Anecdotes or No Anecdotes?

[mikazukipie]

I've received very conflicting opinions on whether or not to use an anecdotal opening in the statement of purpose. I have one school that specifically says NO ANECDOTES PLEASE, but the rest say nothing on the matter. Sample essays seem to fall into both camps, and one of my LOR writers, whose opinion I take as gospel ordinarily, says that many schools may not say anything about it, but frown upon the practice anyhow.

What do you think? Is an anecdotal opening, even when written well, unprofessional? Or can it be a way to get remembered? Or is it really up to chance, which means I should play it safe and skip the anecdote?

[LateAntique]

The issue is that you should never try to be cute or funny with your SoP. If you have an anecdote that somehow explains or shows something, then it could possibly be worth it. For instance, I make mention of the fact that I entered undergraduate study at X school (a confessional Christian school) believing I was destined to study the New Testament in graduate school. 3 years later, I became a Catholic (and thus could not affirm the confessional stance of the school any longer) and broadened my academic interests, hence the reason I ended up at school Y. This served a couple of purposes - I had to introduce school X somehow because I had done relevant work there, but I also had to explain why I left in my senior year. I also used it as a way to explain the evolution of my academic interests. Overall, it served a lot of purposes and comes across as mildly humorous (the audacity of youth, being kicked out of a confessional school after converting, etc) while still being relevant to the overall SoP.

[modernity]

I've received very conflicting opinions on whether or not to use an anecdotal opening in the statement of purpose. I have one school that specifically says NO ANECDOTES PLEASE, but the rest say nothing on the matter. Sample essays seem to fall into both camps, and one of my LOR writers, whose opinion I take as gospel ordinarily, says that many schools may not say anything about it, but frown upon the practice anyhow.

What do you think? Is an anecdotal opening, even when written well, unprofessional? Or can it be a way to get remembered? Or is it really up to chance, which means I should play it safe and skip the anecdote?

I say skip it. They are very hard to write well, even by the most talented of authors. And..even then, often still come across as trite and cliche. I think there are many more things you can write about, in a show/not tell manner, that can make you memorable. On top of the fact, I just have to feel sorry for the adcomms if they have to read piles of "When I was...." stories.

[mikazukipie]

I say skip it. They are very hard to write well, even by the most talented of authors. And..even then, often still come across as trite and cliche. I think there are many more things you can write about, in a show/not tell manner, that can make you memorable. On top of the fact, I just have to feel sorry for the adcomms if they have to read piles of "When I was...." stories.

Mine isn't humorous at all, and does explain something kind of strange about my academic path. I hesitate to post it in a public arena, but if anyone wouldn't mind reading it in a PM, I would be really grateful for any insight on my specific situation.

[modernity]

Well I should add the caveat, that if its something you really need to explain and you're trying to go about it in a tender way (like what LateAntique was saying)then it *can be* okay because sometimes its the only route to explaining something in your past. However, I think this is rare.

And as always... YMMV (I think this really just needs to be put in my signature haha).

[fuzzylogician]

I would guess the NO ANECDOTES instruction is there to keep the adcomms from having to read 500 SOPs that begin "Ever since my childhood....". No one cares that you've wanted to be a firefighter/astronaut/doctor/lawyer since you were 5--the question it what makes you qualified now. The kind of anecdote you're thinking about seems different, and I think it could actually be a very good way of addressing delicate issues in your past without going into cumbersome unneeded details. (Having a LOR writer do it for you could also be a pretty good tactic.)

[mikazukipie]

On the one hand, I feel terrible that adcomms have to read so many "I always wanted to be a..." essays, but they do lower the bar a little. Is that mean? I think it might be a little mean.

I was actually very confident that my anecdote was relevant and not too personal in an unpleasant way before I got that email from my professor. I do have an alternate opening, but it's kind of "meh" because I have more potential than experience in my field. (Thanks, economy!)

[a fragrant plant]

I also oscillate between going straight into my research interest and starting the SOP with a narrative about my mother who inspires my phd project. I am prone to the latter approach because in my field it's really important to be reflexive in the production of ethnography (I won't go into that). I agree with modernity that this kind of SOP is very hard to write well. But I also want to mention that the anecdote approach is not necessary a bad idea. My friend who started his SOP with an anecdote got into Harvard Medical School (of course he's a brilliant student). To be fair it was a powerful SOP to some but a rather contrived one to others. I guess it really depends on who reads your SOP and their predilection.

Edited November 3, 2009 by peanuttheanthro

[fuzzylogician]

On the one hand, I feel terrible that adcomms have to read so many "I always wanted to be a..." essays, but they do lower the bar a little. Is that mean? I think it might be a little mean.

I was actually very confident that my anecdote was relevant and not too personal in an unpleasant way before I got that email from my professor. I do have an alternate opening, but it's kind of "meh" because I have more potential than experience in my field. (Thanks, economy!)

I'd be glad to help some more if you want to PM me your opening paragraph; from what you write it's hard to know. It sounds right on the border between acceptable and anecdotal. Again, if you can have a LOR writer address whatever difficulty you encountered, that might be the best course of action. I, too, at one point thought that an anecdotal opening would be strongest, but in hindsight I'm very happy I was talked out of it. I ended up opening with a few very focused questions I wanted to research, and I think it worked out for the best.

[pea-jay]

dumb question here: what exactly is being referred to as an anecdote? I kinda understand but not really.

[coyabean]

Ok, here's my rule about all creative flourishes.

If you are a talented enough writer to pull them off then by all means use them.

If you are not talented enough to do so, then please be kind to your audience and ditch them.

How do you know the difference? Ah, you ask the right question grasshopper. You know if you are a good writer. People have told you, if not expressly then by joyously reading what you write. If you've never had that experience be conservative and ditch them.

[KieBelle]

Got some criticism on my essay and its anecdotal opening, so I'm bumping this thread up.

The reason I wrote an anecdotal intro was to explain the initial reason for my interest in the field. I don't have any undergrad or work experience in the field, and I thought the adcomms might be wondering why I "suddenly" am interested in this topic. I've had several people read it (including on this forum via PM) and they've all said it was written well. However, two professors have since read it and suggested I ditch it altogether and start the SOP with my research interests. So I'm unsure what to do. What do you think:

1) Do I need to explain how I became interested in the topic if there's no relevant undergrad or work experience?

2) How important is it to have a "hook"? If I start with my research interests (i.e., no hook) will that hurt my SOP?

Thanks.

Edited November 5, 2009 by KieBelle

[fuzzylogician]

I'll only address 2, since you already know my opinion on 1 - I don't think it'll hurt your SOP if you don't have a hook. I am usually a proponent of the "get to the point" approach. Professors are busy people and most of the ones I know also subscribe to this approach. I think that starting with your interests right off the bat is really the best way to engage them and keep them interested. Personally I find the fluff at the beginning of SOPs distracting, and often skip opening paragraphs entirely when I read SOPs on LJ. That said, in cases where it's well written and motivated (e.g. when you need to explain how you got into the field if you have no prior background) - it could be fine to have a story-like hook.

[socialcomm]

KieBelle -- to address 1, I think it's important to explain why/how you developed your interests. I think they will wonder. But perhaps instead of using a story, you can just explicitly state it? I'm struggling with a similar issue...

[a fragrant plant]

Instead of using an anecdote, what do you all think about narrating one's research interest through life history?

[fuzzylogician]

Instead of using an anecdote, what do you all think about narrating one's research interest through life history?

I suspect that's hard to do well in the word limits the SOP imposes. The SOP is a statement of purpose, it should be future oriented, and spending 2-3 paragraphs giving your life history will tilt the balance of the SOP in the wrong direction. I imagine it's also possible that intertwining personal experience with research interests could make you seem less professional than talking about your interests from a safe analytical distance.

[rising_star]

1) Do I need to explain how I became interested in the topic if there's no relevant undergrad or work experience?

2) How important is it to have a "hook"? If I start with my research interests (i.e., no hook) will that hurt my SOP?

Thanks.

1) I never bothered with doing that. I switched disciplines for my master's and switched subfields and regional focus for my PhD. I never really explained it other than to explain the research I would like to do.

2) I'm not creative enough to ever start with a "hook'. The hook I used in my PhD apps was a description of my master's thesis.

[alexis]

I suspect that's hard to do well in the word limits the SOP imposes. The SOP is a statement of purpose, it should be future oriented, and spending 2-3 paragraphs giving your life history will tilt the balance of the SOP in the wrong direction. I imagine it's also possible that intertwining personal experience with research interests could make you seem less professional than talking about your interests from a safe analytical distance.

Hmm. You've got me thinking, maybe I am confusing the SOP and personal statement. Most of my PhD apps say something like this: "The Personal Statement should include information about your relevant background and experiences, your research interests, and your goals." Seems like all portions are relevant--past, present, future--but maybe that depends on the SOP vs. personal statement part.