Writing Your Statement of Purpose

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Writing Your Statement of Purpose

• David Gard, Ph.D.
• Kate Hellenga, Ph.D.
• Psychology Department
• SFSU

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Overview

• What is a Statement of Purpose?
• How are they used in admissions?
• Important things to know about statements
• How to write a statement
• Important dos and donts
• The process of writing
• Readers pet peeves
• Some examples of how to frame statements
• Answers to your specific questions

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First, are there crucial questions we should
definitely address?
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Second, a note about our biases

• Our experience reading applications
• Background is in clinical programs (both research
  clinically-oriented programs)
• Suggestions about writing a statement are
  guidelines only
• Different readers have different pet peeves (but
  many are the same)
• Please feel free to interrupt us ask questions
  at any time

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What is a Statement of Purpose?

• A written essay (usually 2-5 double spaced pages)
  that addresses a variety of topics
• Past experiences
• Future goals
• Reponses to specific application questions
• A reflection of who you are and where you are
  headed
• Likely the most important part of your graduate
  application so take your time

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How are they used in admissions?

• A narrative format for your experiences (but not
  simply a narrative of your CV)
• Assessing whether you are a good fit
• Assessing your excitement for their specific
  program
• A place to (briefly) explain deficiencies
• Evaluation of your writing skills
• A note on the process of how universities often
  review applications

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Important things to know about statements

• Know your program
• Masters versus doctoral
• General versus mentorship programs
• Clinically-oriented versus research-oriented
• Mentorship model
• Know your faculty members research (read their
  publications closely)
• Make sure he/she is accepting students
• Email that faculty member (but do your homework
  on them first)

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Important things to know about statements

• Mentorship model (continued)
• Do I need to write separate statements for each
  university?
• Only if you want to be accepted
• Can I just change the last paragraph to say
  University X and Professor Y is a great match
  for my interests because yada yada yada
• No ?

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Important things to know about statements

• Mentorship model (continued)
• Good statements tell a story, theme, or focus on
  an idea/concept throughout
• Excellent statements tie that theme to a specific
  mentors research
• This, of course, means that those who write
  excellent statements write several different
  statements

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Important things to know about statements

• Remember your reader!
• Reads dozens of these
• Probably overworked, tired
• Wants you to excite them about you
• Good writing requires good editing
• Stay within the requested limits
• Editing does NOT include
• Changing the font size, margin or spacing
  (11-12pt TNR!)
• If it is a little long, something needs to be
  cut

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Important things to know about statements

• Balance is the key to good statements
• Excitement but professionalism
• Detailed but not jargony
• Unique/creative but not disturbing
• Be humbly boastful (dont minimize or overstate
  experiences)
• Excitement not hyperbole

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How to write a statement

• Tell your story
• Grab the reader in the intro you have only a
  few sentences to do this
• What is unique about you your interests?
• What got you interested in this field?
• Create a theme or story that weaves in
• Unique aspects of yourself
• Your experiences
• Your goal in their program your career
  direction (e.g., academia)

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How to write a statement

• It is OK to write a linear narrative but
• This is not a place to re-write your CV
• Keep it interesting
• Make the narrative a theme focused around
  unique aspects of your experience and interests
• Write about IDEAS concepts
• Consider cutting anything that diverges from this
  theme, except
• Frame tangential experiences (clinical or
  research) as creating a foundation

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How to write a statement General format

• Introduction opening paragraph
• Grab the readers attention
• Begin the main theme of your statement
• Program career goals
• Middle section
• Experiences, how the program fits
• Mentor fit (for mentorship programs)
• Concluding paragraph wrap up themes
• Note This is just a guideline Its OK to be
  creative!

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How to write a statement Other important points

• Be specific Depth over breadth
• All research ( clinical) experience is good
  experience (even if it doesnt fit your theme)
• E.g., This research helped lay the foundation
  for my understanding of
• E.g., This clinical experience broadened my
  understanding of
• Express your excitement about all of your
  research (and clinical) experiences
• OK to express excitement about what you learned
  in a course (especially about ideas)

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How to write a statement Other important points

• Self-disclosure Do I do it?
• Generally not a good idea in research oriented
  programs
• May be necessary for clinically-oriented programs
  that ask for an autobiography or for some form of
  self-reflection
• But, be judicious, thoughtful, and insightful
• Should reflect growth (not an endpoint of
  enlightenment)
• Have others read this closely!

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How to write a statement The process of writing

• Good writing is difficult
• Remember this is a statement about you. It is not
  you. Let it go.
• Ask as many people (professors, friends, family)
  to read it as possible
• Ask someone to read it who does not know you well
• Read other successful statements (people will be
  flattered that you asked)

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How to write a statement The process of writing

• Good writing is difficult (continued)
• Reward yourself (internally externally) for
  even a little progress
• Put it away for a week or two and come back to it
  later
• Dont be afraid to start over
• In fact, good statements require several
  completely different versions

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Statement readers pet peeves

• 10 point font or less, small margins
• Rambling, directionless statements
• Statements that are vague and/or filled with
  undefined jargon
• Mentorship model programs No real interest or
  statement about working with a specific faculty
  member
• Not responding to specific questions
• Typoes

Typos
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Some examples

• Karen is interested in getting into a clinical
  research Ph.D. program where she can do research
  in depression. Her goal is to teach do
  research. Her experiences
• Honors program at her undergrad
• RA experience in developmental lab a social
  psych lab
• Internship with children and adolescents
• How to frame this, especially with no real
  experience working with depression?
• Theme focused on ideas (e.g., self-fulfilling
  prophecy perhaps with a clinical example),
  excitement, research experience how these match
  with faculty

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Some examples (continued)

• Steven is interested in getting into a
  developmental Ph.D. program (mentorship-model)
  where he can do research on emotion regulation in
  children. His goal is also academia. His
  experiences
• RA in I/O lab, RA in social psych lab
• Wrote a senior thesis focusing on infant
  cognition
• Some work in preschools
• How to frame this, especially with no research
  experience working with children?
• Theme focused on ideas (e.g., delay of
  gratification), work with children, research
  experience how these match with faculty

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Some examples (continued)

• Maria is interested in getting into a
  clinically oriented Ph.D./Masters program where
  she can be trained as a clinician. Her goal is to
  work in the community. Her experiences
• Some traumatic experiences in childhood
• Honors research at her undergrad
• RA experience in a social psych lab
• Internship in community mental health
• How to frame this, especially with limited
  clinical experience? Self-disclosure?
• Theme focused on clinical experiences clinical
  ideas, research is OK, but dont make this the
  only focus. Judicious self-disclosure in
  moderation if fits interest and theme

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Questions?
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