(another) question about SOPs, mentioning professors, etc

[Waco-Waco]

Hey, 

So, yeah - getting together the final bits and pieces for my application, and I'm struggling on the 'fit' aspect of the SOP. I've come up with my final list of Universities, and all their departmental strengths match my particular interests, and it seems like they would all be a good fit for me. But... it's not like I've read all of these professors' publications. In fact, the way in which I'm judging whether some of the departments will be a good fit or not is by looking at particular professors' publications lists, seeing what type of stuff they write about, and then maybe going on to read a little bit about one or two publications. For instance: 'Oh, professor X writes about Y, I want to write about Y too. Oh and look, professor Z also writes about Y - this department is looking like a good fit for me! I guess I'll just get some context on their books to see what exactly their thoughts on Y are'

The confusion comes in with the SOP: I don't want to lie in my SOP and write 'when I was studying such and such, professor X's book on Y really struck me as blah blah blah', if I haven't actually read the book(s). But simply writing something to the effect of 'I think I would be a good fit because the department's strengths in the area(s) of Y match my interests in Y' seems potentially shallow. So, basically... how the hell do you effectively write about 'fit', and do you need to mention several specific professors and specific publications? My common sense says that you should write about the department's strengths in broader terms, how they relate to your interests, and then mention maybe one or two professors? 

Oh gosh. Sorry this is massively ineloquent, hungover for the first time in months. 

Any advice appreciated! 

[1Q84]

I think one good way of avoiding any seeming shallowness in referencing faculty work is being very mindful of citing their most recent work. For example, I spoke to one professor at (unnamed top ranked school) who was very generous in informing me that he no longer works on Milton (the subject with which he made his name) much anymore and has moved into art history. So it would make you look bad if you said in your SOP, "I want to work with Prof. X because of his work from the 80s on Milton!" Being specific enough to pinpoint a professor's most recent and strongest interests as relevant to your own future academic career is enough. No one is really expecting you to have read all of their works in their entirety (though reading some recent article abstracts from them wouldn't hurt). 

[rhetoricus aesalon]

What's wrong with shallow? In many ways, the SOP is a shallow document: you are describing definitively work that everyone knows you're going to change and that you need years of training before you can start. 

I don't think there is any good reason to discount mentioning specific faculty and excluding much of their work if you are doing it in such a way that it reads as "I know who works at your institution, and I specifically see these people helping get to where I want to be." I mean, the SOP is more about your work, not theirs. If your SOP reads as your work aligning with the people you've mentioned, the committee will know you've done your homework.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Chadillac

[jrockford27]

I took some time to read a chapter or two or an article by POIs that I felt strongly about but whose work I hadn't read.  Gather some articles or go to the nearest university library, take a few hours, then you can write your statements with confidence.  And yes, focus on recent work, and armed with your recent reading you should be able to make your SOP all that more personal and specific.

[rising_star]

You don't really have to read everything (or anything) they've written to show a connection. When I applied to MA programs, I hadn't read anything by any of my POIs (didn't even know you were supposed to!). It was fairly similar for PhD programs. I'd read work by a few of them (mostly because we'd read it in a seminar) but not by the majority of my POIs. But, by looking through the titles and abstracts of their recent work, I was able to see if there was a connection between their interests/theoretical framework/methodologies and the ones which I wanted to use. I wouldn't call that shallow though since you've taken the time to see if there is a connection.

[ExponentialDecay]

You don't really have to read everything (or anything) they've written to show a connection. When I applied to MA programs, I hadn't read anything by any of my POIs (didn't even know you were supposed to!). It was fairly similar for PhD programs. I'd read work by a few of them (mostly because we'd read it in a seminar) but not by the majority of my POIs. But, by looking through the titles and abstracts of their recent work, I was able to see if there was a connection between their interests/theoretical framework/methodologies and the ones which I wanted to use. I wouldn't call that shallow though since you've taken the time to see if there is a connection.

Considering literary scholars work with text as their primary medium, I believe it is more important to have experienced the actual text of a literary scholar than of a social scientist. After all, all OLS regressions or surveys are effectively made equal.

Edited October 26, 2015 by ExponentialDecay

[rising_star]

Considering literary scholars work with text as their primary medium, I believe it is more important to have experienced the actual text of a literary scholar than of a social scientist. After all, all OLS regressions or surveys are effectively made equal.

You do know that not all social scientists work primarily or exclusively with OLS regressions or surveys, right? Pretty much all of my research involves working with text as the primary medium. Those texts may not be identical to what you do in literature (which is to say that you all work with already created texts and work with a mix of existing texts and those which I create through my research). But, you knew that already, right? Pretty sure what I said still applies since I doubt applicants have time to read every or even most of the recent literary scholarship published by all of their POIs, especially if they're moving or transitioning into a new field. And, it's not necessary to do so to gain admission as I and others have said on this thread.

 

PS - OLS regression and surveys aren't "effectively made equal" since there's a lot of theoretical work which goes into designing a survey. I can provide you with some resources on how complicated survey design can be and the difficulties in designing effective instruments if you're interested in actually learning about what you're talking about, rather than making broad generalizations and inaccurate assumptions.

[Joan Callamezzo]

I think it's pretty important to actually read and understand the work of the professors you are applying to work with. When I was applying to programs I think it really showed when I was phoning it in vs. writing about a professor whose scholarship I actually knew and used. There was also one case where I found a POI who was a *perfect fit* for me on paper, but when I read a couple of her latest articles I was really, really not a fan of her approach. I'm sure this is easier said than done, especially if you are in a place where you don't have academic library privileges, but it will show in your writing sample and your enthusiasm whether you actually know your POI's work.  

[silenus_thescribe]

I think it's pretty important to actually read and understand the work of the professors you are applying to work with. When I was applying to programs I think it really showed when I was phoning it in vs. writing about a professor whose scholarship I actually knew and used. There was also one case where I found a POI who was a *perfect fit* for me on paper, but when I read a couple of her latest articles I was really, really not a fan of her approach. I'm sure this is easier said than done, especially if you are in a place where you don't have academic library privileges, but it will show in your writing sample and your enthusiasm whether you actually know your POI's work.  

I agree with Joan here. I mentioned professors in each of my personal statements, with varying degrees of specificity throughout. While I won't of course make this a universal role, it's worth noting that the statement of purpose for the program I'm in contained the most specific references to professors and their work. As it happens, my department has several profs whose essays I used in undergrad for some of my bigger papers, including my thesis. In one case, I directly quoted from an article by a professor. That might have been excessive on my part; after all, you're applying to work with a whole department, not just one professor. That being said, I'd say that mentioning professors is best done strategically and precisely.

Edited October 27, 2015 by silenus_thescribe

[ProfLorax]

With the exception of the professors I spoke with over email or the phone, I did not read anyone's research that I mentioned in my SoP. Really, if a professor reads your SoP and denies you because you mentioned him in an outdated context ("The audacity of this applicant: I haven't published about Milton in 20 years!"), that professor probably isn't great advisor material. 

Think of it this way: naming professors is one method of showing fit, and within that method, there are different approaches. Unless you commit a grievous error, I can't see naming a professor as being the criteria that keeps you out or gets you in. Do what works with your application and the narrative you're putting forth in your SoP.

[sarabethke]

Questions: Just because a professor no longer publishes on Milton doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to direct a dissertation or serve on a dissertation committee, right? He still has that expertise. Or is it the fact that it's not recent and he no longer knows the current conversation which would make that professor not that valuable?

[toasterazzi]

I didn't mention any specific professors in my SOP. I did explore their pages on the department website as well as any additional websites and/or CV information if that was readily available. I skimmed some publication titles/abstracts, but I didn't read anything that any of them had published thoroughly. I personally did not find it particularly necessary to link my research ideas that specifically to someone else. What I did do though was make sure that there were multiple profs in the department who I thought could at least provide some degree of guidance for me. I also made sure that the things I'm interested in (TV, Film, Popular Culture) had a significant presence in the information that department provided. 

My basic structure with the SOP then was something like:

• State my primary research interest(s) & why that's significant
• Talk about related research & writing that I'd already done 
• Talk broadly about my vague ideas of what I might want my dissertation to be (btw the idea I mentioned here is totally not what I'm probably going to write about as it turns out haha)
• Talk about my ideas for teaching, especially as they relate to my research interests
• Talk specifically about the department & where I see myself fitting in based on the research areas I found to be present in the departmental information (I also specifically looked at the course listings from the prior year and referred to some of my findings here in terms of how they related to my interests)
• Concluded with how I felt connected to an aspect of the department's publicized goals (Almost every website I looked at included some sort of statement of what the department is interested in, working toward, etc.)

And by doing all of that, I feel like I adequately established how I saw myself in relation to the department without naming any specific people. I'm certainly not saying that you shouldn't name people. I'm just saying I don't think it's absolutely necessary.

[Waco-Waco]

Solid and sound advice from all, especially toasterazzi - that's put my mind at ease somewhat, and certainly seems to be the approach I was aiming for. Thank you thank you thank you everyone again for offering your thoughts - deadlines are looming, things are getting hectic, so it's much appreciated. 

[Gvh]

I would say this question is rather field-dependent, as it probably depends whether your acceptance is contingent on matching to a specific lab or not. If you are applying to a lab within a program, mentioning professors is not only encouraged, it is often directly mentioned in the department's SOP instructions. *shrugs*. Also, in terms of reading professor's work, I have found scouring their *recent* publications as well as looking on NIH reporter to see their active grants. Of course, this will only work with scientific fields, but I have found looking at their grant descriptions a great way to get a "summary" of their recent work. 

Edited October 28, 2015 by Gvh

[EmmaJava]

My basic structure with the SOP then was something like:

• State my primary research interest(s) & why that's significant
• Talk about related research & writing that I'd already done 
• Talk broadly about my vague ideas of what I might want my dissertation to be (btw the idea I mentioned here is totally not what I'm probably going to write about as it turns out haha)
• Talk about my ideas for teaching, especially as they relate to my research interests
• Talk specifically about the department & where I see myself fitting in based on the research areas I found to be present in the departmental information (I also specifically looked at the course listings from the prior year and referred to some of my findings here in terms of how they related to my interests)
• Concluded with how I felt connected to an aspect of the department's publicized goals (Almost every website I looked at included some sort of statement of what the department is interested in, working toward, etc.)

I agree with Waco-Waco that this is super helpful, but how do you do it in 500 words?! I know that some programs say 500 words, others 1000 or 1500...others don't say a word count but say "2 pages single spaced" or whatever. But a bunch say 500 words, and it has always left me thinking, ok, no problem, but that just means that I basically can't incorporate much advice or substance...You've got 6 bullet points. If you broke that down into the 500 word model, we're looking at an average of 80-ish words per paragraph. That's just a big tweet, really. For whatever writing success I may have had, I've never quite been able to crack this genre, and I tip my hat to those of you who have.

Edited October 28, 2015 by EmmaJava
Edit: Just did a word count on a recently polished SoP with the guideline of "2 pages single-spaced" and it comes out to 1215 words...hovering right around some school's parameters but a solid 150% too long for many as well...

[toasterazzi]

I agree with Waco-Waco that this is super helpful, but how do you do it in 500 words?! I know that some programs say 500 words, others 1000 or 1500...others don't say a word count but say "2 pages single spaced" or whatever. But a bunch say 500 words, and it has always left me thinking, ok, no problem, but that just means that I basically can't incorporate much advice or substance...You've got 6 bullet points. If you broke that down into the 500 word model, we're looking at an average of 80-ish words per paragraph. That's just a big tweet, really. For whatever writing success I may have had, I've never quite been able to crack this genre, and I tip my hat to those of you who have.

Haha yeah I remember that struggle. I had a few different versions of my SOP with varying degrees of successfulness I think. The particular version of my SOP that I described above, which is the one that got me into my current university, is a little under 900 words. If I had to cut it down for a smaller SOP, I would probably trim the area about my dissertation ideas & some of what I said about my prior research. I had 5 paragraphs, so some of it would probably get combined with a little less detail.

[ProfLorax]

I agree with Waco-Waco that this is super helpful, but how do you do it in 500 words?!

I struggled with this too. I'm feeling generous, so here's my 500-word SoP. I used it when applying to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2012. I was accepted in the PhD in Writing Studies program and ultimately declined the offer. Hope it's helpful. 

Throughout my academic and teaching career, I have come to realize that teaching and research are not isolated, contradictory fields. Rather, they are interconnected, and I strive for the teacher-scholar identity, a fusion of theory and practice. At University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I will begin a lifelong career devoted to teaching at the university-level, while pursuing research on feminist disability studies, new media, and writing pedagogy within the framework of writing studies.

I was introduced to feminist disability studies as a first-year MA student; I was immediately transfixed by a field that destabilizes society’s concept of bodily normalcy. I wrote a paper analyzing how disability shapes Audre Lorde’s and Eli Clare’s relationship to writing in their autobiographical works; I argued that by complicating the prominent feminist discourse about writing and the body, Lorde and Clare form a new model for revolutionary writing that embodies contradictions and resistance within the intersections of queerness, disability, and gender identity. In 2011, I presented this paper at the MLA Convention in Los Angeles.

As I continued with my graduate education, I decided that my research should extend past writing papers; I wanted it to help me grow as a future educator. During my last semester as a student, I enrolled in a seminar titled Teaching Writing in the Digital Age, which prompted me to consider how new media embodies the qualities and objectives of a feminist pedagogy. After I graduated, I was able to apply theory directly to my own college classroom. In my first-year writing courses, students conclude the semester by creating an awareness project; they are tasked to bring the research they conduct for their final essay to the public in an informative, entertaining, and multimedia format. I have found that creating a public awareness project prompts students to think deeply about audience and rhetoric, while initiating a larger conversation within their local community. Teaching has helped my research interests evolve. Outside of the classroom, I have presented papers at HERA’s and NCTE’s annual conferences, earned a certificate in postsecondary reading and learning, and managed my campus’ College Success website. I hope to continue experimenting with how composing in public can help students develop as writers.

My academic work and teaching experience have prompted me to grapple with how gender, race, and ability shape the body’s relationship to both writing and technology; I’d also like to investigate how those physical and cultural identities influence the student experience in the writing classroom. At University of Illinois, I will be able to grow as a teacher-scholar with the guidance of professors who share my interest in writing pedagogy, disability studies, and gender, such as Professors A, B, and C. Additionally, I will have the opportunity to develop my teaching practice by teaching writing courses while benefiting from orientations, seminars, and formal mentorship. Within the Writing Studies program, I will grow as a teacher-scholar while devoting my enthusiasm, passion, and creativity to the institution as both an educator and a scholar.

[EmmaJava]

That IS generous! Thanks!

[Joan Callamezzo]

With the exception of the professors I spoke with over email or the phone, I did not read anyone's research that I mentioned in my SoP. Really, if a professor reads your SoP and denies you because you mentioned him in an outdated context ("The audacity of this applicant: I haven't published about Milton in 20 years!"), that professor probably isn't great advisor material. 

Think of it this way: naming professors is one method of showing fit, and within that method, there are different approaches. Unless you commit a grievous error, I can't see naming a professor as being the criteria that keeps you out or gets you in. Do what works with your application and the narrative you're putting forth in your SoP.

Glad this worked out for you and that you were able to find a program that you are happy at, but I don't think this is good advice. How can you know if a professor is a good fit for you if you don't read their research? I don't think I would be comfortable basically signing away the next 4-8 years of my life to work with a person whose work I don't know. I also think it could convey a lack of preparedness on the part of the applicant. 

[ProfLorax]

Glad this worked out for you and that you were able to find a program that you are happy at, but I don't think this is good advice. How can you know if a professor is a good fit for you if you don't read their research? I don't think I would be comfortable basically signing away the next 4-8 years of my life to work with a person whose work I don't know. I also think it could convey a lack of preparedness on the part of the applicant. 

... I didn't frame my personal experience as advice. In fact, my advice was this: "Do what works with your application and the narrative you're putting forth in your SoP." I stand by that advice. I didn't speak to the research I did on potential advisors and programs once I had been accepted. That's a whole 'nother thread. 

[toasterazzi]

I would also suggest that there's potential problems with going to a university to work with one specific person. Yes, it might work out, but that person also might go on sabbatical or switch jobs or become ill or simply not be able to take on new students. And I think that sometimes people don't always consider this ahead of time. Also, let's be real. Just because you like someone's research, that doesn't mean you'll be able to get along with them on a personal level.

This is part of why I looked for programs that had several people that I could see myself working with based on a broad overview of their areas of interests rather than a deep dive into the work of any particular person.

I do think that this ultimately comes down to a matter of preference. I don't think anybody's application necessarily lives or dies on whether they mention specific profs in their SOP (unless the university has that as a specific requirement). I do believe that it's entirely possible to be successful with either method.

[unræd]

I do think that this ultimately comes down to a matter of preference. I don't think anybody's application necessarily lives or dies on whether they mention specific profs in their SOP (unless the university has that as a specific requirement). I do believe that it's entirely possible to be successful with either method.

I know I sometimes come off as the blissed-out dude in the back of the van telling everyone to "just relax, man, relax," but I really think that the "mentioning specific professors in the SOP" thing really is something people sometimes worry about too much. Sure, it's a much easier part of the SOP to evaluate/control/whatever than, say, the much more important "does this just feel like a professional document?" part, so it gets a lot of attention. But ultimately I really don't think it matters nearly as much; like toasterazzi says, it is definitely possible to be very successful either by mentioning professors, or not.

Of course, some of my successful SOPs last year had the standard "mention an article and how it relates" name-a-prof gambit, but I also got into some schools (Yale and Stanford, I'm looking at you) with the absolutely lamest, broadest, afterthought-est fit paragraphs you can imagine--think along the lines of "their strengths in blah blah subfield, and hey, they've got a library!" Now: those schools were actually still good fits in terms of those strengths and resources, don't get me wrong. But--eh. I didn't worry about making that case explicit in my SOP for them, really, at all, and certainly didn't specify professors, and it was just fine.

And like Proflorax says, the research you do before applying and the research you do before deciding where you will attend are necessarily different beasts; it's one thing to think you have an idea of what someone might be like as an advisor when you've made yourself intimately familiar with their biography, it's another entirely when you've had a beer with one of their advisees at the recruitment weekend.

[ProfLorax]

I know I sometimes come off as the blissed-out dude in the back of the van telling everyone to "just relax, man, relax,"....

[BooksCoffeeBeards]

Bless you.

[unræd]

And I've only been in northern California for 3 months...