PhD: Essay, 1 sentence research etc. :Urgent HELP!

[thelastgoal]

Hi,

I am applying for PhD in Higher Education-related area. I am finding it extremely hard to form an essay and one sentence research interest/ topic for the application.

My area of interest includes Higher Education Policy and Economics, and probably limited concerns within. I would hesitate explaining everything here, but I guess I am sure of what direction I want to go.

After seeing Faculty etc, I have shortlisted UPenn, UMich, Stanford and HGSE for application. I have good experience with Masters application and my essays have been successful. But, PhD! I am going blank!

If you may please help:
Sample or Outline PhD Essays are welcome! I am not asking for prototype, but an idea as in how deeper or how closer I risk my knowledge there.

"Explain your research topic in one sentence" - Please tell me if you have done this and what are examples... I feel like they want me to write research-objectives of my thesis at application-stage itself.

All replies welcome!

THANKS :-)

[Seeking]

Essay - show as much knowledge as you can in the required length. Make sure to include footnotes and references. If the essay is related to your proposed area of research, it is better.

 

1 line research topic - research topic means research topic, not research objectives - this is exactly what they want you to avoid, that's why the insistence on 1 line.

 

So you may write any variation of "Economic Policy of Higher Education, with a special focus on......"

 

The rest of it you will explain in your personal statement.

Edited October 30, 2013 by Seeking

[TakeruK]

Not in your field, but I have written 1-sentence research interests before for applications (to schools and fellowships). An example of something I did write before is:

 

During my PhD, I would like to become proficient working in observational astronomy in order to study the dynamics of planetary systems by combining observational data with my past experience in computational modelling.

 

or if I needed something shorter,

 

I would like to study the dynamics of planetary systems by through both observational data with computational modelling.

 

In my opinion, the goal of these short statements is for the department to get a very general idea of what sub-field you would be interested in and thus potentially how you can contribute to the department's diverse skillsets. In astronomy for example, researchers are often categorized by what they study (galaxies, cosmology, stars, planets, astronomical instrumentation etc.) and how they study it (theory, computer modelling, using observational data). If I was meeting someone new at a conference, I would introduce myself by mentioning these two aspects. I think it's true that in most fields, most people can be divided into "topic of study" and "method of study"? If your field works the same way, a one sentence that can identify both would be good here! 

[thelastgoal]

Thanks @Seeking - that helps me, especially in the objectives n topic area. However, the topic is not expected to look like title but sentence.

Thanks @TakeruK - Yes, combining method and topic seems closer, thanks! Plus, I would write to department asking what they exactly expect from me- topic or area in broader sense. So, thanks for making things clearer to distinguish!

Thanks both :-)

Any1 else? Specific replies n examples?