SOP tips

[George2248]

Hello everyone, I am an international student from South America and I have no experience in the US educational background.

I just graduated from a top school in Engineering in Venezuela and now I am planning to apply to several Engineering Management and Construction Management Programs like Berkeley, Columbia, Illinois, Duke, etc.

Since I do not have any orientation or expert advice helping me with my application, I am a little worried about the SOP and Personal History essays that must programs ask for.

I have really good GPA, and I graduated top of my class, I have good recommendations and I am expecting good results from the GRE since I am in the 1350 - 1400 on my practice exams.

The problem with the SOP is that every school have different indications and some schools also require Personal History statements. For example:

BERKELEY: "Please describe your aptitude and motivation for graduate study in your area of specialization, including your preparation for this field of study, your academic plans or research interests in your chosen area of study, and your future career goals. Please be specific about why UC Berkeley would be a good intellectual fit for you.

Make sure to check on the appropriate department admissions web site to find out if your statement should include additional or more specific information."

DUKE: "Please upload a one-page Statement of Purpose indicating your objectives in undertaking graduate study in Duke's Master of Engineering Management Program or Master of Engineering Program."

Since the directions are so different, should I still follow a sample SOP or just answer what they ask for in each program?

When I read sample SOP online they look like they all follow the same pattern and do not adapt to the directions given...

Also, some schools dont ask for research interests, and I think that is because it is not important for management programs, do you think it might be good to mention them anyway?

One last thing, is there any structural pattern that I should follow for the SOP, number of words?, things I must mention?

Thanks for your time and help, maybe other people have these same questions....

[Gvh]

I think I speak for all academics and scholars when I say "Always answer the question". Obviously it's a good idea to read sample SOPs to get a feel for what is well received by adcoms, but from what I understand, answering what you're programs asks of you, being original and showing fit are good things to remember. Usually the statement questions tell you how long it should be, generally ranging from 500 words to 1500 words. Though if you ever have any doubts, I would contact the program director or the department's admissions counselor - it's always worth asking rather than regretting, besides, it's never a bad idea to get your name out there! =)

Edited September 11, 2011 by Gvh

[runonsentence]

Different schools are looking for different things. Many (even most all?) successful applicants tailor their SoP to the schools that they are applying. Now, "tailoring" can mean a few things...it can mean swapping out a certain paragraph, or it can mean a radically different structure and focus. But in all, this means that there is no one ideal model for the SoP: a successful, ideal SoP will look different from program to program.

Your best bet is to tailor your document to your audience as much as possible—show that school why you're a good fit with their program culture, their faculty's research, and the strengths of their program. And yes yes yes, if they outline specific expectations, it would be foolhardy not to address them!

As for some general structural advice: if the school doesn't mention a length requirement, it's best to stick with a 1.5-1.75 page document (single spaced).

[George2248]

What about the literary style of SOP. Ive reas many samples that seems like a short story, with personal experiences, even metaphors.

Do you the writing style has any importance? Especially for an Engineering Program.

I thing I might be being to literal I just answering the question they ask for, and I dont know if this might be a problem?

[runonsentence]

A lot of popular publications advocate you use a narrative, but really, that can just go wrong so easily. It's certainly nice if you happen to have a compelling story that tidily tells the committee about you and what you will do in grad school, but how many of us do? It's just so easy to get the tone wrong, or to slip into the trap of making the story so important that the document loses its focus....

I think that telling the committee about what you will do and how you will do it is most important. Especially for an engineering program: think about the kind of writing they'd expect from you as a student. It may be easy to turn off the adcom with a narrative, unless you've written it expertly.

I say go with your gut and follow the golden rule of academia: ATDQ (answer the darn question).

[George2248]

A lot of popular publications advocate you use a narrative, but really, that can just go wrong so easily. It's certainly nice if you happen to have a compelling story that tidily tells the committee about you and what you will do in grad school, but how many of us do? It's just so easy to get the tone wrong, or to slip into the trap of making the story so important that the document loses its focus....

I think that telling the committee about what you will do and how you will do it is most important. Especially for an engineering program: think about the kind of writing they'd expect from you as a student. It may be easy to turn off the adcom with a narrative, unless you've written it expertly.

I say go with your gut and follow the golden rule of academia: ATDQ (answer the darn question).

That sounds good, thanks for the advice....