Non Doctoral Applicants?

[SchoolPsychGirl]

I'm wondering if the same suggestions apply for non-doctoral applicants as to the importance of lining up one's research interests with those of the faculty members/department philosophy? Also, I know that with the doctoral SOPs, its more important to stay focused mainly on what you want to do in research, your future aspirations in the field, etc...while I am still discussing these things in my SOP, I am also discussing what lead me to the place I am at now...Do you all think this part is a little more flexible with non-doctoral apps?

 

For Columbia, this was the directive they stated for the Masters program I'm applying to:

 

The statement of purpose is an important part of the application review process.  The statement of purpose should be two to three pages in length double spaced. Describe your background, past work in the intended field of study, plans for graduate study and a professional career, or any other information that is relevant.

 

For me, this translates to a little more leniacy in this regard?

 

I'm struggling with how much to brag about too- which I stated in another post I believe- things like my parents as Ivy Leage grads and professionals in the field of which I am applying too...

 

Anyway, any thoughts/ideas/suggestions are much appreciated

[anthropologygeek]

Well, where your parents went to college has nothing to do with your app so I would leave that out. And yes you should generally know what you want to do for your thesis.

[fuzzylogician]

The prompt sounds fairly common to me, and not particularly lenient as you suggest. "Plans for graduate study" is intended for you to describe your research interests. You may not have a specific research question in mind, but you should be able to describe a subfield or a set of questions that are interesting to you, unless you're applying to strictly professional programs, which - from the wording of the prompt - does not appear to be the case.

 

Also, don't brag, and do yourself a favor by stopping to believe that using your parents' achievements to manipulate the adcom is "bragging." Giving this information is presumptuous and might annoy some members of the admissions committee, but more importantly it's completely irrelevant to your application. Just because your father is Joe Fancypants or your mother is Mary Famous we can't conclude anything about your abilities or fit with a particular department. Why should you be chosen over someone who used their SOP space wisely to actually address the questions in the prompt and convince the adcom that they are a strong candidate? Spend your time proving that, and you'll have better chances of being admitted.

[SchoolPsychGirl]

Thanks for the imput. I have taken out the part about my parents. As I've mentioned in a previous post, it was only to subtely tie in that they were in the field I'm applying in and my exposure came at an early age. But, I figured out a different way to say it

 

As for the part about my plans for graduate study, I have this (which is a few paragraph's into the paper):

 

Although I am fascinated with all areas of child and educational psychology, I am particularly interested in the parent-child relationship and attachment theory as they pertain to learning, psychological and emotional adjustment, and the impact of broad or acute childhood stress on learning, cognition, and future mental health.  Other topics of high interest include adolescent aggression as well as multicultural barriers to success in the academic domains of reading, language and testing.  I am also hoping to expand my understanding of Response to Intervention (RTI) and its potential for shaping educational reform.  I view the holistic problem-solving approach, as seen in RTI, as a gateway for a fundamental shift in the way mental health services in schools are implemented.  With an increase in the complexity and severity of student behavior and learning needs in schools, it is within the contextual framework of approaches such as RTI that I hope to serve as a vehicle to success for children in need.

            I can safely say that the diverse yet compatible nature of my coursework in special education, multiculturalism and child psychology coupled with my experiences in educational settings to this point have served as an excellent platform for graduate work.  I am eager to begin honing the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to become an outstanding school psychologist.  While I plan to continue working in educational settings indefinitely, eventually I would like to adjoin my love for child psychology with other related interests such as mindfulness, meditation and positive psychology.  In the long term, I am not removed from the notion of pursuing doctoral work to strengthen the potential for impact beyond the boundaries of educational settings.

 

Thoughts? Feedback?

[selecttext]

It's pretty good. A once over of the writing style may be useful to tighten up some sentences, but it is specific. 

[fuzzylogician]

Here are some thoughts:

 

Although I am fascinated with all areas of child and educational psychology, I am particularly interested in the parent-child relationship and attachment theory as they pertain to learning, psychological and emotional adjustment, and the impact of broad or acute childhood stress on learning, cognition, and future mental health.  Other topics of high interest include adolescent aggression as well as multicultural barriers to success in the academic domains of reading, language and testing.  I am also hoping to expand my understanding of Response to Intervention (RTI) and its potential for shaping educational reform.  I view the holistic problem-solving approach, as seen in RTI, as a gateway for a fundamental shift in the way mental health services in schools are implemented.  With an increase in the complexity and severity of student behavior and learning needs in schools, it is within the contextual framework of approaches such as RTI that I hope to serve as a vehicle to success for children in need.

 

I am not in Psychology so I might be totally wrong here, but it seems to me that you are listing quite a few diverse interests here. If all these interests are clearly closely related to each other, then ignore this altogether. But if they are quite diverse, maybe you should provide clear links between your interests or edit some of them out. You want to show a clear and consistent view, and you want to have interests that are compatible with what maybe 20-30% of the faculty is doing (in my field, that corresponds to finding 3-4 faculty you could work with).

 

            I can safely say that the diverse yet compatible nature of my coursework in special education, multiculturalism and child psychology coupled with my experiences in educational settings to this point have served as an excellent platform for graduate work. 

 

reword and tighten: My coursework in special education, multiculturalism and child psychology coupled with my experiences in educational settings have served as an excellent platform for graduate work.

I am eager to begin honing the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to become an outstanding school psychologist.  

 

Remove fluff: I am eager to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to become an outstanding school psychologist.

 

While I plan to continue working in educational settings indefinitely, eventually I would like to adjoin my love for child psychology with other related interests such as mindfulness, meditation and positive psychology.  In the long term, I am not removed from the notion of pursuing doctoral work to strengthen the potential for impact beyond the boundaries of educational settings.

 

Again, too fluffy. This time, you are also contradicting yourself a little bit: While I plan to continue working in educational settings, I hope to be able to merge my love for child psychology with other related interests such as mindfulness, meditation and positive psychology.  In the long term, I might be interested in pursuing doctoral work to strengthen the potential for impact beyond the boundaries of educational settings.