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Writing Your Statement of Purpose
David Gard, Ph.D. &
Kate Hellenga, Ph.D.
Psychology Department
SFSU
Overview What is a Statement of Purpose?How are they used in admissions?Important things to know about statementsHow to write a statement
Important dos and don’tsThe process of writingReaders’ pet peeves
Some examples of how to ‘frame’ statementsAnswers to your specific questions
First, are there crucial questions we should definitely address?
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
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
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 fitAssessing your excitement for their
specific programA place to (briefly) explain deficienciesEvaluation of your writing skillsA note on the process of how
universities often review applications…
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 member’s research (read
their publications closely) Make sure he/she is accepting students Email that faculty member (but do your
homework on them first)
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
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 mentor’s research This, of course, means that
those who write excellent statements write several different statements
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
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’ (don’t minimize or overstate experiences)
Excitement … not hyperbole
How to write a statement
Tell your storyGrab the reader in the intro – you have
only a few sentences to do thisWhat is unique about you & your
interests? What got you interested in this field?
Create a theme or story that weaves in:
Unique aspects of yourselfYour experiencesYour goal in their program & your
career direction (e.g., academia)
How to write a statement
It is OK to write a linear narrative but:This is not a place to re-write your CVKeep it interestingMake the narrative a theme – focused
around unique aspects of your experience and interests
Write about IDEAS & conceptsConsider cutting anything that diverges
from this theme, except: Frame ‘tangential’ experiences (clinical
or research) as creating a foundation
How to write a statement: General format
Introduction – opening paragraphGrab the reader’s attentionBegin the main theme of your statementProgram & career goals
Middle sectionExperiences, how the program fits Mentor fit (for mentorship programs)
Concluding paragraph – wrap up themesNote: This is just a guideline – It’s OK to
be creative!
How to write a statement – Other important points
Be specific – Depth over breadthAll research (& clinical) experience is good
experience (even if it doesn’t 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)
How to write a statement – Other important points
Self-disclosure – Do I do it?Generally not a good idea in research
oriented programsMay 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!
How to write a statement – The process of writing
Good writing is difficultRemember 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 wellRead other successful statements
(people will be flattered that you asked)
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
Don’t be afraid to ‘start over’ In fact, good statements require
several completely different versions
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
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
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
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 don’t make this the only focus. Judicious self-disclosure in moderation if fits interest and theme
Questions?