sc0218 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Hello, I'm about to submit several apps on CSDCAS and had a questions about how people were treating their personal statements. Are you treating it like a letter (i.e. addressing it to a particular person at the university) or are you just treating it as an essay (no formal greeting or salutation)? Appreciate other people's feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayjo Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I just wrote mine like an essay. I don't think it's supposed to be in letter format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenleblanc Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I did my LOI's more of a letter style at the top with essay style body. In the header space, I had a running head of my name, the degree for which I was applying, and the school name. Then down below (in smaller font), I had a left side address section of the "ATTN" part of what would go on a letter -- ATTN: Admissions Committee, University name, College name, Department Name (4 lines). Over on the right side, I had the actual address that all application materials were to be delivered to since it wasn't going to be mailed. I did this to make sure that all parts of my application reached the correct people, even if somehow they became dissociated with my actual file on the graduate school's end of things. The body of the document was essay-style with personal pronouns where they were appropriate. Doing my LOI or SOP this way made it much easier to keep track of which school I was writing for. Additionally, the running head ensures that your application *probably* won't have difficulties with whomever is processing them on the other end, so all pages of your SOP or LOI get placed with the correct printed file. Make their job easier if you can, so they don't write back (after the admissions deadline of course) that your SOP seemed incomplete because it is missing the 2nd page. I didn't apply to any CSDCAS schools, though, so I guess the individualized "school" information and addresses may or may not apply if you don't upload separate letters. Having the running head with your name and any other identifying information you feel comfortable including does help no matter if the SOP is one single, or multiple. The best tip I ever heard for electronic application submission is to upload PDF's. Then you don't run the risk of them downloading a .doc letter that messes up the formatting in some way, making your letter 3 pages instead of 2, or 2 pages instead of 1. Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trejsi Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I have a follow-up question... did you include a title in your Personal Statement? My boyfriend (who is a PhD student) is proofreading my Personal Statement drafts, and he keeps insisting that I put in a title. However, the applications are all done online, and you pretty much just copy and paste your statement into the window. My Statements are in essay format, but I'm still unsure whether or not I should include a title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenleblanc Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I have a follow-up question... did you include a title in your Personal Statement? My boyfriend (who is a PhD student) is proofreading my Personal Statement drafts, and he keeps insisting that I put in a title. However, the applications are all done online, and you pretty much just copy and paste your statement into the window. My Statements are in essay format, but I'm still unsure whether or not I should include a title. I have seen "personal statement" at the top on some sample SOP's I looked at during this process last year. There was so little space to write what I wanted to write that I didn't waste a line on the title, much less any brain power on a specialized title. I felt like the stuff I did put (address, intended audience, etc.) was important though, so I guess it is all about your preference. It is YOUR application and ultimately YOUR personal statement / letter of intent, so don't let the boyfriend pressure you into putting something in there that you don't want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trejsi Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I have seen "personal statement" at the top on some sample SOP's I looked at during this process last year. There was so little space to write what I wanted to write that I didn't waste a line on the title, much less any brain power on a specialized title. I felt like the stuff I did put (address, intended audience, etc.) was important though, so I guess it is all about your preference. It is YOUR application and ultimately YOUR personal statement / letter of intent, so don't let the boyfriend pressure you into putting something in there that you don't want. Thank you very much for your response. That's exactly what I'm feeling too, that there's so little space to write what you want. I appreciate your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GandalfTheGrey Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 I did not include a title on any of my essays, and I wrote all my LOI/SOPs as essays, with no salutation or letter-like features. I did include a running head on non-CSDCAS essays in case things got separated, although my running head was shorter than CatSLP716's - I just included my name, the season and year (Fall 2012) the program, and "page X of Y". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelbyisms Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 I did not include a title on any of my essays, and I wrote all my LOI/SOPs as essays, with no salutation or letter-like features. I did include a running head on non-CSDCAS essays in case things got separated, although my running head was shorter than CatSLP716's - I just included my name, the season and year (Fall 2012) the program, and "page X of Y". This is what I am doing, as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autismadvocate Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I used essay style, but with more the personal feel of a letter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now