated in your application the names of faculty members you are interested in working with, please include that information in this statement. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Seeing my father drive, the concept of mobility in machines, shifting gears, accelerating, judgment to take a pass or to turn & all this controlled by a human seemed like magic to me. Since I started driving this fascination grew into a passion. This passion has been responsible for my inclination towards engineering. I have been an automobile fanatic right since my primary schooling days. Shows like Super Cars & Mega Factories gave me motivation. Motivation and passion, in my opinion, have a strong correlation. This correlation led me to pursue undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering. I have completed my undergraduate course in Mechanical Engineering from Manipal University Jaipur, India. My undergraduate course has given me numerous opportunities to learn what I enjoy. However, moving ahead, I desire to study Mechanical Engineering further by undertaking graduate work as it would give me more insight into the field, do something constructive in the field with much better understanding as well as provide me with more career opportunities. During my undergraduate subjects like Mechanical Engineering Sciences, manufacturing processes engineering, Theory of machinery, Internal Combustion Engines, gave me a clearer view of what I wanted to do. I seek to design and engineer something new in a developing segment of mechanical. But sadly there were very few subjects relevant. So whenever & wherever I got any chance to follow my passion, gain more knowledge and practical skills I took it. I chose Automobile Engineering, micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS), Computational Fluid dynamics (CFD), sustainable development & optimization technique as my elective courses even when only as much as 10% students of the department chose to study these subjects. The final year project considered in my undergraduate program was titled “Long Stroke Engine Development” & it gave me the opportunity to be a part of a team to design and develop something new. It was one of the most original, challenging & insightful project & was appreciated with good grades. We developed a 4 Cylinder Vertical In-Line Engine to achieve higher horsepower than all existing engines at MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA. Being the only student selected for project & I needed to have a thorough knowledge of most of the operations and structure of the IC engine. Working toe to toe with experienced Industrial Experts has improved my knowledge & skills in engine assembly, engine testing, time management & teamwork. I have attended several workshops, seminars and internships organized at different institutions which helped in having hands on experience of the various machines that are the backbone of mechanical engineering. Having these valuable experiences have shown me the value of practical exposure. To learn what other institutes offer I joined and completed many MOOC courses like Machine Design from Georgia Institute of Technology & I am currently finishing A Hands-on Introduction to Engineering Simulations from Cornell University using ANSYS Mechanical & ANSYS Fluent. It has increased my knowledge in structural mechanics, fluid dynamics and heat transfer through finite-element analysis, computational fluid dynamics and structural mechanics simulations. I did my summer internship at NBC. This training at undergraduate level has helped me identify the various manufacturing processes, issues underlining each sector of the industry. Apart from the academic learning at the university level, I was elected as member for Student Council of the University by the university students & at the departmental level, I was voted as Class Representative. These two huge designations have given me a sense of commitment and responsibility toward the community of which I am a part of. I had been a part of organizing teams of the annual technical festival, cultural & sports festival of my university. I was campus and hostel committee member of University's joint admission counseling & have worked 210 hours each summer for past three years. These all have helped me in building my organizational skills, management, reasoning skills, team management & problem-solving skills & this helped me overcome my social barrier. These developed skills proved to be the foundation for many other skill developments. I have also worked as customer care executive for two and half months during my summer break of the 3rd year of undergraduate, giving me command over my communication skills and various quick problem resolving skills. My academics declined when I met two life threatening accidents. I had to be away from lectures for months due to prescribed bed rest, progressive surgeries and was dependent on others for attending classes for a substantial period. I had to miss 2 midterm examinations in different semesters resulting in my inferior GPA. Those were massive emotional, physical & mental setbacks for me. I have overcome those now. I have been trying with all what is within my capability & capacity to compensate those setbacks. I got certified in diesel management system and vehicle dynamics from BOSCH, developed a Go-Kart vehicle with a primary objective to design a safe & functional vehicle based on a rigid and torsion –free chassis, I was the design & material coordinator of the team & worked really hard for my project. These have enhanced my skills and knowledge even further. Research is a very important part for the growth and sustenance of both the university and its students. It allows us to give something back to the society in terms of new findings or better solutions to a potential problem. Virginia Tech has pioneered this area. We all know where the power supply for Intel chips was designed. The accomplished research work of department professors like Douglas Nelson, Joseph Meadows fascinates me, and if provided with the opportunity I would like to work under the combined guidance of both of them in investigating CFD &combustion systems application in hybrid vehicles. Also, other factors to be considered for choosing Virginia Tech as my top choice are that the faculty to student ratio is good, the campus looks very institutional and what I have gathered is that the institute is focused on preparing the student for a lifetime of service no matter their academic discipline. With my Master’s degree in place, I would want to pursue a further in-depth research where I can find novel ways and techniques that would help the industry to develop, for this I need to have a thorough knowledge which is possible at your institution. Once I have the field proficiency in the job I wish to make an impact in the field. For me to achieve this, education and experience are the stand up pillars. I can then combine my experience and knowledge to develop a stable & prosperous future. Learning in a well-organized institution in the USA with powerful pedagogical resources, vibrant intellectual environment, and a comprehensive curriculum will be a great step for me to achieve my aims and through working in a community having very large number of international students will give me a chance to interact with people from different & diverse cultures. It would give me a wider perspective of the world. I would be honored if you decide to accept my candidateship for Master studies. At the same time, I am aware of possible challenges and the high investment of efforts which I will have to put in order to successfully complete this course. I am looking forward to new experiences at the university. I am sure that the university will give me chances and challenges which will assist me in my all round personal growth GAURAV SHARMA