Need some advice.

[MikeMiro]

I would like to start out by saying I'm new to the forum. I've looked at a bunch of advice pages on the internet and couldn't find one that answers questions to my particular situation so I thought I would ask you guys. 

 

I'm currently writing some of my personal statements for grad school and one particular school has a prompt that is quite vague and different from the ones I am used to seeing. I am applying for the pHD program in chemistry and they want a very brief statement limited to 1 page that wants the following:

 

"Write a statement of not fewer than 200 words describing your qualifications and the objectives of your educational program. Report any research activities, publications, independent studies, and memberships in academic, professional, or honorary societies. Account for time that has elapsed between formal studies."

 

It seems what they want here is very straight forward and doesn't have room for cute anecdotes or personal stories of growth and passion, but instead looks for one to describe their qualifications. Because of this, I am finding it hard to determine how to start this. The limitations seem to ask for some what of a cover letter type thing, but writing it in a letter format seems just as unfitting as the essay about my life format. Would anyone have advice about how to start this?

 

Also, I researched the professors in the school that I might want to work for and from what I read it is often good to include it to show that you know what you want but this doesn't seem to ask for that either. Is it awkward to name drop in this situation?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

[languages-etc]

"Write a statement of not fewer than 200 words describing your qualifications and the objectives of your educational program. Report any research activities, publications, independent studies, and memberships in academic, professional, or honorary societies. Account for time that has elapsed between formal studies."

 

I'm not sure if I'm misunderstanding you, but does the prompt really say not fewer than 200 words? That would mean your statement would be more than 200 words. Describing all of the above would be difficult in 1 page. 

[MikeMiro]

yes it says NOT fewer than 200 but then on my intended department's home page it says not more than one page as well.

[languages-etc]

If it's maximum one page, just state everything succinctly and get right to the point. I'd use full sentences and try to make it flow well, but just list everything they've asked for. 

 

Depending on the deadline for the application, you might want to contact the department administrator and double-check on the length; maybe even call the person in order to save time. It strikes me as very unusual to ask for all that in 1 page. 

[TakeruK]

In the sciences, I don't think it's that unusual to ask for all that in one page. Most schools I applied to did allow me 2 pages, but one school limited things to 1 page, single spaced. I think this is about 400-500 words, which is definitely doable.

 

How to start? I'd say get right to the point. Something like (but perhaps better worded):

 

I am interested in a PhD program at School X to study Topic Y. [Maybe a sentence or two about why you are interested in this topic, or something to clarify your interest e.g. a specific method or way to look at the problem?].

 

2nd paragraph could be: I will be completing my BSc in Chemistry at UNDERGRAD SCHOOL [with a minor in... etc. whatever applies]. Then describe your academic background (courses? honours? etc.)

 

Next, I would write 1 paragraph each about any research experience you've had. Make sure you mention what you've learned and why it's important to the community. Also mention if anything came out of the research (patent? publication? conference presentations?). My paragraphs went something like this:

 

My first research experience was with the Cosmology Group with Prof. A at School B. I learned to program in C in order to analyse data from Instrument D. We found that [conclusions E] led to [implication F]. [Maybe another sentence about your research?] During this time, from working with collaborators at many different institutions, I also learned how to communicate effectively during our weekly telecons. Ultimately, my research was published in [Journal G] and I presented the work at Conference [H].

 

The rest of my paragraphs went the same way, sometimes with a sentence to transition more smoothly. A little bit of anecdotal stuff is put here as I explained my motivations from moving from one project to another. Hopefully that showed that I have an overall academic/career plan. 

 

It seems like the prompt doesn't even want you to talk about why you want to attend their school (i.e. describing your fit). If that information is requested elsewhere, then that saves you a paragraph! Otherwise I'd probably conclude with why your background and experience has prepared you to study Topic Y at School X. In addition, talk about why School X is a good place for Topic Y (profs? facilities? etc.)

 

Overall, the SOP in the sciences need not to be very personal. Its purpose is to clearly and concisely discuss your abilities, experience, and background. The less "fluff" you have, the easier it will be for the admissions committee to pick out your strengths. Sometimes the school wants to hear more of your personal background, but I think the explicit 1 page limit is a hint that you should keep it brief/concise.

[thecambam]

I would say that your "objectives for you academic program" could include specific professors you'd like to work with at that institution. Especially if you can include how your specific research would be relevant to working with Professor X or Y, I'd say that would be part of your objective, no?

[selecttext]

stories of personal growth and other such anecdotes, in my opinion, do not  belong in an admissions statement for graduate school. these are generally filler and utterly useless. the requirement of the original poster seems fairly standard and is worded to cut through all the superfluous information that the adcom must receive. all of that info could definitely be included in a single page. write it out and we can help you edit it down.

Edited January 8, 2013 by david.timerman

[Queen of Kale]

I think I applied to this same school or at least one with a strikingly similar prompt. I used the same essay format as with my other schools: short paragraph explaining why I selected school/department/POI based on fit, paragraphs about each research experience with connecting themes to tie them together, and conclusion paragraph. That's it, quick and dirty. I left out memberships, etc as they were covered in my CV.