Introduction
The graduate school application is high-stakes, and it can feel overwhelming. To address this challenge, this book is intended to be an introduction to the graduate school application process and the required materials. Section 1 provides an overview of the graduate school application process and the materials which are typically required. It then provides an overview of the statement of purpose, the SoP framework, and sample prompts. Section 2 discusses the motivation component of the framework, and Section 3 discusses the experience component of the framework; Section 4 introduces the final section of the SoP framework, fit to program. Section 5 pivots to a discussion of the writing process, and how to move through this process when writing your SoP. In Section 6, four additional SoPs are provided and annotated as model texts. Finally, Section 7 provides words of wisdom from individuals who have successfully navigated the graduate school application process.
Please note that this book is intended to be a guide for individuals applying to master’s (e.g., M.A., M.S.) and doctoral (Ph.D.) programs, both research and coursework based. It is not intended for those applying to professional degree programs, such as an MBA, JD, or medical school. While professional degree applications might have some overlap with master’s and Ph.D. application materials, there are differences, and these differences are beyond the scope of this resource.
For graduate school applicants: You are encouraged to use the resource as it serves your needs and writing process. This resource will hopefully help you think about the expectations and structure of the SoP and guide you in starting to write your statement. You are strongly encouraged to ask for feedback from mentors and to work with the writing center at your institution.
I hope that that you use this resource you will find increased confidence in your application as you reflect on your motivation for applying to graduate school, how your experiences have informed this decision, and your fit to particular programs.
Acknowledgements
An enormous thank you goes to all the students, and especially the McNair Scholars, who have shared their stories with me over the past several years. I am deeply grateful for the Scholars’ who agreed to share their stories in this resource so that future graduate school applicants might benefit from these models. Thank you also to Iowa State University’s Miller Open Education Mini-Grant Program for the funding to develop this resource, Abbey Elder and the ISU Digital Press team for their help, and especially to Dr. Elena Cotos and Dr. Sarah Huffman for their support in the development of this framework. Finally, I would like to thank Thelma Harding for first welcoming me into the ISU McNair Scholars Program and allowing me to be part of this program.
A note on permissions
The 10 statements of purpose used in this book were written by Iowa State University McNair Scholars who were accepted into a graduate program. All 10 Scholars granted me permission to use their materials in this book as models, and they were asked how to handle attribution; therefore, you will see some full names, some first names, some initials, and some pseudonyms, all of which reflect the Scholars’ preferences on attribution.
Author’s note for first version
Thank you for your willingness to trial the first version of this open educational resource. I hope that you find it useful! If you have questions, comments, or feedback about the resource, framework, examples, and/or activities, please feel free to leave your feedback here.
