I feel stupid writing an SOP

[DeeD]

I feel STUPID writing an SOP.

Have you made mistakes ? I've made a tonne. And i have spent the last 3.5 years in a ***** college trying to make up for it. And I tried... I got more involved, did some small work, participated in everything I came across and now, that I sit down to write about it... I know how much it pales in comparison to all that great awesome stuff others do...

Is it possible that once you get into a C-grade college , you can never get in an A-grade one ? I have done stuff, stuff that is huge for me, but minuscule for those guys.

You think they sit around and laugh at lame SOPs ? Go "LOL!!! Can you believe this looser actually thought he could GET in ?!?! "

Does anyone else out there feel stupid ? Like we are jumping burning hoops while blindfolded ? That the audience is not cheering but Jeering !

I'm sorry this is so negative. But I have to believe that there is someone out there desperately trying to get in a new league and failing miserably.

Coming to the point *finally* - my question is this.

How do you write about a series SMALL achievement while making it sound not-so-stupid and ensuring they don't start rofl ?

thanks a lot

[Shari A Williams]

I'm going to try to address everything you said in order.

Personally, I think you need to stop thinking so negatively. Noone is perfect but it sounds like you've managed to turn things around for yourself, school-wise. REGARDLESS of what other scholars may or may not have done, that's still something to feel good about. Don't beat yourself up just because people have possibly done better than you. There are probably more persons who have performed WORSE than you.

Yes, things are competitive when it comes to applying to schools, there's no question about it. But YOU need to convince yourself of your OWN self-worth and be confident in your abilities, and your capacity to learn and grow. Until you do that, you're going to REALLY struggle when it comes to coming up with the content and structure of your SOP.

-Yes, it IS possible that you can get into a top school after attending a less "prestigious" one. It all has to do with what you do there and how you network and market yourself. Don't assume it'll be miniscule to them.

-I HIIIIGHLY doubt that they sit around laughing at people's SOPs, so you can relax about that. These people are human after all.

-I felt stupid during the appliaction process myself. I ended up writing my SOP a ZILLION times. Between that and the rewriting writing sample (I dunno how it is for IT but it's pretty important for other applications) I was literally in TEARS approaching application deadlines. The field I was applying for was different from the one I was doing, and the one I did my Bachelors in, so I was extremely insecure about everything. But in the end I just tried to focus on my positives and sell myself well enough in my application.

-I think if you search the forums in the Applications section (if you haven't already) you'll find posts to help you with writing the SOP in a way that will adequately highlight your achievements. Here's a link I used:

http://www.statementofpurpose.com/

Good luck!

[ANDS!]

Does anyone else out there feel stupid ?

I thought the SOP was the most asinine point of the process; especially when there were instructions on what they wanted to specifically to see in your essay. While writing mine at some point I just thought, "you know - they really just want to know that I will be commited to this program, so let me just try and construct an essay that says that."

Unless yours is uniquely bad, it's probably not going to be what gets you in.

[Lola Wants]

Wow!!! First, let's get rid of the I'm defeated before I've even started attitude because that will not help you structure any pertinent thoughts regarding your personal statement. Everyone enters graduate school with varying levels of experience and expertise and the only thing that ties you all together is the requirements everyone needed to apply and get accepted in the first place. First of all, I would like to know what you consider as a "small achievement" because it might likely be a very important one even if you do not recognize it as relevant. If your achievements are "huge" to you then turn that into a positive point in your statement and make sure the readers of your statement realize how important it is. If this small achievement is related to the skills of the program you are applying to then it is best to tie that into your personal statement as well. Secondly, if you have a series of "small achievements" then they can certainly add up if you frame them in a positive manner that relates to your growth and will help you contribute to the field you are applying to. I'm sorry to say this but if you have such a negative view of yourself in writing the personal statement how will you handle the rigors of competition and attaining success when you get admitted into an Ivy League program because they will be present.

[crazygirl2012]

I felt the same way, and it really hindered my progress in all aspects of application. I was so embarrassed to give my rough draft to my advisor, because even though it was a professional essay, I let the "personal" in "personal statement" get to me. I was protective of it and thought it was awful and that I was awful.

My personal life in college was honestly pretty hellish. It was hard to form a cohesive "story" of my experience up to that point, of what I had done and of how I developed my research interests. I would hate to read it again, because I know it doesn't sound like "my story" at all. It's sterilized to the point that it hardly even sounds like me, and that's just fine.

Like you, I've accomplished so much that either doesn't sound like a big deal if you don't know me or is far too personal for an application. I like to think our achievements somehow shine through, even when they don't seem all that great (or, in my case, existent) on paper. Applying to grad school is all about showing the potential to be successful, especially for those of us coming straight out of undergrad. Without seeing your essay, I can't give you specific advice on wording. But play around with it until it sounds right. If you believe in the magnitude of your accomplishments, that will come across in your writing. If you can't convince yourself that you deserve to be in grad school, you'll have a hard time convincing the admissions committees that you deserve it. I did this the hard way. I hope you can find some peace and confidence. That will make all the difference in your writing.