first, you must:
1. Collect all the information you can on the university
2. Be in touch with the professor you are interested in working
with
🔴🔴 After that, your job begins.
An SOP needs the following (depending on the school you choose)
1. You must know a few interesting things about yourself. Anything that makes you stand out should be listed because some of them will need to be included in your SOP.
2. List the things you have accomplished in life, things that you are most proud of. They can be academically related or not. Collect several of these and be ready to use them in your SOP.
3. Make a list of words that describe your
personality and your academic self. You will come to need these words soon enough for your SOP.
4. You will also need a two-minute summary of your research. This text should be short but intriguing and with minimal jargon.
🔴🔴 Few important points about your SOP:
1. Your contact with the university: Include the professor you'd like to work with. Putting it in your SOP shows the selection committee that this isn't just a copy of the SOP you sent to ten other places.
2. Geography: Talk a little about geography (maybe your excitement at living in a big city while attending university) to show you're ready.
3. Finances: Show that you're serious about this choice as a mature and responsible candidate.
4. Discrepancies: Are there any flaws in your application? Let's say you majored in engineering and are now applying to linguistics programs. If you're worried something might raise an eyebrow, you should address it in your Statement of Purpose. For this to work, you have to acknowledge it while letting the world know it's over.
🔴🔴 Two considerations before writing your SOP:
1. The right genre: Statements of Purpose also fall into a variety of genres. In the Humanities, for example, there is more room for crafting a 'narrative' that describes you as both an individual and a
scholar. Science Statements, on the other hand, focus almost exclusively on the research question.
2. Consider the prompt: If the program doesn't provide a prompt, you can bet they're expecting a traditional SOP telling them a little about yourself, your goals, and why you want to attend their school. If the program you're applying to gives you a prompt, make sure you answer it.
