How to START your SOP?

[ZebraFinch]

I can't for the life of me think of a good "hook". Any advice on how to write up your first sentences?

[fuzzylogician]

Can't come up with a good hook? Don't start with one. Try leading with your research interests and/or subfield.

 

Option 1: "How can fennel be integrated into modern Chinese cuisine? At Awesome University, I plan to study this and other related questions about the uses of fennel in modern Asian cooking." (lead with a research question that you want to study at AU)

 

Option 2: "Fennel has long been a foundational ingredient in French cooking, but can it be integrated into Chinese cuisine? Can naive restaurant goers reliably distinguish fennel from ginger in their ramen dishes? This question has profound implications for how chefs create new dishes." (similar to above, adds some description of why the problem is interesting)

 

Option 3: "I am applying to Awesome University to study the foundations of modern Chinese cuisine and how it can be applied to French baking techniques." (lead with a description of your subfield, possibly more broadly than a research question."

 

Option 4: "At the forefront of my research interests is modern Asian cuisine, with an emphasis on Chinese spices and their application to French baking. (lead a broad description of your interests)

 

Option 5: "I would like to pursue an academic career in modern cooking with methodological focus on Chinese spices and their application to French baking." (lead with your longterm goals, phrased in a way that makes it clear why Awesome U is a good place to study things related to these goals)