Structure of SOP

[Mathētēs]

I have read several times on this forum and on other sites that the order of SOP content should have the "fit" paragraph toward the end. However, two of the schools to which I am applying have similar to the following:

· Establish your desire for the degree; academic and vocational goals

· Articulate why you have selected your specific program, how your interest coincides with those of the faculty

· Identify the strengths you would bring to the program (e.g., credentials, experience)

While their instructions do not specify the content must be in this order (goals, fit, strengths vs. goals, strengths, fit) it seems to me that it would be wisest to follow what appears to be their suggested sequence. What do you think?

[Mathētēs]

Which structure do you think would be most advantageous with regard to these apps?

[Mathētēs]

This page has had more than 80 views. Would someone please help me? Please???

[kiripin]

If you haven't read this recent thread yet, it might help:

My applications also provide SOP instructions in list form, but unless they explicitly ask for it, your SOP doesn't need to be structured that way. It's just there to ensure that you include all the info they're looking for.

[Sparky]

I think maybe the second and third items you listed can be sort of combined into the fit paragraph. So it's not just why the department is right for you, but why you are right for the department. "I am enthusiastic about working with Dr. Who, whose research into the hypnotic attraction of lava lamps has been a major inspiration to me as I research my MDiv thesis on glowy pretty things as representations of the Divine." And so forth.

Plus, for those of us whose for whom "credentials" can be almost entirely conveyed in the phrase "Please see transcript," it is a nice excuse NOT to have a two-sentence paragraph about, say, Lambda Alpha.

But as general advice, I wouldn't be so rigid as to lock myself into following the order the website lays out. At *least* two of my five applications have a different way of phrasing the SOP "requirements" on the department site as on the application itself.* Basically...do what makes the most sense. Which, in general, tends to be "this is what I want to study; this is why I want to do it here."

^{_{*And then there's lovely Iowa: "A one- to two-page statement of purpose."}}