Statement of Purpose
The statement of purpose (SoP) typically ranges from 500-1,000 words, and this word limit varies greatly depending on the graduate program and institution. Sometimes it is called a “personal statement” or “letter of intent”. Some institutions divide the essay into a statement of purpose AND a personal statement; if this is case, more detailed prompts are often provided to help the writer distinguish between the two essays. This again speaks to the importance to paying attention to the prompts, especially if there are special directions for your program. For the purposes of this book, we will use the term statement of purpose (SoP) because this name is more logically aligned with the purpose of this essay.
But what are you supposed to write about in the SoP? Sometimes applicants think that their statement of purpose should be a summary of their CV (Swales, 2009), but why would readers want a summary if the CV is provided in the application set? What purpose would that duplication serve? Think about the CV and SoP working together. The CV is the comprehensive overview of your experiences, and the SoP provides context and demonstrates the impact of these experiences to show why you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree given your career goals and research interests.
The SoP is one of the more challenging aspects of the graduate school application which is why this pressbook is dedicated to explaining the SoP and guiding you through the writing process of brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising, and editing. To get us started, let’s start with a short activity to orient ourselves by reviewing several SoP prompts.
Activity
SoP Prompt Example 1 – Colorado School of Mines
The purpose of this requirement is to briefly introduce yourself to the Graduate Admissions Review Committee by sharing your professional, academic and personal goals and why you believe Colorado School of Mines is the best place to achieve those goals. In addition, any skills or experience that you have and believe are applicable to a Teaching Assistantship or Research Assistantship award should be addressed in the statement. Please keep your statement to one to two pages in length, at the most (~500-750 words).
SoP Prompt Example 2 – Georgetown University
An Academic Statement of Purpose is required for your application. Be sure to check your academic program of interest for any specific requirements regarding the statement. If there are no specific program requirements, your statement of approximately 500 words should address your intellectual interests, academic and professional objectives, and proposed topic(s) of graduate study. Some points to include, as appropriate, are: your preparation and motivation for graduate study, including your academic, research and work experience; how the Georgetown program of interest aligns with your preparation and experience; for Ph.D. candidates, how particular faculty interests in your desired program align with your educational goals.
SoP Prompt Example 3 – Rochester Institute of Technology
Personal Statement of Educational Objectives: Please upload a personal statement describing your educational objectives. You may wish to address: (1) why you are applying for the program, (2) how your degree program will relate to your long-range career objectives, (3) what personal or “non-academic” qualities you will contribute to the learning environment in your program, (4) what prior experience you have with respect to your chosen program, and (5) specifically why you want to attend RIT.
SoP Prompt Example 4 – University Colorado Boulder
Please upload a personal statement (1,000 word maximum) that describes why you are choosing to pursue a coursework- or research-focused master’s program in biomedical engineering and what has prepared you for this challenge. You should consider including the following information:
- Your academic and research interests, including what motivated you to apply to the Biomedical engineering program at CU Boulder.
- Your long-term scientific and professional goals and how a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from CU Boulder will help you meet your career goals.
- Your research experiences such as publications, theses, research in progress, and other scholarly activities.
- Relevant past experience, including industry work, teaching, challenging coursework, non-course educational experience, etc. How did the experience prepare or motivate you to pursue a master’s degree?
- Your personal experiences and contributions to support diversity in your education, service activities, or research experiences.
- Any relevant information that is not included in the other application components, such as leadership ability, perseverance, and commitment to justice.
SoP Prompt Example 5 – Iowa State University
Primarily, explain: 1. Your purpose for starting or continuing graduate study, 2. Why you want to study at Iowa State University, 3. Your professional plans, your career goals, and your research interests, and 4. Any experience that is particularly applicable to the program for which you’re applying.
Secondarily, elaborate on: 1. Any irregularities or special circumstances applicable to your application, 2. Your special abilities, awards, achievements, scholarly publications, and professional history as it relates to the program of interest, and 3. Any prior research information, or contact with specific Iowa State program faculty. Length: 500 words or less.
