Lead in for SOP

[Imaginary]

At this point in the process, I've read over and over again not to try to be "catchy" or "cute" in the lead in to the statement of purpose. That said, what does that mean?

 

If a person has a work or works that have influenced all of their studies and will continue to do so in the future, is it considered effective to introduce the statement of purpose by discussing said works and then relating them to past studies and other interests?

 

Any other tips for SOPs would also be appreciated.

[rhetoricus aesalon]

This is a great question. For my MA, my SOP started with a kind of personal story of when I knew I loved rhetoric while studying it in the classroom. But now, I feel like it's a bit silly. I wonder if it was, at that point in my application process, meant to show adcomms that I had chosen a subfield and was prepared to work within that subfield for two years.

 

For PhD applications, though, I'm wondering if it might be better to showcase other strengths. Teaching experience? Conference work? Publications (if, by heaven, you have any)?

[acarol]

If a person has a work or works that have influenced all of their studies and will continue to do so in the future, is it considered effective to introduce the statement of purpose by discussing said works and then relating them to past studies and other interests?

 

I think opening your SOP by contextualizing your current interest in the field via certain sub-fields / theorists / works is a good way to go. It gives the adcomm an immediate understanding of what it is you want to do.

 

When people talk about not being "catchy" or "cute" they are generally referring to a) starting with an inspirational quotation and / or b ) starting with a personal story, especially about loving your field since childhood (lots of talk about the latter here at Grad Cafe).

 

Your opening sounds better as it doesn't ask them to search through paragraphs of BS for the relevant information (the relevant information = why you are an excellent candidate for their program). Instead of relating to past studies, though, I'd encourage you to relate it to your present interests / future focus at the university in question. And always be sure to do exactly that throughout-- bring any reference of theorists / works back to your interests and your research.  The adcomm doesn't want an explanation of Foucault's The Birth of Biopolitics (to give an example from my field!); rather, if you're mentioning Foucault, they want to know how your proposed research at their university relates to his work (i.e. does it use Foucault as a mere stepping off point? maybe your work is entirely centred around Foucault? or perhaps your work speaks back against Foucault?). Remember that your purpose isn't to explain Foucault's work to the adcomm, but to give them an idea of how you got where you are and where you want to go -- with the help of their PhD program -- in light of your reference to him.

 

This is a great question. For my MA, my SOP started with a kind of personal story of when I knew I loved rhetoric while studying it in the classroom. But now, I feel like it's a bit silly. I wonder if it was, at that point in my application process, meant to show adcomms that I had chosen a subfield and was prepared to work within that subfield for two years.

 

For PhD applications, though, I'm wondering if it might be better to showcase other strengths. Teaching experience? Conference work? Publications (if, by heaven, you have any)?

 

In my experience, starting with a personal story is a no-no -- especially for the PhD. I agree that it comes off as a bit silly. I know some students are accepted to grad school regardless, but I think it's a risky approach.

 

My MA and MT SOPs both started with direct reference to my research interests (writ large, which I think is okay at the masters level) and some past experiences.  

 

My PhD SOP opens with a not-too-specific-but-clearly-signals-a-subfield-and-speciality research question. The following sentences flesh that question out a bit. In those sentences, I start to tailor my SOP to each school by using keywords, movements, or scholars that reflect the research of my POI at each school.  

 

Good luck with your SOP!

Edited August 16, 2013 by acarol

[ComeBackZinc]

Cute and catchy make sense for undergraduate admissions because you're trying to stand out among literally thousands of other candidates. Even the most popular English PhD programs don't hit four figures. The SOP is a signalling mechanism. It says, "I know what an academic career is, I know enough about the structures and culture of the university system to function in that system and build a career within it." You're not trying to prove your desire or love for the subject matter. If you're getting a PhD, you're dedicating your life to the subject matter, so love and commitment are assumed. What professional and academic reasons inspire you to get a PhD? And why is department/school X a great fit for those reasons?

[somethinbruin]

For PhD applications, though, I'm wondering if it might be better to showcase other strengths. Teaching experience? Conference work? Publications (if, by heaven, you have any)?

 

When I did my PhD applications, things like teaching, conferences, and publications all took a back seat to my research experience and scholarly goals. I spent the bulk of my two-page statement talking about my scholarly interests and mentioned the other things toward the end. When applications called for shorter statements, the secondary things got trimmed significantly (still mentioned, but in a brief sentence rather than a paragraph).

 

To address Aspire's initial question: "If a person has a work or works that have influenced all of their studies and will continue to do so in the future, is it considered effective to introduce the statement of purpose by discussing said works and then relating them to past studies and other interests?"

 

I think that definitely is a way you could go, although I would focus totally on what you've done with those works and how you see yourself going forward. You generally won't need to include any sort of in-depth discussion of the works. Just explain what you do with them. Sticking to this will keep your SOP from becoming an "I Love Books" statement--and statements with a strong sentiment of "I love books so I want to study them all" tend to not fare all that well with admissions committees. They see more of these statements than you would believe. That is one of the "cute" things that some committees see as immaturity. I would also stay away from personal anecdotes because most of the time they're not germane to graduate study.

 

My SOP kicked off in a fairly standard way: "I will graduate from XXX in May with YYY degree. During my time at XXX I focused my studies on critical theory and contemporary poetry. My research examined..." (Then I went from there to discuss my major research interests in depth, followed by my teaching and professionalism experiences.) There wasn't really anything catchy about it. It was straight scholarship.

 

I think one of the best things you can do for the readability of your SOP is focus on making it as "active" as possible--pepper it with active verbs, ferret out passive voice. This may seem obvious, but SOPs often slip into "I do this, I am that" rhetoric. You can break up the monotony of "I" sentences through phrasing like "my scholarship explores" and by judiciously using gerunds like "Teaching allows me to..." (don't go crazy with the gerunds, they're best in small doses).

 

Best of luck, 2014ers!

[Imaginary]

Okay, here's another one - how important is it to mention theory in the SOP if you have demonstrated your capacity to use it in the writing sample?

[rhetoricus aesalon]

When I did my PhD applications, things like teaching, conferences, and publications all took a back seat to my research experience and scholarly goals. I spent the bulk of my two-page statement talking about my scholarly interests and mentioned the other things toward the end. When applications called for shorter statements, the secondary things got trimmed significantly (still mentioned, but in a brief sentence rather than a paragraph).

 

I tend to think that conferences and publications are an integral part of your research experience and scholarly goals. Teaching, especially in my field, is also often tied to research experience/scholarly goals. 

 

In sharing these experiences, you are not only showing adcomms that you have already set your course within a specific PhD program, which I agree takes precedent, but I would think it also works to list such accomplishments inline with interests. In this way, they act more as evidence for your clearly established (and, in the eyes of the adcomm, continuing) research experience rather than leaving your SOP as a statement of your research interests. I almost feel that listing them separately runs the risk of coming across as self-indulgant. But, that might just be me.

Edited August 16, 2013 by Chadillac

[acarol]

I tend to think that conferences and publications are an integral part of your research experience and scholarly goals. Teaching, especially in my field, is also often tied to research experience/scholarly goals. 

 

In sharing these experiences, you are not only showing adcomms that you have already set your course within a specific PhD program, which I agree takes precedent, but I would think it also works to list such accomplishments inline with interests. In this way, they act more as evidence for your clearly established (and, in the eyes of the adcomm, continuing) research experience rather than leaving your SOP as a statement of your research interests. I almost feel that listing them separately runs the risk of coming across as self-indulgant. But, that might just be me.

 

While I think it's true that conferences, publications, and teaching experience are tied to research experience, these things are already listed on your CV, which (in my experience, at least) all schools request or accept in addition to your SOP.  Speaking to any of these at length thus ends up being redundant, since it's information they'll already have access to elsewhere in your application.  In this case, your SOP also ends up being more past-focused as opposed to forward-looking. The advice I've received directly from schools is that the balance of the two should be 25% past to 75% future -- it should indeed be more about your research interests and fit than your prior research experience. 

 

I think if you are lucky to be applying to schools with longer SOP word count limits, then it's okay to mention these experiences in that 25% if they are directly relevant to the forward-looking focus and fit you're setting up for yourself in the SOP. My applications all have 500 word limits on the SOP, so I don't make mention of any conferences, publications, or teaching positions I've had. I trust the adcomm will see all of these accomplishments on my CV. Instead, most of my 500 words are about my research focus and my fit at that particular school, with perhaps a paragraph on how both of my masters thesis papers have set me up to do the work I'm proposing for the PhD. 

Edited August 16, 2013 by acarol

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

I'm so frustrated with the SOP. Everyone has conflicting advice. Some* say not to mention personal life stories at all, others say to add that in to make your story unique. Some say don't talk about anything that is on your CV, others say that you should elaborate and discuss what's on your CV because it is part of your academic "journey." 

 

I understand when you only have 300-500 word SOP, but when you have more than that what else would you talk about besides your research interests and fit with the program? How do you stand out? 

 

My other issue is with the schools that require an academic SOP AND a personal statement. For example, one school wants an academic statement "about your academic and research background, your career goals, and how our graduate program will help you meet your career and educational objectives." And a personal statement that describes the "personal background and life experiences, including social, cultural, familial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree." So, if we're not really supposed to talk about our parents, class, race, gender etc and we've already talked about educational/work experiences in the academic SOP, then what the hell do we talk about in the personal statement? Any advice?

 

*when I say "some," I mean anyone I've talked to--people on GradCafe, professors, etc. 

Edited August 17, 2013 by BunnyWantsaPhD

[acarol]

I'm so frustrated with the SOP. Everyone has conflicting advice. Some* say not to mention personal life stories at all, others say to add that in to make your story unique. Some say don't talk about anything that is on your CV, others say that you should elaborate and discuss what's on your CV because it is part of your academic "journey." 

 

I understand when you only have 300-500 word SOP, but when you have more than that what else would you talk about besides your research interests and fit with the program? How do you stand out? 

 

My other issue is with the schools that require an academic SOP AND a personal statement. For example, one school wants an academic statement "about your academic and research background, your career goals, and how our graduate program will help you meet your career and educational objectives." And a personal statement that describes the "personal background and life experiences, including social, cultural, familial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree." So, if we're not really supposed to talk about our parents, class, race, gender etc and we've already talked about educational/work experiences in the academic SOP, then what the hell do we talk about in the personal statement? Any advice?

 

*when I say "some," I mean anyone I've talked to--people on GradCafe, professors, etc. 

 

I know it's a really frustrating experience. I'm in the process of completing my second masters degree and applying for PhD programs, so this is my third time writing SOPs and I'm still unsure of myself! I think avoiding personal stories in the academic SOP is pretty standard, though. Otherwise, write it how it feels right to you and just be sure to have a few people you really trust (LOR writer, current profs, etc) read over it before submitting. They'll be able to confirm more holistically whether the choices you make work in the context of your SOP.

 

If you have, say, 1500 words for your academic SOP, then I do think it makes sense to mention the teaching, conference, and research experiences that have specifically brought you to your project for the PhD.  When I applied to my current masters program, I proposed to study media curriculum in middle schools, so I did explain how my teaching experiences (with that specific age group) and my prior MA research (in media studies) brought me to the juncture of applying to this program, wanting to do this research, etc. I didn't bring up prior research experiences that were totally unrelated, though, except perhaps in passing. For example (off the top of my head), "Of the three research assistantships I held during my MA, the one working with Dr. so-and-so shaped my interest in media curriculum the most. By conducting a literature review on current media pedagogy theory and interviewing young social media users, I refined my research focus to xyz. Going forward with doctoral studies at Y University, I want to take this focus in x direction." etc etc. 

 

As for the personal statement, that is the place to write about your identity markers and life experiences! Showcase your personality and include personal stories there, for sure. I've never had the chance to write one of those, so I can't be more specific than that, unfortunately.

 

Good luck! You're giving yourself a good head start so I'm sure your SOP will turn out well.

Edited August 17, 2013 by acarol

[danieleWrites]

I approached like any other essay. I started with a research question. Sometimes, the school provided a start, most of the tie, it didn't. I ended up with 4 specific questions that all of my SOPs answered, and in this order: 1) Why is a PhD for me? 2) What do I plan to accomplish during my time as a PhD student and after I obtain the PhD? 3) How can the department and its faculty help me obtain my goals? 4) Why is a teaching assistanceship a requirement for me? (The last question added depending on the school's stated requirements).

 

The first one was my "catch". It's the personal story that tells them about me, as a person, and why I'm not taking the PhD thing lightly. It was my "this is why you should like me better than anyone else" sentence. I wrote about 5 pages answering this question and managed to condense it into two and three sentences. I would interchange these sentences depending on the length of the SOP. The second question, I answered in about 3 pages, and condensed it into two sentences. I wrote several pages answering question 3 for each school. That took a lot of research (I read department blogs, faculty blogs, abstracts of recent dissertations and theses by current and former students, articles put out by relevant faculty and might-be-relevant faculty, even faculty dissertations (at least in part), checked which conferences they've been to, checked their social media, if available, to see what their interests were, in short: faculty stalker!).

 

I found the SOP how-to guides less than helpful. There was too much conflicting advice and none it was from the departments I was interested in. I took the common ideas (such as: give them something right of the bat to distinguish you from everyone else, and apply a nickname to, like sociology girl or library girl or whatever, because nicknames are easy to remember). The SOP is a cover letter for a resume. It's deeply personal. It's about fit.

[somethinbruin]

I'm so frustrated with the SOP. Everyone has conflicting advice. Some* say not to mention personal life stories at all, others say to add that in to make your story unique. Some say don't talk about anything that is on your CV, others say that you should elaborate and discuss what's on your CV because it is part of your academic "journey." 

 

I understand when you only have 300-500 word SOP, but when you have more than that what else would you talk about besides your research interests and fit with the program? How do you stand out? 

 

My other issue is with the schools that require an academic SOP AND a personal statement. For example, one school wants an academic statement "about your academic and research background, your career goals, and how our graduate program will help you meet your career and educational objectives." And a personal statement that describes the "personal background and life experiences, including social, cultural, familial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree." So, if we're not really supposed to talk about our parents, class, race, gender etc and we've already talked about educational/work experiences in the academic SOP, then what the hell do we talk about in the personal statement? Any advice?

 

*when I say "some," I mean anyone I've talked to--people on GradCafe, professors, etc. 

 

Yep. It is a completely frustrating exercise. I sympathize. I went ten rounds with my own brain trying to figure out how I wanted to approach mine. In the end, I parsed all of the advice I got and figured out what felt right for me (75% on my scholarship/goals, 10% expanding on my CV info, 10% my teaching, 5% how my work experience adds to my abilities as a student). Here's the thing: There are many roads to the same destination. What works for you might not work for someone else. I am sure there are people on here who wrote statements that are vastly different from mine, but who still were successful in their application process. You do you, and that will let you put your best foot forward. If you think a piece of information sets you apart or is vital to selling yourself as a scholar, then include it. 

 

I also was lucky because my department kept a set of successful and unsuccessful SOPs on file from past students. I was able to see what had worked for others and what had not, and model mine off of past SOPs. You might check to see if your department has something similar. But in the end, you have to go with what you think works to sell you best as a student/scholar. You should also ask a professor you respect and trust to read your SOP critically and give you feedback. Mine really opened my eyes to some areas where I could really set myself apart that I had sort of glossed over.

 

Also, I *hated* the applications that called for separate SOPs and personal statements. Seemed like overkill. 

[guinevere29]

I can't post the ariticle because the link I have to it is through my student subcription, but if you can access it, check out "The statement of purpose in graduate program applications: Genre structure and disciplinary variation" Samraj & Monk, 2008. They bring up a very interesting point - that the success of specific content strategies in personal statements is a "semi-occluded" genre (i.e. there is little to no numerical data, and most of it is confidential). It is worth a read if only for the testimonies of AdCom members, since these serve as a good reminder of your audience.

 

I worked at the Writer's Workshop at my undergraduate institution, and we saw a LOT of personal statements. After going through the experience of reading many of them in many different fields, here is my advice:

 

1. You do not need a "hook" like you may have been taught in middle school. No quotations, no "I loved to read since childhood."

2. The only exception to the "no personal stories" rule is if you have a specific instance of something that got you interested in your field of concentration (i.e. after reading X piece of theory, I began to think about Y, which lead to the topic of my undergrad thesis etc.)

3. If you mention someting on your CV, your personal statement must answer a question that is not evident just by reading the CV. Your CV gives the AdCom a laundry list of your experience, publications, relevant course work etc, but it requires the AdCom to interpret why a particular experience is important. For example, your CV says "taught Writing 101," your personal statement should say "Writing 101 prepared me to balance teaching with my graduate studies by..."

4. The hardest part: finding a balance between being too specific and too broad. Use your research experience and interests as examples of the work you can do, not as the only topic you love and want to research, or are capable of researching.

5. Answer directly the question that is on their minds: are you a good fit for this program? You can talk about how special you are until you are blue in the face, but the sad reality is that this process is a crapshoot and what one AdCom member finds relevant and interesting may not impress the next. But program fit is the question they are trying to answer. If you can answer that effectively enough to convince them and you have the writing sample and letters of rec to back up your claims, you may have just earned yourself an acceptance.

[ComeBackZinc]

Remember the fundamental exercise here:

 

I want to study X. Department Y is the best place for me to study X because of reasons one, two, three.... 

 

Part one is not so much about you already knowing what you'll end up studying (or writing your dissertation on) and more about you demonstrating that you know what an academic project in your field is-- that you know the kinds of things that people study, that you can demonstrate some content knowledge about your named area of expertise, and that you will have some grasp on what kind of projects get papers published and what kinds make good dissertation topics. Part two shows that you have done your basic research on the department, know the faculty, know the work of select members of the faculty, and will have people who can work with you even if your research focus evolves, as it surely will over the course of your graduate career.

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

So do you guys really keep it as simple as ComeBackZinc suggests? I guess, what I mean is, is this really just supposed to be about our research interests and why we want to study at X University? It's not AT ALL supposed to be about the "personal journey" that led us to those interests? I'm not trying to sound snarky, just really trying to think through how you guys are conceiving of the goals of the SOP. 

[jazzyd]

So do you guys really keep it as simple as ComeBackZinc suggests? I guess, what I mean is, is this really just supposed to be about our research interests and why we want to study at X University? It's not AT ALL supposed to be about the "personal journey" that led us to those interests? I'm not trying to sound snarky, just really trying to think through how you guys are conceiving of the goals of the SOP. 

 

I recall in my early drafts of my SOP approaching it as a journey. I started off with how discussing XYZ text sophomore year introduced me to how literary texts can be studied, which encouraged me to pursue graduate study and take various independent studies and do extracurricular research etc. etc. According to my mentor this focused far too much on what I've done in the past as opposed to what I want to do aka why the program I'm applying to makes a good fit. He instead had me orient each paragraph around certain topics and/or guiding questions for my research. In hindsight, this ended up being a much better approach for me because it allowed me to still talk about highlights of my undergraduate career (in terms of how they've shaped my current interests) without making my SOP sound like "First I did this. Then I did this. And then I did this."

 

Other professors I've spoken with agreed as well that a SOP is really about the research interests. A lot of programs do have optional or required personal statements apart from the SOP, which allow applicants to go further in-depth about their personal motivations for applying to graduate school.

[somethinbruin]

So do you guys really keep it as simple as ComeBackZinc suggests? I guess, what I mean is, is this really just supposed to be about our research interests and why we want to study at X University? It's not AT ALL supposed to be about the "personal journey" that led us to those interests? I'm not trying to sound snarky, just really trying to think through how you guys are conceiving of the goals of the SOP. 

 

I'm with Jazzy on this, and mostly with ComeBackZinc (although I don't think I tailored to specific schools as much as CBZ recommends). At my masters institution I looked at a lot of the new MA applicants' SOPs because I was on a committee--many of them were of the personal journey variety, and they weren't very helpful in trying to ferret out good candidates. When my cohort workshopped our SOPs together for PhD applications, it struck me how differently oriented PhD applications are. Our PhD statements were, on the whole, about straight scholarship and future goals with very little personal information. I applied to a few schools that wanted personal statements, so I did a little personalization there, but my SOP was all scholarship with one paragraph that verged on the personal when I connected my previous work experience to my current scholarly work. But that was about it. I found in talking with professors that AdComms really don't care what led you to apply to PhD programs. They're more interested in the work you do and how you see it growing as you work on your PhD.

[ComeBackZinc]

I guess I just think it depends on what you mean by the journey. "My experience near a borderland led me to explore theories of these spaces, through which I discovered Gloria Anzaldua. While researching her work at my BA institution, I was first exposed to the work of Aime Cesair..." That I think can be helpful, as long as you end up moving in a forward-moving direction, as Jazzy suggests. What I would avoid is biographical information that isn't specifically tied to particular research interests, that can't be carefully connected to the arc of an academic career.

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

Thanks for the advice, ya'll.

 

ComeBackZinc, I sent you a PM for some advice bc I didn't want to list personal information on the forum, but it helps to clarify what I was thinking of putting in the statement. 

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

I still have a question about my SOP: how specific should I be regarding my research interest? I mean, do I have to mention specific authors that I intend to work on? Or should I just mention a somewhat vague general idea about what I intend to work on? It's a little difficult to balance between not being too general (so as to be unfocused) or being too specific (so as to limit yourself). Am I making any sense?

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

I also have another question: how much am I supposed to know about the time period I want to study? That sounds a little silly, but what I mean is--if I want to expand my interests from the Victorian period to the long 19th century so that I can see the changes in culture/gender constructions, do I have to know a lot about this entire time period? Or if I say that this is something I want to learn more about, is that sufficient?

[Datatape]

I still have a question about my SOP: how specific should I be regarding my research interest? I mean, do I have to mention specific authors that I intend to work on? Or should I just mention a somewhat vague general idea about what I intend to work on? It's a little difficult to balance between not being too general (so as to be unfocused) or being too specific (so as to limit yourself). Am I making any sense?

 

It is a tight line to walk; you should have a good idea of what general area you want to work in, but not so specific that you come across as someone who already has their dissertation topic picked out and their chapter titles ready to go.  Talk about specific authors who you would like to work with, possibly mention a general avenue you might like to research, but don't claim you have a concrete idea that is absolutely what you'll be doing.

 

I also have another question: how much am I supposed to know about the time period I want to study? That sounds a little silly, but what I mean is--if I want to expand my interests from the Victorian period to the long 19th century so that I can see the changes in culture/gender constructions, do I have to know a lot about this entire time period? Or if I say that this is something I want to learn more about, is that sufficient?

 

Similarly to the above, you want to come across as knowledgeable, but not a know-it-all.  I think this is actually a good avenue to take: mention your strong background in the Victorian period and explain that you want to expand on it to encompass the entire long 19th century.  That way you come across as somebody who already has a good basis in what you want to do, but who is still malleable and has some things to learn.

[somethinbruin]

I think it's perfectly fine to not know everything. Shoot, I have a masters and I feel as if I only know a fraction of what I need to as I start my PhD program. I am expanding my focus from contemporary British to contemporary anglophone/South African lit. I will admit that I haven't read a great deal of South African lit, but I will get there throughout the course of my degree.

 

In fact, I think it's good that you can show that you have an area of focus (Victorian Lit) but also an idea of how you will expand your focus (Long 19th c.). Programs want you to be able to connect and contextualize your focus. I would say you have to know enough to be able to converse in a decently cogent manner, but no one expects you to be an expert before you enter your program.

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

Similarly to the above, you want to come across as knowledgeable, but not a know-it-all.  I think this is actually a good avenue to take: mention your strong background in the Victorian period and explain that you want to expand on it to encompass the entire long 19th century.  That way you come across as somebody who already has a good basis in what you want to do, but who is still malleable and has some things to learn.

 

 

Thanks for the advice! Glad you think this sounds like a good idea!

 

I think it's perfectly fine to not know everything. Shoot, I have a masters and I feel as if I only know a fraction of what I need to as I start my PhD program. I am expanding my focus from contemporary British to contemporary anglophone/South African lit. I will admit that I haven't read a great deal of South African lit, but I will get there throughout the course of my degree.

 

In fact, I think it's good that you can show that you have an area of focus (Victorian Lit) but also an idea of how you will expand your focus (Long 19th c.). Programs want you to be able to connect and contextualize your focus. I would say you have to know enough to be able to converse in a decently cogent manner, but no one expects you to be an expert before you enter your program.

 

Ha, I know how you feel about finishing your masters and still feeling like you don't know enough! I'm sure you'll do fine! 

 

I'm wondering how much you (or anyone else) think I need to know to be able to "converse in a decently cogent manner." I know this isn't really quantifiable, so I guess what I mean is should I list some authors that I might want to work with, or is it enough to talk about the various constructions of gender and how they've shifted throughout the time periods...or a combination of both? I guess I'm just worried because I don't have a set list of authors I'd like to work with in the long nineteenth century--I know of ones that I want to work with in the Victorian period, but when I say that I'm expanding to the long nineteenth century, I don't have a set idea yet. I'm vaguely familiar with the changes between the time periods, but I'm going to research a bit more so I know what exactly I want to say. I do know that I want to look at authors who have been major influences on the author I used for my masters thesis--but, I don't know much about them--so is it enough to say that that's why I want to study them? Or will it look like I don't know what I'm talking about. 

 

I hope those questions make sense. I feel like my vagueness is making everything confusing. Also, ignore my punctuation. My brain is on the fritz. 

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

I have the same worries as you. I always feel a little vaguness in the way I state my research interests. I do understand and appreciate datatape's advice though. I hope I can apply it to my SOP, cuz talking about what one should do is way easier than doing what needs to be done.