Sub Headings in Long (4-5 pg) SOP

[Kermit]

I'm applying to CU Boulder's ATLAS program (interdisciplinary) and it states to have a 4-5 page statement of intent. They also list very specific questions. 5 pages comes out to 2300 words for mine. Is it okay to use subheadings (Academic Background, Courses, Proposal) since its so long? I'm worried the committee will get lost! Especially since its interdisciplinary so I have to relay so much information for the justification of my application.

 

Thanks!

[fuzzylogician]

Yes, do it. It'll help the committee orient themselves and find the answers to each of their questions.

[Vader Was Framed]

agreed .. im considering this even in a 2 page SOP.. helps the reader along

[Kermit]

Thanks for the advice! I'd read that subheadings were a no-no, however that was usually for 500-1000 statements. This makes more sense though.

[fuzzylogician]

I have headings and subheadings in my job applications for documents that are 4+ pages long. I think it helps orient the reader and it's easier to read than just a big block of text. It's not necessary for shorter documents, but for anything longer than 1 page I make sure that if I don't have headings, the first sentence of every paragraph starts with a wording that clearly situates it in the broader context, e.g. "My research ...," "In my dissertation...," "In previous work, ..." "I have taught...," "As an Assistant professor at Awesome U, I hope to..." etc. Not only does it help the reader, but when I was in writing stages it also helped me structure the essay and make sure that I was covering all of my bases.