Writing Sample

[hyperborean]

What kind of writing did you use for your sample? Was it a school paper, if so was it the newest thing you had written?

When a school has a limit of say 20 pages Max do you send over a 19 page paper? Would a, say, 12 page paper been seen as not sufficient enough?

How many used a portion of a longer paper or thesis?

Last, what kind of things did you do to edit it before submission (deleting title page and class number, date, etc.). Do you keep your bibliography or get rid of it? Do you add an abstract or German Zusammenhang/Zusammenfassung?

[Epaphroditus]

I plan on using a school paper, but it won't be the newest thing I've written when I apply.

I don't think it's necessary to send a paper that is so close to the max. 12 pages is enough if it is concise but sufficiently makes its case. They may prefer a more concise argument to a long-winded 20 page paper (they're reading hundreds of papers, after all).

In terms of editing, I'll probably just remove the title page and put my name on the header so they easily know whose paper it is. I would keep the bibliography. This is what a friend of mine did, at least (he got into a Tier-1 ivy).

The question I'm wrestling with is whether to submit what I think is my best paper or to submit a paper which aligns more with my stated research interests in my SOP.

[cowgirlsdontcry]

This is just my own opinion, but you should be having faculty review and make suggestions on your paper. It doesn't matter if it's newer or not. I used a chapter of my master's thesis.It started life as a seminar paper during my MA, then was edited for a presentation. Finally, it made it into my thesis. I used the chapter prior to making changes that would align it with the other chapters in the thesis. It was 19 pages long, minus the Works Cited pages. It began life as a seminar paper that had a minimum page length of 20 pages.  I don't know what History grad programs require, but even at the MA level, English papers are usually 20-25 pages, so I assume they will run 20-30 pages at the Ph.D. level, which my advisor said hers were. 

[marXian]

I used a paper from a PhD seminar I took in seminary for the expressed purpose of generating a writing sample for apps (which the prof knew.) That prof gave me some suggestions for edits, things to expand, better defend, etc. The paper was 16 pages not including the works cited page (I'd include one.) I don't think they'll care if it's a shorter paper--they just want to see polished writing and significant promise for future work.

Regarding your last dilemma, I'd say definitely submit your best paper as long as it's in the general realm of your field. That is, you're interested in historical theology, so if you think your best paper is an exegetical paper on the Hebrew text of Isaiah, that's probably not a good paper to submit. I'd submit what you think is your best paper in historical theology.

[Deep Fried Angst]

As marXian and cowgirlsdont cry have already state, but I cannot emphasize this enough, have faculty review your paper. I had a flaw in the reasoning that I overlooked. A professor was able to point it out and help me correct it before I submitted my paper. That change may have saved me from rejections across the board.

Perhaps first have faculty other than your references review your paper. Then fix your paper. Then go and have your references review it, especially if your writing has significantly improved since your last class with them. 

I used a paper from a PhD seminar I took as a ThM student. I then revised the paper and added German and French sources to demonstrate my aptitude with those languages. 

What you need to do with the paper before submission will also vary. Some schools do blind reviews. You may be given an ID number to replace your name with. I would recommend connecting with current students at your prospective schools and asking what they have done since it does vary from school to school. 

Also, get all of the requirements for schools sorted out before you begin editing. I had schools that varied up to 13 pages in acceptable length of paper submissions. (12-15 pages being the shortest [double spaced] and 20-25 being the longest.)

Do include a works cited. It is helpful for the reviewers to have a common location to review your sources. While not necessary, it is helpful. 

[sacklunch]

I also used a graduate seminar paper, which I revised quite a bit before submitting as my writing sample. I chose the paper because it demonstrated my proficiency in several ancient/modern languages. But I knew it would be far too philological for some (most?) of the programs I applied to. But I thought it was worth the risk as language prep for those of us in antiquity is such a critical aspect of our application. FWIW, I actually addressed why I submitted this paper in my personal statement and not something less technical. I knew my application would be reviewed by those in different fields and thus thought it was prudent to make mention of my rationale. 

[RiskyNT]

On 7/15/2017 at 2:47 PM, y00nsk said:

The question I'm wrestling with is whether to submit what I think is my best paper or to submit a paper which aligns more with my stated research interests in my SOP.

I'm in New Testament, and I asked some profs about this specifically. I thought that my best paper was on a topic related to Paul, but many programs I applied with an interest in Jesus and the Gospels. They said that wouldn't be a problem, and now I'm going to a school with a focus on Jesus/Gospels and my writings sample was on Paul. I think what's more important is that you can demonstrate the ability to make a quality argument with outstanding sources.

Edited August 8, 2017 by RiskyNT