Do's and Don'ts for Your Statement of Purpose
It is your chance to
demonstrate your unique qualifications for and commitment to your
chosen field. How? By discussing those experiences, people, and
events that inspire you to pursue it. That's a lot to
accomplish--especially within the typical two-to-three page limit.
The key to success lies in a few illustrative incidents. Detail,
specificity, and concrete examples make your essay distinctive and
interesting.
Following " Do's and Don'ts for Your
Statement of Purpose " will help you write a
persuasive, focused essay.
The
Do's
-
Unite your essay and give it direction with a theme
or thesis. The thesis is the main point you want to communicate.
-
Before you begin writing, choose what you want to
discuss and the order in which you want to discuss it.
-
Use concrete examples from your life experience to
support your thesis and distinguish yourself from other applicants.
-
Write about what interests you, excites you. That's
what the admissions staff wants to read.
-
Start your essay with an attention-grabbing lead --
an anecdote, quote, question, or engaging description of a scene.
-
End your essay with a conclusion that refers back to
the lead and restates your thesis.
-
In addition to your editing, ask someone else to
critique your statement of purpose for you.
-
Write clearly, succinctly.
-
Be honest, consistent and straightforward.
-
Be specific, not general.
-
Be comfortable with the image of your self that
you're presenting.
-
Pay attention to detail - absolutely no spelling or
grammatical errors.
-
Your statement must be neat and error free. No
excuses . . . you must make a good impression.
-
Let your personality and individuality come through.
Give insight on your hopes, goals, motivations and dedication. Be
interesting and unique. Do not be afraid to let your passion and
commitment to a career come through.
-
Make the essay look good. This makes it easier and
more enjoyable to read. Follow the guidelines for length, margins,
and do not use too small a font. You can squeeze more on a page
that way, but readers see hundreds of statements and don't have
time to deal with small font. Keep a photocopy of each essay you
write. You need to keep a copy of every single piece of your
application. It is imperative you have copies of everything, both
for your own reference before you go to an interview and as
documentation in case someone else loses or misplaces your
application. This has happened to students, and you do not want to
have to recreate anything. Keep paper copies in addition to disc copies.
-
Read your essay before an interview. Make sure you
know what you wrote.
The
Don'ts
-
Don't include
information that doesn't support your thesis.
-
Don't start your essay
with "I was born in...," or "My parents came from..."
-
Don't write an
autobiography, itinerary, or resume in prose.
-
Don't try to be a clown
(but gentle humor is OK).
-
Don't be afraid to start
over if the essay just isn't working or doesn't answer the essay question.
-
Don't try to impress
your reader with your vocabulary.
-
Don't rely exclusively
on your computer to check your spelling.
-
Don't provide a
collection of generic statements and platitudes.
-
Don't give weak excuses
for your GPA or test scores.
-
Don't make things up.
Do or don't
?
There is mixed opinion about whether to call attention to
and explain any of your obvious weaknesses in your essay. Some
recommend clarifying any weaknesses on your transcripts or your
GRE scores in your essay. Others believe one should only be
positive-that if you feel you need to explain something, that you
should attach an addendum to your application, make note of it in
a cover letter, or ask one of your letter writers who knows you
well to discuss it.
|
|
