What makes your application unique?

[Dreams]

I see a lot of talk about stats this and that, but I am a believer that it takes more than super numbers to get in to -most- programs.

I am interested in hearing some of the more unique aspects of your backgrounds that have helped, or that you will feel will help you land a spot in your intended program.

[rising_star]

Rewriting whole sections of my SOP for individual schools.

[AllFiredUp]

I adopted a scene from the great film "The Godfather" to persuade Ad. Coms. of my worth:

[docstudent]

From the wording of your question, I understand that you would like some specific ideas rather than vague ones. Here's one paragraph from my SOP where I was able to discuss some substantial volunteer work I performed that I felt differentiated me from other applicants, tying it into my field and showing how it helped prepare me for a Ph.D. program:

"In the past several years, I have participated in valuable teaching experiences that have given me a rare perspective on personally dealing with leadership, organizational dynamics, and change. In [year], I left schooling... and volunteered for.... Assigned to work in [location] speaking Spanish and Portuguese, I was privileged to associate with people from every Central and South American country, as well as others from parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia. I was fascinated by the idiosyncratic learning styles of each culture and adapted my teaching style accordingly. During my time there, I taught thousands of people in both small and large gatherings, supervised the efforts of [#] other volunteers, and lectured on conflict resolution, motivation theory, and principle-based decision making. I became a proficient teacher and gained experience that I believe will be valuable in developing future research questions."

[Dreams]

Thanks rising_star, AllFiredUp, and docstudent for replying so far. You are correct docstudent that I was looking to see things along the line of what you posted, though they do not have to be excerpts from a personal statement for people who are not comfortable posting that. It can just be a summary of some things you feel help you stand out.

For instance, studying Biology in college, I spent my fair share time, as I am sure other Bio majors have, in various labs for my classes and doing research for professors. Grad programs will expect that of the typical applicant.

What would set an applicant apart in case would be for instance, going to Finland and Cameroon to study the fish families and behaviors in those countries; or having experiences similar to docstudent.

Those would be the types of things I am sure would catch a committee or two's eye.

Thanks folks and hopefully others will pitch in

[frankdux]

i bought this book off of amazon to help me write my essay

http://www.amazon.com/Graduate-Admissio ... 213&sr=8-1

i gotta say, its very strange. the book actually recommends you finding some sort of absolute extreme situation that happened in your life, and then try to tie it into what you want to study. the author gives 50 example essays written by students who were accepted into great programs. but so many of these essays start out with something insane like, "the foreign man had a gun pointed to my fathers face. i was only 5 years old... International Relations with a focus on criminal justice is my desired field of study." or "i earned my helicopter's license at age 11 and traveled from beunos aires to lima, peru entirely by myself... a Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics is what i wish to pursue".

i'm a rather ordinary individual and don't have any amazing childhood feats of accomplishment. i'd honestly like to know how i can stand out without coming across so 'gimmicky'.

[technocat]

i'm a rather ordinary individual and don't have any amazing childhood feats of accomplishment. i'd honestly like to know how i can stand out without coming across so 'gimmicky'.

That sounds like law school or med school app stuff. I'm pretty sure the best childhood qualification most successful PhD applicants have going for them is that they were dweebs and played with lightsabers. I think the vast majority of statements of purpose skip childhood entirely, since typically, 7-year-olds do not do relevant research, work with professors, or present conference papers. Standing out by being insane is probably overrated.

[academiccricket]

I think some things that I'm definitely going to point out are basically things speaking to my tenacity and desire to succeed, that doesn't necessarily manifest itself in the application itself:

-I'm a first-gen college student, the first person in my family to have a passport and go overseas, etc.

-I've adopted a really great work ethic from being in a family that worked its way from government housing to the lower-middle class

-I've worked full-time to put myself through college/grad school

I have slept on air mattresses on my friend's floors because I've sunk my money into tuition and textbooks. I sold anything valuable that I had in order to move across the country, just sit in on a year-long class at my top choice. My parents don't support me in any way, and actually hold me pursuing higher education against me, because they think that it indoctrinates me with "liberal propaganda" (they are very conservative).

The same things that make my application "unique" are also the things I struggle with writing, because I don't want to come across as bitter or angry, or be perceived as someone who doesn't take responsibility for their life. These are just challenges that a lot of people haven't had to overcome, and that I've dealt with.

[dowjonesindustrial]

Standing out by being insane is probably overrated.

roflcopter.

But seriously, I think that articulating your interests effectively and sincerely is the very thing that gives your application individuality. In some cases (Law and Medical school mentioned by someone above), the anecdote is an useful way to convey your personality. But in many fields, your strength of character is demonstrated by a vibrant interest and professional commitment to your subject matter, not by a story, or a gimmick, or "being insane" in any way.