SOP- proper form of address???

[melusine]

What is the proper form of address of a SOP?

"Dear Admissions Comittee"

"Dear Sir or Madam"

...?????

I suck at writing things like that, especially since I'm not used to doing them in English. It all just sounds so awkward, like middle-school-dance-awkward.

Please help me out!!

[JohnBom]

Does it need to have any kind of address?

I was just going to title it "Statement of Purpose."

[LordNorth]

I didn't address mine to anybody. Rather, I wrote it as I would write an essay. And, as with any piece of writing, your introduction should be straight-to-the-point, setting the tone for the remainder of the essay, and making it absolutely clear from the beginning what you're trying to say. I'm a native English speaker so if you'd like me to comment on a draft or anything, feel free to PM it.

LN

[naptown]

Does it need to have any kind of address?

I was just going to title it "Statement of Purpose."

I agree. It's not a cover letter.

Do pay attention if they want you to call it a "Statement of Intent," "Statement of Goals," or something else besides the standard "SoP."

[rising_star]

The only time I ever addressed my statement to someone was when it was labeled a "Letter of Intent". So, I addressed it to the Director of Graduate Studies.

[dzk]

I am using "Dear admissions committee," but mine is still written basically as LordNorth says.

I think whether you should have a greeting like that depends on your opening... it would be awkward to launch into a clever anecdote after opening your SoP like a letter, for example. I prefer a different style, so my opening paragraph is just me bashing them over the head with what I'm applying for, why I'm doing it, and how incredibly awesome I am in three sentences.

Edited November 6, 2009 by iggy

[misterpat]

"Dear Esteemed Ladies and Gentlemen of the Life of the Mind"

Refrain from anything like what you're thinking. It's an essay, not a letter. It sounds middle-school-dance awkard because starting it that way is, in fact, that awkward. Launch into a professional discussion of your interests, with no "Dear scholarly dudes and dudettes" at the top, and a minimal amount of personal information. Most people reviewing your application won't care about your personal life.

Edited November 6, 2009 by misterpat

[Thanks4Downvoting]

"Dear Esteemed Ladies and Gentlemen of the Life of the Mind"

Refrain from anything like what you're thinking. It's an essay, not a letter. It sounds middle-school-dance awkard because starting it that way is, in fact, that awkward. Launch into a professional discussion of your interests, with no "Dear scholarly dudes and dudettes" at the top, and a minimal amount of personal information. Most people reviewing your application won't care about your personal life.

I lol'd at both of your examples of an address. Just thought you'd like to know.

[melusine]

thanks for the help everyone! feeling much better now..

a minimal amount of personal information. Most people reviewing your application won't care about your personal life.

as for that, perhaps that is generally true in most cases but not necessarily in all, and certainly not in mine. coming into a field with such a strong multi-lingual requirement as comp lit, you are pretty much expected to back up any claims of bilingualism or other linguistic proficiency with information that, more often than not, borders on the autobiographic.

i mean, how many perfectly bilingual speakers do you know in their early twenties that are so purely thanks to academic training?

just my 2 cents on that subject.