Letter of intent/purpose essay?

[HopefulFutureSLP2016]

Okay, so I've been starting to write my letters of intent for my grad school applications and I find myself sort of stuck on what to write about. Some of the schools were easier and gave me a specific prompt and questions to go off of, whereas others just sort of say "insert letter of intent and/or purpose here". What is something appropriate to write about, exactly? I know to write about all of my accomplishments/honors/awards/experience/volunteer work/etc..but what specific "tone" should I give off? While writing, I find myself starting to sound like I'm basically begging for a chance (since my stats are so low) and giving excuses as to why my stats are so low. I don't want to come off as if I'm begging for them to let me in or sound whiney or that I'm just making excuses for myself or that I'm trying to make them pity me, lol. I also don't want to sound like I'm bragging about things that I've done and why I feel that they should let me in. I also talk a lot about how passionate I am for the field but I feel as though it sounds kind of "mushy" or made up (even though really it's not, I do really love this field!) UGH idk, someone please help! lol 

[OverCaffeinated]

i am in the exact same boat

when i talk about my relatives it comes off as fake and pitiful, when i dont, it doesnt seem right... when you try to talk about awards it sounds like youre showing off... when i talk about my placements it sounds like im repeating the application...

its a horrible horrible process

[Jolie717]

I feel your pain!  I had an SOP all planned out that was super unique and yet still relevant - aaaaaaannnnnd then I read Purdue's "suggestions" for the SOP and my bubble was burst.  I'm thinking that I will have to write extremely different statements for each place I apply.  Which means a lot more work for me, sigh...

Try to really dig around the website for each of the universities you are considering - they may have the answer to your question but you will likely have to search a bit.  Sorry if my advice sounds boringly obvious!

Edited to add - I wouldn't spend too much time dwelling on shortcomings and excuses...  I can't remember now - are you planning to retake the GRE?  Also, have you discussed your worries with your letter of rec writers?  They might be able to provide some valuable insight and also may tailor their letters to your specific situation hopefully.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Jolie717
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[slptobe92]

Something important is to make sure you write a different letter for each school. Don't just reuse the same one and tweak it a tiny bit. Also make sure to add in a few reasons why you want to attend that school in particular, like a professor's research or a specific class offered. That can make a big difference. 

[jpiccolo]

It's okay to talk about internship or volunteer experience. Just make sure to talk about the impact it had on you and what you learned. It's not a repeat of your resume so they don't need to hear everything you did in a job or internship. They'd want to know what you learned and how that will make you a good clinician. And definitely talk about why you want to attend their school. That includes professors, classes, special extra programs they offer that's unique to their school and why that would make a difference to you. 

[Jolie717]

16 minutes ago, cmm28 said:

Something important is to make sure you write a different letter for each school. Don't just reuse the same one and tweak it a tiny bit. Also make sure to add in a few reasons why you want to attend that school in particular, like a professor's research or a specific class offered. That can make a big difference. 

Exactly - I should have been more clear.  You definitely want to customize your writing to each specific school.  I have the same prompt for a few schools which makes this task infinitely easier.  However (unfortunately) I will also be submitting some dramatically different SOPs for my other schools of choice, based on their very specific criteria.

[HopefulFutureSLP2016]

13 hours ago, Jolie717 said:

I feel your pain!  I had an SOP all planned out that was super unique and yet still relevant - aaaaaaannnnnd then I read Purdue's "suggestions" for the SOP and my bubble was burst.  I'm thinking that I will have to write extremely different statements for each place I apply.  Which means a lot more work for me, sigh...

Try to really dig around the website for each of the universities you are considering - they may have the answer to your question but you will likely have to search a bit.  Sorry if my advice sounds boringly obvious!

Edited to add - I wouldn't spend too much time dwelling on shortcomings and excuses...  I can't remember now - are you planning to retake the GRE?  Also, have you discussed your worries with your letter of rec writers?  They might be able to provide some valuable insight and also may tailor their letters to your specific situation hopefully.

I was not planning on retaking but I actually did a week or so ago and actually ended up doing worse in literally all areas..really not sure what it is with me and standardized tests, I'm just really terrible at them

[eggfish]

Is it okay not to write about awards/volunteer experience/work/etc.?

The first SOP I've written basically just has a nice hook, explains why I'm interested in the field, and talks about what I specifically like about the program (classes and specialties offered, research being done, etc.).  There is very little about myself because I feel like my volunteer experience isn't directly relevant to what I want to do in SLP, and it's all mentioned on my resume anyway.  

Edited November 6, 2015 by eggfish