Should I include a SoP anyway?

[laura_b]

I am about to mail in my last application, which is for the University of Arkansas. They did not ask for a personal statement or statement of purpose, but would it be wise to include one anyway?

[DarwinAG]

There are two ways they can respond:

1) Wow, this person is thorough. She even included a personal statement. I will look at her application even though I was already going to do that (haha this is meant to be a satire, but you see the point).

2) Wow, this person does not know how to follow simple directions. I won't even bother looking at her application.

My point is there is a chance they will respond the first way, in which case you only benefit slightly more than the average applicant. It is a negligible benefit in my opinion. If they see it the other way, they may not even consider your application at all. I think it is more detrimental than helpful. Thus, follow instructions and don't send one in.

[fuzzylogician]

If there is any space for "other materials", yes. If they don't specifically say not to submit any unsolicited materials, also yes. If you have time and aren't sure - ask. As with any unsolicited materials, make sure the SOP helps and doesn't detract. It should be good -- spend as much time on it as you would for any other app. 

[anaZep]

I ran into a similar problem (maybe, in a way?) when I mistakenly carefully crafted a 500-word essay instead of a 500 character statement (whoops!).  i called the admissions office in a panic and they said to submit it anyway, though they wouldn't guarantee that anyone would read it.  i made sure to verify that it wouldn't count against me; i wasn't trying to suck up, but after spending two+ months on the essay, i didn't want to just throw it away either.  because of extenuating circumstances which i included in the essay, the person i spoke with said it was OK to include it.

 

i know it was somewhat careless of me not to notice the specific instructions.  in my defense, i had been working on the application since the previous summer, and hadn't looked at the school's admissions FAQ's since then; it was between that time and now that they updated their website to clearly specify that it should be a short statement rather than an essay.  my guess is that i'm not the first person to have made the mistake.

 

anyway, the lesson learned is to follow instructions as best as possible, but if in doubt, it doesn't hurt to call the admissions office and ask.