Research Proposal as SOP

[aselfmadewinter]

I'm applying for a PhD in Religious Studies, and it seems as though most schools ask for a very short SOP (500-700 words at the most, 500 seems standard). I chose to leave out stuff about my formation and personal goals entirely and instead, to concentrate on my proposed research and the current research that I'm doing for my MA thesis. This seems like a solid call to me, since most schools ask for a statement that describes "research interests". In the end, I had an SOP that looked an awful lot like an SSHRC proposal.

I have a few more days before I absolutely have to send out my last few applications. Does anyone think that I should change my SOP to talk more about my goals and my 'fit' at the various schools that I'm applying to? Keep in mind that I only have 500 words to say what I want to say and that most schools I'm applying to specifically ask for research interests.

Consider, for instance, the description of the SOP for one of the schools that I'm applying to: "...a statement of research interest in pursuing graduate studies (approximately 500-700 words). Please include in your statement of interest a description of your background and proficiency in foreign languages, detailing the courses you have taken, the levels, and the grades that you received for them." Of couse, I intend to provide the requested information about my language work, but aside from that, it seems as though the focus of the SOP should be on the research that I intend to undertake. Does this seem accurate?

Edited January 11, 2011 by aselfmadewinter

[InquilineKea]

Bump, I'm interested too. Although I'm more of a scientist.

Speculative research, though, is very common, and is a point of concern (there are some adcoms who will *definitely* be concerned about those who do speculative research, especially since they often have to fight off the speculative research of others).