Writing the Statement of Purpose "Word for word, the graduate admissions essay is perhaps the single most

important prose anyone will ever write. In ways that students rarely understand, it can be the ticket to the future of your choice, or not." The major goal of the personal statement is to communicate to the admissions committee what it is about you which make you stand out from the other applicants. The more competitive the school, the larger the pool of applicants with strong GPAs and GRE scores, the more important the personal statement becomes in the selection process. Therefore it is important to devote ample time to writing your statement. Remember your statement should catch the attention of the reader from the first paragraph, from the first line - this is extremely important. There are two general approaches for writing your personal statement. The first one is chronological approach, which is the most common one (which does not necessarily mean the best!). The big mistake one can make here is to describe everything beginning with your childhood very thoroughly. I advise you to use no more than one paragraph to write about your childhood and school years (two is ok if something really extraordinary has happened to you - Olympiads, teachers and books are not to be considered extraordinary). Do not use generalities, be as exact as possible. Try to write mostly about your research interests, research projects you have worked on, scientific seminars, conferences or summer schools you have attended so the general is be to the point and the point of the statement is outstanding you, your interests and your research. Also don't spend valuable time telling the admission committee about our wonderful alma mater - MIPT, they are either already know about it (most likely) or it won't help The second one is thematic approach. In this case the statement is organized around one or two key ideas, usually it is the field of your research or your major interest in science. The statement might be either chronological or not, you might site your childhood experiences in the middle of your statement to prove some point, and write about your current research in the very beginning. The point is that your key idea should shine through the structure of the statement. Definitely there are many more ways to organize your statement since it is very unique and personal writing. There is no best way to write your statement, keep working and you will succeed! General Outline of the Statement of Purpose The Statement of Purpose is the single most important part of your application. It should present a vibrant and original picture of your character and aspirations, creating a distinct and positive impression in the minds of the admissions officers in the critical but very short time your application is under discussion. Step 1 Determine the purpose in writing the statement Step 2 Determine the contents of your statement Step 3 Organize your statement

Step 4 Write, read, rewrite... Step 5 Distribute, analyze, rewrite... When looking over the following work plan keep in mind that there is no best way to write your statement, use your judgment and creativity. Step 1 Determine the purpose in writing the statement Usually, the purpose is to persuade the admissions committee that you are an applicant they should choose. You may want to show that you have the ability and motivation to succeed in your field, or you may want to show the committee that, on the basis of your experience, you are the kind of candidate who will do well in the field. Whatever the purpose, it must be explicit to give coherence to the whole statement. Pay attention to the purpose throughout the statement so that extraneous material is left out. Pay attention to the audience (committee) throughout the statement. Remember, your audience is made up of faculty members who are experts in their field. They want to know that you can think as much as what you think. Step 2 Determine the contents of your statement Prepare an outline by selecting the main topics you want to cover (here I give you the sample list of main topics, needs will vary according to the area you're applying for) and listing supporting material under each topic (here this step is represented by questions which you need to answer) If you have hard time making an outline, check out the tips on Getting Started Getting Started A. Recalling and analyzing experience - write short paragraphs on the following: 1. Pick a memorable accomplishment in your life. What did you do? How did you accomplish it? 2. What sort of important activities have you engaged in? With whom? what role did you play? 3. What work experiences have you had? What was your job? responsibility? How did you carry it out?
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Now look over your paragraphs. What skills and qualities do you see that you possess? For example, consider working with others. Were you a leader? important "team" player? Looking at what you have found, you can now look for skills and qualities that will help you in graduate school. What factors stand out?

NOTE: You will undoubtedly have more material than you can use. This is good, but you need to make strategic choices.

B. Your career goals - write two short paragraphs: 1. What career have you chosen? What factors formed this decision? 2. What evidence shows that this is a correct choice? That is, how can you show that this choice is realistic? (Personal experience in the field is a good place to begin.)

Remember, that while information on your past work is important, it is most relevant in explaining how it led you to focus on the problems that currently interest you. The admission committees are primarily concerned with learning about your current and future research interests. Personal background List personal reasons for your interest in the area, for example, difficulties overcome, great extracurricular achievements, etc. Have your parents or unusual life situations influenced your aspirations? Professional objectives Why do you want to be a physicist/mathematician/historian/...? When did you know you wanted to be a physicist/mathematician/historian/...? What life experiences contributed to this? What do your plan to do with your degree in physics/math/history/...? (Discuss your future educational and professional goals) What area of physics/math/history/... do you want to get into? Why do you want to attend X University? (You can discuss academic environment, geographic location, etc.) Why will you make a good candidate for X University? (You might want to discuss your past triumphs, your commitment to academics) Educational Background (summarize what you did as an undergraduate and in rare cases as a high school student) List important classes you took or specific projects for a class which enhanced your interest in the field and stimulated your desire for graduate study. List specific skills you have acquired and projects you have worked on, stress the ones which might be useful in your graduate work. Related research and work experience Research you might have done, indicate with whom, the title of the project, what your responsibilities were, and the outcome. Write technically, professors are the people who read these statements. Work experience, especially if you had any kind of responsibility related to your professional interests (for example: testing, designing, or researching a product or apparatus). Work done with or that displays knowledge of top people in the field--summarize

key points of your actual experience Recognition of and interest in work of individuals in the department to which you are applying Outstanding achievements Have you been a winner of regional, state, international, undergraduate Olympiads? Have you received any special fellowships such as Soros, Eximer, etc.? Have you got any special awards or nominations? Step 3 Organize your statement Organization is the 'macro' level of clear writing. Not only should each sentence be clear, but the entire text should flow together in a logical order. Start your essay with an attention-grabbing lead -- an anecdote, quote, question, or engaging description of a scene. End your essay with a conclusion that refers back to the lead and restates your thesis. Put the most important sentences at the beginning and end of the paragraph. When people skim passages, they look at the first and then the last sentence. Make a good first and last impression with substantive statements. Don't begin or end on fluff. Put the most important paragraph first. Don't "save the best for last"; you don't know how long the attention span of your reader will be. Have an outline. There should be a reason that paragraph 1 comes first and paragraph 2 follows. Have a clear outline of the main points and how those main points fit together. Use that outline to check whether the most important point is first, whether all points are equally important, and which points you might sacrifice in the interests of space. Use transitions between paragraphs. Have meaningful transitions based on your organization, e.g., time-based, academic then applied work, etc. Don't rely on phrases such as "In addition" to carry the reader to the next paragraph, but do use this and other words (like later, furthermore, additionally, or moreover) for transitions within the paragraphs. Step 4 Write, read, rewrite... Write a rough draft in which you transform your outline into prose according to the organization you have chosen in Step 3 (do it without reading sample statements, you might get some really innovative ideas that way). Set it aside. In the meantime read as many sample statements as you can, pay attention to how and in what good statements differ from bad ones, look at the good word combination, and try to invent your own. Next day or a few days later, read your draft. If it still sounds good, make changes and additions according to what you have learned from sample statements and go to the next step. If not, rewrite it until it sounds right.

Step 5 Distribute, analyze, rewrite... Put your draft from Step 4 away for a day or two, then reread it, make changes, proofread. Now it's time to send or give your statement to all your friends whose knowledge of English is adequate, once again do (!!!) send your statement to your friends, acquaintances or just anybody you know in US, the more people read your statement the more comments and ideas you will receive from them, so don't be shy - act! After you receive all the feedback accumulate it, use what you feel is suitable and write your final version of the statement. Proofread it, give it to friends again, and continue in this manner until it seems good enough or the deadline has approached. The time and energy that you put into this activity should result in a personal statement that can be used, with minor modifications, for each university and/or scholarship to which you apply.

Dos and Don'ts The following are lists of dos and don'ts to consider when writing personal statement. These lists are based on suggestions which I consider sensible and which are common to those providing guidance. Do:

Prepare an outline of topics you are asked to cover by the graduate schools and others you want to cover and list supporting material under each topic. This information will be useful when you develop the drafts of your statement. Typical topics include professional career goals, academic interests and objectives, research experience, practical experience, special skills, and related personal material about your motivation and reason for choosing a program. When writing your statement, stick to the points requested by each program. If a program stresses research, clinical work, or work experience, emphasize those issues in your statement. Avoid lengthy personal or philosophical discussions unless the instructions specifically ask for them. Look on the web or email the department for information about the professors and their research. Are there professors whose interests match yours'? If so, indicate this, as it shows a sign that you have done your homework and are highly motivated. You might use the names of faculty and their research interests as examples of what you would like to do. Follow the instructions about length. Usually programs ask for one page, so try to be concise and stick to this limit. Using small print is not a good solution, better send 1 and 1/2 pages of print 11-12 than one page of print size 8 (don't go over two pages though). Emphasize everything from a positive perspective and write in an active, not a passive voice. Demonstrate everything by example; don't say directly, for example, that you're a persistent person, you must demonstrate it. Writing about specific experiences has a number of advantages: * Specifics keep the reader's attention more effectively than generalities.

* Drawing on situations in your life will distinguish you from other applicants who superficially may be very similar to you. Make sure your essay is well-organized and everything is linked with continuity and focus. Pay special attention to the first paragraph which should capture the readers interest. Check your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization carefully. Errors distract from the content of your statement and make admission committee members to assume that your writing ability is weak or you don't care. Review your essay by asking yourself the following questions: o Are my goals well-articulated? o Do I explain why I have selected this school and/or program? o Do I demonstrate knowledge of the program? o Do I include interesting details that prove my claims about myself? o Is my tone confident? Make changes to your statement for each school, read as much as possible about their program so that you can tailor your statement to the program and convince the admissions committee that you will fit well there. Ask as many others as possible to proofread your work for writing style, grammar, spelling, etc. You should also ask those who currently study in US graduate schools to critique the content, organization, and clarity since they will be aware of what graduate schools are seeking.

Don't:

Use empty, vague, overly-used words like meaningful, beautiful, challenging, rewarding, etc. Use overly common phrases and nonspecific information. For example: "My above qualifications and my placement in the top 10th of my class demonstrate that I have the leadership, organization, and academic ability to succeed well at your school." This generic statement says nothing specific about you as an individual. When you're writing, think about whether it's likely that 100 other people said the same thing you did. The personal statement is your chance to show how unique you are. Repeat information from the application unless you use it to illustrate a point. Try to be funny. You don't know your audience, so humor can backfire. Use statements like Ive always wanted to be a . . . or other hackneyed phrases. Make excuses, but you can talk about the mistakes you've made as a learning experience. If there is something important that happened (poverty, illness, excessive work, etc. ), which affected your grades go ahead and state it, but write it affirmatively, that is, in a way that shows your perseverance. Use special fonts or colored paper. Use slang, technical jargon., long quotations. Write in an arrogant manner. Instead, make it clear that you are confident about your ability, but still eager to learn what the program has to offer.

Do or don't? There is mixed opinion about whether to call attention to and explain any of your obvious weaknesses in your essay. Some recommend clarifying any weaknesses on your transcripts or your GRE scores in your essay. Others believe one should only be positive that if you feel you need to explain something, that you should attach an addendum to your application, make note of it in a cover letter, or ask one of your letter writers who knows you well to discuss it. Questions and Answers If you don't see your question answered here please email me and if possible this information will be added. What is the function of the statement of purpose? How important is the statement of purpose in the application process? What information should I include in the statement of purpose? How exact should I be about the research field I would like to work in? Should I mention the faculty members who I want to work with? How long should the statement of purpose be? Can I use the same statement of purpose for all universities which I apply to? Who will read my statement of purpose? What is the function of the statement of purpose? You must demonstrate to the committee how your goals coincide with what the program has to offer as well as how you will fit in and how your qualifications will benefit the program. It is the personal statement that communicates to the admissions committee what it is about you which makes you stand out from the other applicants. The more competitive the school, the larger the pool of applicants with strong GPAs and GRE scores, the more important the personal statement becomes in the selection process. Therefore it is important to devote ample time to writing your statement. How important is the statement of purpose in the application process? In short, it is a very important piece of application materials. Start working on it at least three weeks before the deadline for you to send your documents. Even if all the rest of your application is perfect the carelessly written statement can spoil all your efforts. Members of the admission committee will use it to determine what kind of person you are and whether you are capable to be successful in their PhD program, how well you are suited for that, how goal oriented you are and many other things. Well-written statement can greatly help you to get admitted even if you have average test scores. What information should I include in the statement of purpose? Discuss your career goals, and how an advanced degree and this program would help you get there. Include relevant experiences such as research you have done and skills you have demonstrated. Relevance is key, and doing your homework about graduate school programs will help you determine relevancy. Ask some of these questions... what degree

programs does this school offer? What areas of emphasis does it offer within that major? What license and certificate preparation does the program provide? What original research is being done by which faculty at this school? The answers to these questions should help you decide to which schools and programs you'll apply. This information should also be incorporated into your statement of purpose. Only include your life story if it's relevant. How exact should I be about the research field I would like to work in? People in the admission committee are looking for applicants with determination, for those who know what they want to do in their life and know why this university and this program will enable them to reach their goals. If you have broad interests and experiences you can state that you are still choosing the exact field for your research, usually though it is better to state the area you are especially interested in (it can be quite a broad area such as experimental condensed matter physics or modeling of cellular processes). Don't narrow you field to much though. Make sure that at least 2-3 faculty members (4-6 is even better) are working in the field you have emphasized. And remember (!!) you can always change your mind after you have been admitted into the program, nobody will force you to stick to the area of research you emphasized in your application materials. Should I mention the faculty members who I want to work with? It is highly advisable to mention faculty members who you might be interested to work with. It is especially important if you have already done some work similar to the research some of these professors are now doing. If the professor you have mentioned is in the admission committee this can also help. Also, do not hesitate to contact these (and other) professors personally (via email). Ask questions about their current and prospective research projects, about the possibility to become members of the group if you get admitted, about the department, you might want to attach your statement of purpose and resume to the first letter you send them. How long should the statement of purpose be? Your statement of purpose should be about 1 to 1 1/2 pages (500-600 words). Use normal margins and font 11 or 12, refrain from using small fonts since they are hard to read. Generally, a shorter statement of purpose that is clearly written is better than a longer one. Can I use the same statement of purpose for all universities which I apply to? Mostly you will see advices that you need to write a separate statement for each program. Ideally this might be the best, but realistically you will not have time to do all the work it requires well. So it is better to spend time writing one really good statement and then for each university changing particular part of the statement which emphasizes some aspects of particular programs and mentions faculty members (usually it is one or two last paragraphs of the statement). Do not send completely identical statements to all universities, mention the name of the university in the text, it is fine to use "Your University", but you also need to use the name of the university. Finally, make sure you send right statement to the right university ;-).

Who will read my statement of purpose? Your audience is made up of faculty members who are experts in their field. They want to know that you can think as much as what you think.

Collection of Useful Phrases Self-Praise Useful Expressions Words to Avoid Useful Phrases Examples of Good Endings Self-Praise: In general try to avoid using praise words in the statement of purpose, do it in the recommendation letters. In the statement it is better to give facts and examples which will show you as an educated, determined and successful person. If you feel that you want to use some self-praise please check out Describing Person's Qualifications in Collection of Useful Phrases for Recommendation Letters. Useful Expressions: to finish school, to graduate from university, to attend lectures/seminars/laboratory practices (word "courses" is rarely used) to attend advanced courses, to gain thorough knowledge of mathematical modeling, learn to handle modern equipment such as..., to gain valuable experience, lectures in spring theory by prominent Russian scientist Prof. X, Words to Avoid: thing qualifiers such as rather, quite, somewhat, probably, possibly, etc. You might improve your writing somewhat if you sometimes try to follow this suggestion. The example contains nonsense. Deleting unnecessary qualifiers will strengthen your writing 1000%. Equivocating reveals a lack of confidence. If you do not believe what you write, why should the admissions officer? interesting (you can use it but not too often, remember that it has good synonyms such as exciting, fascinating, thrilling, amazing, striking, etc)

nice (it is a very informal word) The following phrases might be useful throughout your statement: While preparing to these Olympiads I gained not only much new knowledge and experience but also confidence that devoting myself to physics was the right decision. During last two years I have spent most of my time carrying out research and attending a number of extra-curricular lectures and seminars in optical physics. My favorite lectures were... When I was taking special laboratory courses on advanced optics, I was struck by... Of great interest to me was... / 2-photon spectroscopy is of great interest to me I found modeling of cellular development to be of the greatest interest to me. I especially enjoyed working on To my mind it is of key importance to have possibilities to obtain excellent education and to conduct certain research projects independently that is why I consider doctoral studies at ... University as the next professional stepping stone in my career. Further, earning a Ph.D. in history would advance my other goals by adding to my creative and analytical skills in history as well as in working with language. To help you understand my current goals better, I would like to explain my educational experience up to this point. My extensive knowledge of physics and mathematical modeling proved to be very useful in understanding the principles that underlie biological phenomena in cells. Besides studying general and theoretical physics at MIPT I started to attend advanced lectures in my major at the Institute of Solid State Physics(ISSP) in Chernogolovka. My interest in optical phenomena deepened when in 1998 I joined the MIPT optical laboratory of Prof. X I carried out my first research project in biophysics at ... Institute in the biokinetics research group under the guidance of Prof. X I have assembled and mastered a Langmuir-Blodgett mini-trough and managed to obtain good quality films of fat acids and close materials. I have also got acquainted with ... technique/s of ... and have fabricated polymer films for the devices.

Apart from the technical problems it is interesting to me to be involved in experimental investigation of ... These activities give me valuable experience as well as satisfaction of hard work. Along with my studies and research work I also held a part-time position as a Physics teacher at Phystech College, which is an extracurricular high school. I enjoyed this job greatly and I believe that this experience will significantly help me both in my TA assignments and in my future academic career. The ultimate goal of our research is/was to check... The laboratory I work in primarily deals with... In this lab I have gained experience of working with the equipment for... From the beginning I was actively involved in the research in this laboratory. Currently I am working on a second research project.../ on the part of this research project that deals with... Now my interests in science lie in the area of ... Our current work concerns creation and investigation of P-contact and its properties This research is/was especially interesting because... All these significantly improved my understanding of the subject and further enhanced my interest in it. By the end of the year I successfully defended (plan to defend) a bachelor of science senior honors thesis on the topic After graduation I plan to continue my scientific career in the field of... Examples of Good Endings: In conclusion I must say that I would regard my admission to the University of California at Berkeley not only as a great honor and success but also as an obligation for hard work. I am sure that my curiosity and research skills will enable me to succeed in the greatly claiming program to become an experimentalist. Eventually, I deeply believe that the excellence of your program, along with my capabilities and motivation, will help me to attain my destination. After graduation I plan to continue my scientific career in the field of cell physiology. Successful research requires modern equipment and facilities which in current financial situation Russian laboratories cannot afford. These have forced me to look for other opportunities to continue my education. Department of Biophysics at Harvard University has excellent facilities and leading laboratories in which I can fully realize my scientific interests. Study of molecular physiology of potassium channels in the laboratory of Prof. Gary Yellen and study of acetylcholine receptors in the laboratory of Prof. Jonathan Cohen are of particular

interest to me. I would regard my admission to Harvard University not only as a great honor but also as a great responsibility and an obligation to work hard. In the summary, my interest lies in the field of nonlinear dynamics and its applications, namely nonequilibrium physics, complex systems, self-organization, dynamics of neural networks. Research in this areas is very active at California Institute of Technology, namely at Physics, CNS, CDS and other departments. Therefore I want to continue my education at California Institute of Technology. I am sure that your PhD program will finally lead me to my dream of discovering of a secret of nature. Your University has a strong theoretical condensed matter division. Therefore, I want to study physics at Your University in order to get a thorough education and a great research experience in the field of theoretical condensed matter physics. I believe this experience will allow me to increase humans knowledge of Nature and, therefore, to be of benefit to mankind. I am a hard-working and determined person, and I am ready for a new leap in my economics career. I will work hard in hope that the quantity of the effort I put in will result in high quality knowledge. The fact is that the best possible supervisors and a highly competitive atmosphere are necessary for this quality. The only reasonable decision for me was to aim for such a place. All this gives me the motivation to apply to Princeton University. Taking all the circumstances into consideration, I came to the conclusion, that the best opportunity to pursue my chosen path would be to continue my education as a graduate student at Princeton University. The facilities, scholarship, and traditions of your university, combined with the caliber of the students body, make me confident that I will be stimulated throughout the course of my studies. Upon graduating from your program, a variety of options are available for pursuing my objectives. Summarizing all written above, I believe that my serious intention for study, my past lab work, strong academic background in various areas of physics and mathematics will be beneficial for my graduate studies and research. Attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology would give me an opportunity to receive high-level education under the guidance of prominent scientists and excellent teachers and with the help of first-class equipment. (Or Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a place where I can receive high-level education under the guidance of prominent scientists and excellent teachers and with the help of firstclass equipment.)