The SOP: learning the genre, looking for examples

[D. Malorkus]

I'm in the process of turning a big, unwieldy pile of notes into a draft statement of purpose. One problem I'm having is: I don't really know what a successful SOP looks like. I've read a fair amount about SOPs and have some sense of the different forms a good one can take, what should go into each of these, what shouldn't, what the standard mistakes are, and so on -- but I've never seen a real SOP that really got someone into a program. I think it would be super helpful to look at some. You learn a genre by reading in the genre.

So, after months of lurking here, I'm piping up to ask: does anyone savvier than I am know where to find examples of successful SOPs online? Would any current Ph.D.s be willing to share the SOPs that got them where they are? (There were a few very generous offers to this effect in a from earlier in the year.) More generally, how has everyone gone about learning to write the SOP? It's such a weird genre.

I'm asking all this for the obvious self-interested reasons, but also because there must be other GradCafe-ers in my position. I can only speak for myself, but I'd be most grateful for whatever help anyone can offer.

[claptrap]

If you have access to your university or local library, you might see if they have Donald Asher's Graduate Admissions Essays, which contains a chapter dedicated to SOP samples. If it's not available, you might be able to see bits and pieces via google books.

[sebastiansteddy]

I am currently in an MA program, and 5-6 first-year students in the PhD program shared their statements with me. They were all very, VERY different. I wish there were some formula where you could just fill in the blanks, but it's not that easy. I have shown my statement to 4 different professors and have received widely varying feedback. So this post probably doesn't help you much, but figured I would just share what I have learned: there's no one right way to write the SOP. That comforted me a bit, so hopefully it'll comfort you as well.

[ProfLorax]

I am currently in an MA program, and 5-6 first-year students in the PhD program shared their statements with me. They were all very, VERY different. I wish there were some formula where you could just fill in the blanks, but it's not that easy. I have shown my statement to 4 different professors and have received widely varying feedback. So this post probably doesn't help you much, but figured I would just share what I have learned: there's no one right way to write the SOP. That comforted me a bit, so hopefully it'll comfort you as well.

Ain't that the truth! I've received wildly different feedback from the same professor!

[D. Malorkus]

Claptrap: thanks.

Sebastian, Lorax: you're certainly right, there's no formula. (This is not, thank god, the writing section of the GRE.)

What I'm after is, more, whether there's anything slipperier than a formula -- a tone or type of decorum or sense of audience or... something -- that a lot of successful SOPs have in common. Whether there's anything about those SOPs that it would be useful to get a feel for. Probably, mostly, I'm being neurotic and looking to reassure myself that what I'm writing is in the ballpark of what's been acceptable in past cycles. This process seems to make everyone neurotic, so maybe other people are, too?

[asleepawake]

The only statement of purpose I know of that is online is the one by James Holmes published from Iowa's neuroscience program. It is eerie to read, but for the morbidly curious, it's here: http://www.scribd.co...record-redacted

A number of people used to post their drafts on Livejournal's applyingtograd community for advice, but I haven't been around there in a while, and they were all, of course, pre-application. You might be able to dig some up if you check out the community.

Edited October 15, 2012 by asleepawake

[skybythelight]

I was accepted to a few low ranking MA programs last year... WSU, OSU, and the like... I'd be happy to share my statement, just keep in mind that it was written with MA programs in mind, not PhDs. However, the professor I'm working with on my application round this year (which does include five PhD programs), seems to think it needs only minor tweaking.

[asleepawake]

I was accepted to a few low ranking MA programs last year... WSU, OSU, and the like... I'd be happy to share my statement, just keep in mind that it was written with MA programs in mind, not PhDs. However, the professor I'm working with on my application round this year (which does include five PhD programs), seems to think it needs only minor tweaking.

I would loveee to have a look at your SOP!

Should we make a dropbox folder or something? Wasn't there another thread where folks were planning something like this?

Edited October 20, 2012 by asleepawake

[D. Malorkus]

Seconded. And the idea of a Dropbox folder is an excellent one.

[Imogene]

I thought this example (from livejournal) was an interesting one for English PhD SOPs:

http://grnpointer.livejournal.com/559.html

I'm not suggesting this should be *the* example, but it does a good job of tracing the applicant's path of literary interests to his goals for graduate study, and how the school/faculty fits in that mapping.

But, another reason I think this is a helpful example is that you can see how personal the SOP is -- there is no *formula* because everyone's interests and paths that led them there are different. An SOP should clearly, but interestingly, demonstrate the unique path he/she has traveled to get to this stage, and reveal the possible path(s) that lie(s) in front of him/her at the particular program.

[thenerdypengwin]

The only statement of purpose I know of that is online is the one by James Holmes published from Iowa's neuroscience program. It is eerie to read, but for the morbidly curious, it's here: http://www.scribd.co...record-redacted

Events aside, I thought that his SOP would be really helpful, since he graduated 2 years before me in my program. ...but that was a terrible SOP. He bragged, had fake humility, talked about irrelevant or inconsequential events. There was absolutely nothing special about him except his grades. The only real positive human emotional word he used was "exhilarated". It was out of place. He never explained why, or continued the tone throughout the writing.

Lemme know if you guys do a dropbox! I'm in.

[lolotte]

When I applied to English Ph.D. programs four years ago, I had similar questions and concerns regarding the SOP. However, I was fortunate enough to have as an example the SOP of a very successful previous applicant (at least four offers of admission to top-ten programs). I didn’t actually know this person (we had mutual friends at our undergraduate institution), and I can’t share the SOP – but here are a few of its general characteristics:

Opening: a brief quote from a novel, followed by a paragraph that describes the applicant’s enthusiasm for learning and desire to pursue a career in academia (vs. any other occupation)

An overview of the applicant’s undergraduate achievements (fellowships, conferences), including a rather detailed description of the honors thesis – it’s evident that the applicant is highly invested in the topic and would like to engage with it further, in greater depth (but it’s not pitched as *the dissertation topic*)

An overview of the applicant’s research interests, with mention of specific authors/books that are in some way representative of literary questions/problems that are important to the applicant

The overview of research interests, I think, is particularly compelling: it really demonstrates the applicant’s impressive understanding of his field/period, including cultural phenomena. While the applicant does not discuss contemporary literary theory/criticism, he does mention a few intellectual figures of his period whose writings (on science, religion, etc.) are relevant to his interests. The overview reads *almost* like a proposal – but the applicant also expresses an openness to possibilities, a desire to grow as a scholar, etc.

The “fit” paragraph mentions three professors (including names of their books/publications that have inspired the applicant and align with is own research interests), university libraries, museums, and other resources.

Only briefly toward the end does the applicant discuss his interest in teaching.

TNR 12-point font, but he adjusted the margins

I hope this may be useful to some of you. Please don’t be anxious if your SOP takes a different tack – as many have already emphasized, there’s no formula for the perfect SOP. But obviously this applicant was doing something right.