SOP for Harris School

[sky_blue]

I have finished the first drafts of my SOP. Basically I discussed my experiences in the public sector in the first half of the essay, and then explain why I want to do a MPP at X School in the second part.

One of my friends who read my essays point out that PS question for Harris School is phrased in the way that seems as though the adcomms is much more interested in why I want to attend the harris school and what I hope to gain from it, instead of why I want to do policy. Specially, the question is:

"Why are you seeking a public policy degree from the Harris School? What do you hope to experience and contribute? Be as specific as possible in describing how your course of study will enable you to attain your career objectives."

What do you guys think? I am now thinking if I should be spending more time discussing why harris school. I am now uncertain if the structure for the rest of my essays is actually what the adcomms are looking for.

Help!

[goukaku suru you ni]

Hi. did you mention the names/research of the professors you hope to work with? that's what i did in my SOPs.

[greendiplomat]

I have finished the first drafts of my SOP. Basically I discussed my experiences in the public sector in the first half of the essay, and then explain why I want to do a MPP at X School in the second part.

One of my friends who read my essays point out that PS question for Harris School is phrased in the way that seems as though the adcomms is much more interested in why I want to attend the harris school and what I hope to gain from it, instead of why I want to do policy. Specially, the question is:

"Why are you seeking a public policy degree from the Harris School? What do you hope to experience and contribute? Be as specific as possible in describing how your course of study will enable you to attain your career objectives."

What do you guys think? I am now thinking if I should be spending more time discussing why harris school. I am now uncertain if the structure for the rest of my essays is actually what the adcomms are looking for.

Help!

The question is why you want to study at the Harris School, which would naturally lend itself to a discussion on why you're dedicated to public policy, and not, say, law. If the entire second half of your SoP is school-specific, I think you'll be fine.

[dagger]

Hi. did you mention the names/research of the professors you hope to work with? that's what i did in my SOPs.

I would strongly agree with the above sentiment.

I essentially framed the majority of my SOPs in this fashion:

1. A narrative of experiences that led to the decision to attend policy school

2. A short term and long term career goal I intend to pursue after policy school

3. Specific reasons why I want to attend that specific schools: professors, research centers, etc

Feel free to message if you'd like to chat more.

[cosmike10]

I am currently working on my Harris SoP and am wondering exactly how specific I should be. I can be very specific, as in focusing on one, tiny area of policy that I would like to affect after graduating, but I don't want to look too one-dimensional. Am I worrying too much that I won't be able to portray myself as a generalist instead? After all, it is just an SoP, not a commitment to study certain courses only.

[sky_blue]

I am currently working on my Harris SoP and am wondering exactly how specific I should be. I can be very specific, as in focusing on one, tiny area of policy that I would like to affect after graduating, but I don't want to look too one-dimensional. Am I worrying too much that I won't be able to portray myself as a generalist instead? After all, it is just an SoP, not a commitment to study certain courses only.

i also mentioned a specific area that i want to focus on and how this topic would be linked to my plans after school. i actually think that being specific is necessary. As opposed to just saying that you are interested in say, international trade, being focused shows that you have a clear purpose for going to grad school. my take is that just don't make it sound like you want to finish a phd dissertation on that topic.

btw did you mention the faculty you would like to work with? others have strongly recommended this....

[cosmike10]

i also mentioned a specific area that i want to focus on and how this topic would be linked to my plans after school. i actually think that being specific is necessary. As opposed to just saying that you are interested in say, international trade, being focused shows that you have a clear purpose for going to grad school. my take is that just don't make it sound like you want to finish a phd dissertation on that topic.

btw did you mention the faculty you would like to work with? others have strongly recommended this....

for my harris sop, which i am finishing up now, i went over their course descriptions in the program brochure and mentioned the classes that fit my interests. i then went over the professors that taught the classes i liked and mentioned their expertise in my field. i am still putting the finishing touches on my statement, so any advice in that regard would also be appreciated. i was actually a little unsure of that too. i don't know if i will be able to actually 'work with' the faculty as a masters student since my understanding is that they tend to advise the phd students a little more.

[sky_blue]

for my harris sop, which i am finishing up now, i went over their course descriptions in the program brochure and mentioned the classes that fit my interests. i then went over the professors that taught the classes i liked and mentioned their expertise in my field. i am still putting the finishing touches on my statement, so any advice in that regard would also be appreciated. i was actually a little unsure of that too. i don't know if i will be able to actually 'work with' the faculty as a masters student since my understanding is that they tend to advise the phd students a little more.

I share the same dilemma as you, but in a different way. for me, I am mainly interested in international policy. although the Harris School has an international policy concentration, I haven't found a faculty who has the specific regional focus as I do. I would definitely mention that if I could find someone.

I wouldn't worry about research being reserved exclusively for phd students. My sense of Harris is that they are really committed to imparting the analytical tools and there is no better way to do this than to work with faculty members. Moreover, if you compare the size of incoming class, it is way smaller than many other programs. I am sure faculty members would be happy, even excited, to guide students who are interested in their fields of expertise.

Edited December 19, 2009 by sky_blue

[cosmike10]

working on my app and i get to a point where they tell you to list anything you're sending in with your supplementary packet (thesis, written work, cv, etc). it is clearly optional, but i wonder if its optional as in 'advisable.' anyone think its a bad idea not to? i don't really have anything except research ideas, nothing written out.

[le_neocon]

Just a couple of thoughts ..

1. A little less than half of my SoP talks about how my experiences shaped my decision to pursue policy studies at Harris. The rest of the essay talks about my professional goals and why I think Harris is the best suited for that. Again, my focus will be on international policy, and I'm struggling to find research work/faculty with similar goals, which makes me wonder whether I'm a good fit. The fact is that there are a lot of other schools with acclaimed international studies etc. But I get the feeling Harris being what it is will be just as good.

2. I actually sent the material only with transcripts and nothing else. I thought I'd submit my resume and SOP online. Now i'm thinking it may not have been such a great idea as you are not allowed to "upload" these documents, but just type it out with very minimal formatting. I'm an international student too, I thought of just sending in the transcripts early. I mean I did get additional time for my SoP/resume. But I do wish they gave us the option to upload a document instead of just typing it out. I hope it really doesn't matter.

[sky_blue]

Just a couple of thoughts ..

1. A little less than half of my SoP talks about how my experiences shaped my decision to pursue policy studies at Harris. The rest of the essay talks about my professional goals and why I think Harris is the best suited for that. Again, my focus will be on international policy, and I'm struggling to find research work/faculty with similar goals, which makes me wonder whether I'm a good fit. The fact is that there are a lot of other schools with acclaimed international studies etc. But I get the feeling Harris being what it is will be just as good.

2. I actually sent the material only with transcripts and nothing else. I thought I'd submit my resume and SOP online. Now i'm thinking it may not have been such a great idea as you are not allowed to "upload" these documents, but just type it out with very minimal formatting. I'm an international student too, I thought of just sending in the transcripts early. I mean I did get additional time for my SoP/resume. But I do wish they gave us the option to upload a document instead of just typing it out. I hope it really doesn't matter.

right! i was initially very concerned that there isn't a faculty member's reserach that is aligned with my specific interest in international policy. but one of my recommenders, who received his phd from chicago, strongly advised me to apply there. he said that there will be othesr in the university i can work with and i am not limited to the harris school. what i should be concerned is the rigor of the program. strange to say this, but I actually appreciate how quan- heavy the MPP program is at the harris school.

[dagger]

right! i was initially very concerned that there isn't a faculty member's reserach that is aligned with my specific interest in international policy. but one of my recommenders, who received his phd from chicago, strongly advised me to apply there. he said that there will be othesr in the university i can work with and i am not limited to the harris school. what i should be concerned is the rigor of the program. strange to say this, but I actually appreciate how quan- heavy the MPP program is at the harris school.

You could mention this research center:

http://cas.uchicago.edu/workshops/pipes/

I was able to get a research assistant position at one of the research centers here so its definitely something worth considering.