SOP Advice: Please help my confused soul! :D

[garuna]

Hi all,

I'm in the process of writing my SoP and I had a doubt. How technical should I get while describing my research projects and internships? A paragraph about each one with a reasonable level of tech jargon is acceptable, right? I'm assuming that the evaluators of my SoP will be experts in my field and won't have any difficulty in understanding my work. Is this a reasonable assumption?

I had another question: is it necessary to go into specifics (such as proposing a thesis topic) when I'm applying for a Master's degree? Or is a general overview of my future plans enough?

I apologize for this incessant questioning, but it would be great if some of you could respond!

Thanks!

Edited October 2, 2010 by garuna

[newms]

No need to apologize!

A paragraph about each one with a reasonable level of tech jargon is acceptable, right? I'm assuming that the evaluators of my SoP will be experts in my field and won't have any difficulty in understanding my work. Is this a reasonable assumption?

I think this is reasonable. What you want to make sure that you do is to weave the paragraphs together so that they are not just disjointed snapshots of your past, but show how your past experiences prepare you for grad school and your future plans. The SoP should be future focused, so try not to spend the majority of it on your past.

I had another question: is it necessary to go into specifics (such as proposing a thesis topic) when I'm applying for a Master's degree? Or is a general overview of my future plans enough?

I don't think its necessary to get to the level of a thesis topic, but it should be more specific than just a general overview. Remember that you should try to show how you would fit at the program you are applying to, so you will need to be detailed enough to show how your plans fits in with the work that is already ongoing at that program.

Good luck!

[garuna]

Thank you very much, newms!

I had a few more questions:

• My UG institution in India is one of the top schools in the country. Hence, I'm not wasting any space in my SoP to mention that fact. However, would it be advisable to mention it in one line somewhere? Will the adcomm be well aware of college standards in foreign countries?
• My SoP sounds a bit too factual and "robotic", but I think I've explained my work along with my future plans reasonably well. Do I need to jazz it up a bit to make it sound interesting? Or is a fact based professional approach the way to go?
• Should I mention my awards/class rank in my SoP or is it enough to have it on my CV? I don't wish to repeat the same things in the SoP and am just focusing on my past exp and plans for future study. Is that ok? Or would you suggest some other way?

Would love to hear your view on this. Thanks!

[newms]

Thank you very much, newms!

I had a few more questions:

• My UG institution in India is one of the top schools in the country. Hence, I'm not wasting any space in my SoP to mention that fact. However, would it be advisable to mention it in one line somewhere? Will the adcomm be well aware of college standards in foreign countries?
• My SoP sounds a bit too factual and "robotic", but I think I've explained my work along with my future plans reasonably well. Do I need to jazz it up a bit to make it sound interesting? Or is a fact based professional approach the way to go?
• Should I mention my awards/class rank in my SoP or is it enough to have it on my CV? I don't wish to repeat the same things in the SoP and am just focusing on my past exp and plans for future study. Is that ok? Or would you suggest some other way?

Would love to hear your view on this. Thanks!

You're welcome. You should not repeat information in your application. So if something is on your CV, you don't need to put it again in your SoP since the adcomm will see it. You also don't want to sound arrogant in your SoP so if you mention awards, you should do so in reference to something else, almost in passing. Your SoP, ideally, should be fact based and interesting - remember, you want to get and keep the adcomm's attention. 'Interesting' doesn't have to be jazzy, you can write about your research interests and plans and be very interesting - remember, the adcomms are made up of professors not book reviewers for the NY Times.

[garuna]

Really appreciate your quick response! You've helped me clear a lot of doubts!

[newms]

Really appreciate your quick response! You've helped me clear a lot of doubts!

Glad to help