How specific must SOP research project proposal/interests be?

[kdavid]

I've been told that it's important to have a general direction. I've also been told that knowing too specifically what you want to do may be counter-intuitive as committees may ask, "Well, then why does he/she need our program?"

 

Is it enough to say, for example, "I'm interested in the period between 1911-1949. In particular, I'm interested in race, ethnicity, identity, and nationalism?"

 

Or would something like, "I'm specifically interested in how consular jurisdiction was applied to mixed-race individuals residing in the city of Tianjin between 1916 and 1927."

 

(Those are just examples, btw.)

 

The main obstacle I'm having for this portion of my SOP is that I feel I still need guidance and feedback from knowledgeable people to help refine my specific interests, and assistance in locating the proper sources for which I can construct a project.

 

Ideas?

[czesc]

Your goals are to convey your interest in a broad enough period that the program can still shape you in some way but also to demonstrate that you're capable of conceiving a more constrained project now. In my SOP I tried to cover both bases by stating the general area I was interested in and then providing some non-exclusive examples of a couple potential, more specific areas of inquiry (I based the structure of my SOP on one of a person who'd been admitted to a top program).

 

I'm still not sure how effective this was, though, and still vacillate as to whether I was too specific or not specific enough.

[kdavid]

Thank you, czesc! You're always very helpful.

 

Do you have a copy of that SOP, as well as yours, which you wouldn't mind sharing?

[czesc]

I'm not sure mine is the world's greatest so I hesitate to share, but I'll message you the one I based it off of.

[JacksonBaby]

Czec, you are always so helpful......would you mind terribly messaging me that as well. I have trolled this thread a little heavily......

[ToomuchLes]

Would you mind PMing the template you used, as well? 

[czesc]

NP, just sent it to you. Again, I wouldn't necessarily vouch for it - maybe track down someone on this forum who was admitted to a larger choice of schools and ask for their statement as well. 

[ReallyNiceGuy]

May I say that I find it really strange that many of the sample SOPs I have seen seem to show no regard whatsoever for word-length.

I think that seems strange because I would assume that those rules are in place for a reason; I never allow mine to go over. 

What's polite in this regard? People generally  follow these rules rigidly, right?

 

RNG

[czesc]

I followed the rules rigidly. I know some schools even have software that will cut off your submissions if they go over the specified length (though from what I recall this usually seemed to apply to the number of pages in the writing sample, not the word length of the SOP).

[kdavid]

I have a follow-up question:

 

What is the topic you propose in your SOP has already been researched?

 

To make a long story short, my undergrad is in English. I graduated back in '05. I'm currently completing an MA (in Chinese history) at a mainland (PRC) university. The professors here, while nice people, are not very knowledgeable in my sub-field, which is the Republican era (1911-1949).

 

When I bring up potential topics with them, the only feedback I receive is "that's a good idea." Whenever I ask about about potential leads to established scholarship on xyz I'm essentially told to Google.

 

So, I'm afraid I may propose a topic which has already been done. As I don't have really any contacts in the US to help weed stuff out, I'm essentially restricted to my own research, with severely limited resources.

[HumbabaRed]

I have been struggling mightly with this myself. I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but I am also unsure of how much of the space should be devoted to explaining my previous research and training compared to what I would like to do in the future.

[czesc]

It's possible for you to discuss your area of interest with faculty POIs at the institutions where you're applying. You can emphasize that, while you got good background training, no one at your current or former institution works in the area you're interested in, and you're trying to work out leads on x. Several people on this board have shaped their projects/proposals this way.

Edited October 3, 2013 by czesc

[kdavid]

That's a good idea.

 

So, you don't think I'd be shooting myself in the foot by saying I've pretty much trained myself/self-studied?

[czesc]

I'm not sure you should say that. When you say "pretty much," do you mean you haven't done any formal coursework/research? You may be asked who you've worked with at your previous institutions. This is a pretty loose term and in my experience can mean as little as you took a course with x/y person (or more). If you haven't done any such work or have historian contacts, who are you planning to get letters of recommendation from? You might be better positioned if you apply for MAs first, in that case.

Edited October 4, 2013 by czesc

[kdavid]

I'm completing an MA at a local PRC university.

 

My sub-field is the Republican era, which is not studied here on the mainland. For mainland Chinese, they essentially stop study/research sometime between 1839-1911. In fact, the one course I took on "Modern Chinese History" ended at the 1911 revolution.

 

My MA is technically for the Ming-Qing era (1368-1644), but my professors understand my interests lie elsewhere, and so they've provided ample leeway in allowing me to choose paper topics outside of this period.

 

The downside is that they have not been able to help much in regards to the historiography of this period. Additionally, none of them speak or read languages other than Mandarin, so they're also not familiar with any works written in other languages.

 

So, I've essentially self-trained myself in this particular period, but not as a historian; if that makes sense. It's actually been the most frustrating aspect of doing an MA here.

[czesc]

If you can, I would have your professors explain these circumstances in their LORs. It certainly seems like a compelling extenuating circumstance to me, and if your profs can attest to what you've learned in your period on your own, adcoms might not feel like you would need additional training in another, non-PRC MA before you're admitted. 

[CageFree]

I wouldn't use words like "self-taught" or "self-trained," but there's nothing wrong with acknowledging that your interest is something that grew out of your own intellectual curiosity... you can explain how you got there in your SOP. I had ZERO coursework in my proposed field of study because I switched continents, time periods and themes completely (Late Antiquity to Modern Latin America), partly as a result of being out of academia for over a decade. My interest in Latin America developed organically, from "life experience" and curiosity about my own past. I asked professors if the lack of coursework (or a paper in the field) would hurt my chances, and they all said no, that if I was trained well as a historian it didn't matter what I studied as an undergrad. I have found that to be true... I have more reading to do than some other people in my field at this point of my career, but having taken a few classes on Latin America wouldn't have made that much of a difference.

Edited October 7, 2013 by CageFree