EdNeuroGrl Posted September 11, 2015 Posted September 11, 2015 Hi all,I was wondering if there is any interest in the Education group in forming a SOP writing/reviewing group?I am drafting up my SoP and realized that some feedback from other applicants would be super helpful. Instead of the larger group, we could form a smaller one where we could share more specialized knowledge would be really great!Any interest? mrsmithut 1
mrsmithut Posted September 11, 2015 Posted September 11, 2015 I'm interested in this. I'm partway through my first draft now and would love to share SoP's with folks to get and give feedback.
bhr Posted September 11, 2015 Posted September 11, 2015 DM me. I've got a pretty strong letter in one field, but am a bit lost in education
EdNeuroGrl Posted September 17, 2015 Author Posted September 17, 2015 Do you all want to do an email group or we can just post here and provide feedback here?
bhr Posted September 18, 2015 Posted September 18, 2015 I'm not publicly posting my SoP. Sorry. There's personal stuff there that I don't need to put out there like that KaySsaem 1
EdNeuroGrl Posted September 20, 2015 Author Posted September 20, 2015 bhr that is understandable, I'll send out a message to everyone in a couple days and we can work out the details. :-)
mrsmithut Posted September 20, 2015 Posted September 20, 2015 I'd prefer the e-mail group, but if the majority prefer to post here, I'm ok with that.Hoping to have a draft done by the end of this upcoming week.
glorybridge Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 So can you send me the contact information?
rgreen Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 So can you send me the contact information?I don't think anyone has started anything yet.
EdNeuroGrl Posted October 3, 2015 Author Posted October 3, 2015 Hi all, sorry for the delay. I have added us all to a message group here and created a shared google docs folder. Since privacy is a concern I have only shared the link with people responding to the thread and I ask that you all do not share it further. You all should have a message in your inbox with the rest of the details.
xSuperRaquelx Posted October 7, 2015 Posted October 7, 2015 (edited) Hi all, sorry for the delay. I have added us all to a message group here and created a shared google docs folder. Since privacy is a concern I have only shared the link with people responding to the thread and I ask that you all do not share it further. You all should have a message in your inbox with the rest of the details.hey can you add me/ send me the link? Im so lost with my SOP and need some constructive criticism Edited October 7, 2015 by xSuperRaquelx
Kompetent Posted November 4, 2015 Posted November 4, 2015 I'm late to the party, but I'd love to contribute!
Vulpix Posted November 7, 2015 Posted November 7, 2015 This is a really silly question... do people put titles on their SOPs? ("Statement of Purpose" vs. "My Journey" or something cheesy like that )
EdNeuroGrl Posted November 8, 2015 Author Posted November 8, 2015 I put my name and the college/department/program in the header. Otherwise, no. As for the mailing group, I've not gotten only like 2 responses and no one is actually sending me info to exchange. I have my statements done and don't need any additional feedback. If anyone here wants to start a message with the others in the thread, please feel free.
Vulpix Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 I finally fleshed out a first draft today and I'm not happy with it. I thought that after mulling over it for months, brainstorming what I would write about, and planning an outline, a beautiful SOP would just flow right out. It has not. I guess that's what the revise, revise, revise process is about Anyone else feel this way with their first draft? How did you go about improving it? Also, anyone else frustrated that different programs ask for sometimes radically different lengths for SOP? I can submit generally the same narrative to every school with a few vital changes specific to the programs, but it's quite annoying that HGSE wants 1500 words, Penn wants 750 words, and TC wants 2-3 double-spaced pages. It's like I have to randomly cut parts from each or extend them to make it fit.
EdNeuroGrl Posted November 14, 2015 Author Posted November 14, 2015 I hated my first draft! I wrote it and then left it alone for like 2 weeks. Then, I arranged before hand to have 1 professional writer/editor and several others read it for edits. I know what my weaknesses in writing are and so I've made a point of making sure whoever is reading it knows what to look for. The writer has been the most help because she has been able to help me reword things and arrange them so that it gets my meaning across but in a stronger and more concise way. I think her and I went through 4 drafts before I felt comfortable with the essay and actually liked it enough to get some opinions of others in my interest area. As for schools having different requirements. I wrote my longest one first (2 single spaced pages). Then I used cues from the prompt and the question to precisely target what they want. For example Georgetown asked for 500 words or less, but they very clearly wanted a statement about goals and alignment. So all of the stuff about preparation and about how my abilities are going to contribute etc those didn't even play into what they wanted. I would suggest before you start "randomly cutting" that you think about what they want. Don't think about it as cutting out. Start from the bottom and build up using pieces of what you've already written to directly target what they care about. If you feel like you are randomly cutting things then you are probably going about it wrong. Vulpix 1
Kompetent Posted November 15, 2015 Posted November 15, 2015 Anyone interest in throwing together a SOP feedback group over the next couple of days? After a good two month of working on my SOP, I have a draft! And I'd love feedback. I am, of course, willing to return the favor. I'm applying for PhD programs, so I only have two weeks. Send me a message and we can exchange emails.
JWalters Posted November 16, 2015 Posted November 16, 2015 Hello All, I recently finished my latest draft, and I'd like to join the google group!
EdHopeful Posted November 26, 2015 Posted November 26, 2015 Is anyone still interested in exchanging SOP's? Heather1011, Kompetent, JWalters.... anyone else? If you would like to exchange, please email me. kns26@nau.edu
Vulpix Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 (edited) Thoughts about starting your SOP with a quote? This feels very cliche and high school to me, but I've applied to 3 schools with such a start and am now second guessing it after some feedback. I didn't use an overly generic Gandhi quote or anything, but still, does this show a lack of originality? Am I putting too much thought into it and it doesn't really matter? I've changed it up for my final school (Harvard) so that the quote is embedded in the intro and not the opening sentence. I hate intros and conclusions. Edited December 15, 2015 by Heather1011
Kompetent Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 (edited) I started mine with a quote from a student that kinda rings in my ears and speaks to my motivation. It was also a nice opening to the world I'm coming from and the experiences I bring. Actually it was a snippet of restorative circle I had with a couple of kids, do it had two quotes...I hope that was the right way start. Edited December 15, 2015 by Kompetent
Vulpix Posted December 15, 2015 Posted December 15, 2015 3 minutes ago, Kompetent said: I started mine with a quote from a student that kinda rings in my ears and speaks to my motivation. It was also a nice opening to the world I'm coming from and the experiences I bring. A student as in one of your students? I think that's different. I started with a quote from a civil rights activist. Not a well known one, but still.... generic. Yours sounds lovely though
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