Is ANY Personal Info in SOP Too Much?

[solomonski]

Hi guys. This is cross-posted in the SOP forum but it wasn't getting any action there, so I thought to post here. Please feel free to delete this / perma-ban me into oblivion if this is against the rules. 

So, this is one of the trickiest things for me when it comes to the SOP (for an English program): how much personal info is too much? I know the focus of the topic is supposed to be on my research interests, demonstrating that I know how to think about a long-term project, that I've researched the specific program and can demonstrate my fit, etc. That much nearly everyone agrees upon.

However, many people suggest that it would be prudent to leave out any mention of personal background at all, while others say that you need to use the SOP not just to demonstrate your academic qualities, but your actual personality as a human being (since this is one of the only non-quantitative indicators of your story in the application). In any case, my background is both a.) maybe interesting in the sense of being non-traditional/diverse (first in family to college (or even to graduate elementary school), lived in backseat of car for years as adolescent, then for years in a trailer with no lights or water, literally reading by oil lamp) and b.) relevant to my interest in literature (in terms of developing my research interests as a result of my experiences with disadvantage/class). 

Anyway, what's the verdict? 

[kurayamino]

I'm firmly in the camp that suggests including personal information in the SOP, but only if you can make a connection to your research interests. Since you mentioned your interest in class disadvantage and your personal experiences with such I think it should definitely go in the SOP. I had professors at each of the schools where I was accepted make a connection with me over the personal information I put in the SOP and I think it helps them understand not just what you do, but who you are and where you come from.

[dr. t]

You should include personal information as it pertains directly to the development your research interests. Even then, remember that the development of your research interests are the center point of your story.

Edited November 22, 2015 by telkanuru

[solomonski]

Thanks for the responses. I'll keep the personal information then, but be especially sure that its relationship to the research comes across. Either of you willing to take a look at what I end up producing and give me some feedback? 

[fuzzylogician]

Following up on what has been said, I think some personal anecdotes can appear in a SOP, but you should not be telling your life story there. The SOP is a professional document and is going to be read that way; readers will want to know what your interests are, how prepared you are to pursue them, and how their particular school could support them. As a result, I would only mention details that directly inform your research interests and concentrate on those. I would also only include details that I'd be comfortable with the entire faculty knowing about me. You don't know who will read your SOP and at least at some schools, everyone sees the application materials of all candidates. I'd also not include anything that might paint you in a negative light, describes any criminal activity, or anything of the sort, because you really can't control how people will interpret what you write. Be careful with details.

[solomonski]

Thanks for the heads up. I don't really have anything like criminal activity bound up in this "living in a car" stint; it was the result of both my parents becoming disabled at the same time. But I do take your point. I'm trying to strike a restrained balance that gives some sense of my intellectual formation, without sounding like an undergrad admissions essay.

[fuzzylogician]

8 minutes ago, solomonski said:

 I'm trying to strike a restrained balance that gives some sense of my intellectual formation, without sounding like an undergrad admissions essay.

That's exactly the right sentiment. And it's hard to do, hence the general advice to not do it. As the writer, it can be very hard for you to know if you're doing it right, and even if you get some readers' opinions, you can't begin to guess how the particular committee members at the schools you're applying to will interpret what you write. That said, it's certainly possible to do it, and based on your rhetoric here, I think you could do a good job (but if you have any doubts, I would still vote for leaving this stuff out).