SOP question

[resDQ]

for the SOP, should I mention things that I want out of the program? Or should that wait until I am in? I know this seems like a question with an obvious answer, but I would rather be rejected from the onset then get accepted and accept the offer and then be miserable. Not everything can be learned while on a 2-3 day visit. 

[oldacct]

I wouldn't phrase it so much about "wants" from program. I would rather ask questions to current students (and potentially faculty) before applying to the program. That way you don't apply to programs you wouldn't even accept offers from. 

For example, if you want X amount of funding each year you can ask: Can you please detail what the funding package is for students?

If you want a great social life (q for grad student): What do students there do for fun? What's the social scene like?

If you want to do interdisciplinary work: Are there opportunities to work with professors from X department. Or: This is the project I am working on, is this something that you would be interested in advising? 

[PizzaCat93]

What exactly do you mean by "things I want out of the program"? If it's something unique that the school offers that you will make use of in your studies and research, then by all means mention it. If it's your career goal, you can mention that too, briefly. As far as you saying you'd rather be rejected, if you articulate your research interests and professors of interest well in your SOP and application at large (writing sample, coursework, etc), they will not accept you if you don't "fit", so if that's what you're worried about, it's somewhat of a moot point. 

[resDQ]

1 hour ago, PizzaCat93 said:

What exactly do you mean by "things I want out of the program"? If it's something unique that the school offers that you will make use of in your studies and research, then by all means mention it. If it's your career goal, you can mention that too, briefly. As far as you saying you'd rather be rejected, if you articulate your research interests and professors of interest well in your SOP and application at large (writing sample, coursework, etc), they will not accept you if you don't "fit", so if that's what you're worried about, it's somewhat of a moot point. 

 

I think I am worried that my research interests may change and then I will be locked into working with the person I mentioned in my SOP. It would be ok to mention you want to take courses in the econ or stats dept. for additional training? Or would that be seen as offensive?

Edited July 25, 2016 by resDQ
typo

[Determinedandnervous]

The way to avoid that scenario is not necessarily during the application stage, but when you're making the decision of where to go.

I'm not sure what subfield you are, but the polisci methods sequence should be sufficient unless you are a methodologist who wants to specialize in a specific thing the department doesn't have to offer, in which case you'd take courses in another department or at ICPSR in the summer.

If this part is of vital importance (and it really can be depending on your research interests) then you may want to check out the courses that make up the methods sequence and see if the courses within it satisfy your needs. If not, look up the requirements for earning the PhD and youll see if they allow outside courses to count towards it. This will help you narrow down schools in the selection process.

I don't think there's any reason that requesting to take courses in other departments would be offensive, but I would word it in a different way so you can further sell yourself in terms of fit. You can mention something along the lines of the department's openness to an interdisciplinary methods training if necessary is crucial to you having the specific skill set needed to answer your research questions. Therefore, the quality of your research would increase and the research you do in the department's name would be higher quality too.

 

[PizzaCat93]

2 hours ago, resDQ said:

 

I think I am worried that my research interests may change and then I will be locked into working with the person I mentioned in my SOP. It would be ok to mention you want to take courses in the econ or stats dept. for additional training? Or would that be seen as offensive?

You're never going to be "locked in" to what you say in your SOP; it is expected that your interests will change. Unless you have an extremely niche interest, even if your interests do change, you will probably still have someone to work with, and if worse comes to worse, you can often have a committee member from another department or school. 

[resDQ]

Thanks for all of the advice!

I don't plan on being a methodologist (at the moment anyways), but I always like to keep all my options open. 

5 hours ago, PizzaCat93 said:

You're never going to be "locked in" to what you say in your SOP; it is expected that your interests will change. Unless you have an extremely niche interest, even if your interests do change, you will probably still have someone to work with, and if worse comes to worse, you can often have a committee member from another department or school. 

I heard of some horror stories in other fields, but if it comes to it, transferring is an option. Though the chance of this could probably be minimized if I attend a large program. 

 

Once again, thanks for all of the help!

[resDQ]

Sorry for bumping this thread. Graphs are a no go in a statement of purpose, correct?

[fuzzylogician]

3 hours ago, resDQ said:

Sorry for bumping this thread. Graphs are a no go in a statement of purpose, correct?

Yes. Whatever your finding is, you should be able to describe it in words. You should probably spend no more than 1-2 sentences on it, no visual aids. The SOP is not about the details of your past research. 

[CarefreeWritingsontheWall]

I should also add that it's well understood that your research interests will develop and change. If you have a precise research problem in your SOP, this is a plus, but everyone knows you very likely won't be pursuing that exact question in two years when you're past comps and are at the prospectus phase. I wouldn't feel hesitant to identify specific people that you can work with for now - being precise is important, as is demonstrating that you can put together a cohesive research agenda.

[resDQ]

22 minutes ago, fuzzylogician said:

Yes. Whatever your finding is, you should be able to describe it in words. You should probably spend no more than 1-2 sentences on it, no visual aids. The SOP is not about the details of your past research. 

 

14 minutes ago, CarefreeWritingsontheWall said:

I should also add that it's well understood that your research interests will develop and change. If you have a precise research problem in your SOP, this is a plus, but everyone knows you very likely won't be pursuing that exact question in two years when you're past comps and are at the prospectus phase. I wouldn't feel hesitant to identify specific people that you can work with for now - being precise is important, as is demonstrating that you can put together a cohesive research agenda.

THANKS!