SoP Advice

[Eddie Kant]

When I began the last application season, I had a really hard time wrapping my mind around what exactly the "purpose" of the statement of purpose was and what it should include. After countless hours of scowering these boards for answers, I compiled various bits of advice and guidance that I found helpful. I put it all in a word doc that you can download here, http://www.mediafire...wzi178xsmc1m1hj

This forum has been an indispensible tool for me throughout this process. Hopefully this helps others.

[isawstars]

Thank you for this!!!

[pogopuschel]

Thank you very much. I haven't started writing my SOP yet but this will be an amazing help!

[annieca]

Thank you so much for this! I've been looking for something like this and here it is.

[ccarmona]

Great, thank you!

[objectivityofcontradiction]

Regarding the part from the Berkeley Career Center... leaving words/phrases like "interested" "appealing to me" "excited about" out of an SOP seems strange. I've had two former professors and two friends who are already in PhD programs go over my statement and they've said nothing about eliminating these phrases. If you are interested in working with a certain member of faculty, why beat around the bush trying to find another way of saying that? If the departments strengths is one of the reasons you were attracted to the department in the first place, why not say that that is why the department appeals to you. I'd be very curious to know why in a statement about you, you should leave these things out. Seems way off base.

[acr]

Regarding the part from the Berkeley Career Center... leaving words/phrases like "interested" "appealing to me" "excited about" out of an SOP seems strange. I've had two former professors and two friends who are already in PhD programs go over my statement and they've said nothing about eliminating these phrases. If you are interested in working with a certain member of faculty, why beat around the bush trying to find another way of saying that? If the departments strengths is one of the reasons you were attracted to the department in the first place, why not say that that is why the department appeals to you. I'd be very curious to know why in a statement about you, you should leave these things out. Seems way off base.

True, these words add life to the SOP. However the folks at the Berkeley Career Center did mention to avoid them only without explanation. "I'm excited about X because I did Y and blah blah" gives a much more deeper meaning than just "I'm interested in X".

@Eddie: Thanks a lot for the file, it was very helpful!

[Dawn]

I've already written one SPO for the last cycle but I'm about to start revising/rewriting and have book marked this. Thank you tons!