Biostats SoP question

[stats123]

Is it okay to start my SoP with "I have always excelled at math...." as part of an explanation of why I chose biostatistics? Or does it come across as arrogant?

[ginagirl]

I wouldn't say it comes across as arrogant, but I don't think it's a great way of starting your statement, since it is likely that all the other [good] applicants could say the same thing. What makes you different as an applicant? What makes you stand out? What is different that you have to offer them? I would suggest thinking about those things and starting there. Anyone else, feel free to disagree.

 

In general you don't want to give the impression you are choosing a field solely because you are good at it- you also want to demonstrate a passion or at least a strong interest in it. I can't say if that comes across in the rest of your statement, but it's just another thought.

**Another thought- there's nothing wrong with keeping that sentence and moving on, and revising, revising, revising. You may write a stronger sentence somewhere else in your statement that you find you can begin with. Don't stress out over the *perfect* first sentence right away, it really is the meat that matters anyway.

Edited February 12, 2014 by ginagirl

[aridneptune]

here's nothing wrong with keeping that sentence and moving on, and revising, revising, revising.

 

I completely agree with this. The first sentence seems intimidating and important but really isn't. I started mine with the very generic 'My name is xyz and I am applying to abc.' As a set of general pointers I'd suggest you look over cyberwulf's sticky about SoPs at the top of this forum.

[StatPhD2014]

 Don't stress out over the *perfect* first sentence right away, it really is the meat that matters anyway.

 

Yeah not even the meat matters much anyway (see CW's sticky)

[AnUnladenSwallow]

I wouldn't say it comes across as arrogant, but I don't think it's a great way of starting your statement, since it is likely that all the other [good] applicants could say the same thing. What makes you different as an applicant? What makes you stand out? What is different that you have to offer them? I would suggest thinking about those things and starting there. Anyone else, feel free to disagree.

 

In general you don't want to give the impression you are choosing a field solely because you are good at it- you also want to demonstrate a passion or at least a strong interest in it. I can't say if that comes across in the rest of your statement, but it's just another thought.

**Another thought- there's nothing wrong with keeping that sentence and moving on, and revising, revising, revising. You may write a stronger sentence somewhere else in your statement that you find you can begin with. Don't stress out over the *perfect* first sentence right away, it really is the meat that matters anyway.

I totally agree with this advice. I think my first draft started out similarly with the "I've always loved math" business, but I ended up revising something like 7 times to make it much stronger. I happened to do a study abroad in Fiji during my undergrad, so I used that as an anecdote to talk about my motivation for pursuing a PhD in biostatistics. You definitely want to focus on the reasons why you want to do the program, why you think you'd be a good fit, and what you might want to do afterwards. As ginagirl mentioned, once you go through the revision process several times, you'll find that your original "I've always excelled at math" first sentence will change and you'll likely come up with great ideas that you would like talk about - I'm sure there's something unique about you that you can use in your statement to stand out.

 

Also, it's a good idea to have several different people read your statement so you have some outside perspectives on your writing. However, stay true to what you want to say - you don't have to agree with everyone's suggestions and if you don't think they really work with who you are, don't use them! 

Edited February 13, 2014 by AnUnladenSwallow

[persistent_homology]

My first sentence was something like "Three areas of statistics that I am excited to learn more about are...".

 

I wrote the SOPS in latex, and had section headings: "Introduction", "Why University X?", "Academic Preparation", "Research Experience".

 

I kept everything the same apart from the "Why University X?" section for each application, and it seemed to work well (although perhaps in spite of my SOPs - who knows).

[mittensmitten895]

I know people think SOPs are not influential in the admissions process, but I found it useful.  I put a lot of time and effort into mine, and frankly the self-reflection required to craft a good one helped me to (1) have a good answer when people asked me why I wanted a PhD in biostatistics, (2) assess my own preparedness, (3) understand how my background informs my intended research/career trajectories, (4) weed out bad program fits (when I couldn't string together a single sentence answering "Why University X?" without it feeling inauthentic, I didn't apply), and (5) get excited about the next few years of my life.  Maybe the final product doesn't matter, but for me the process certainly did.  

 

I used the main idea from How to Write a Lot -- a seriously helpful book for anyone with writing anxiety, by the way -- and chose to devote fall semester Tuesday afternoons entirely to application prep, including at least an hour devoted to SOP/personal statement writing.  The early drafts of the SOP were awful, but it felt easier to get something down because I knew I would come back to it the next week.  Having some time in between drafts also helped to see what worked and didn't.  In the end, I had a compelling story about my academic identity that I cut down and repackaged for the dreaded "Tell me about yourself" during interviews.  I'm sure you have a more convincing narrative for why you chose biostatistics than "I'm good at math," and it might help you later on if you identify it now.

[persistent_homology]

That's a good point. I found this more when doing the university of Michigan's 'Personal Statement' where you kinda tell your life story - I'd never tried to sum myself up before!