I have similar questions. I am working with two of my students on such statements-- I had heard that the following book was good and recommended that they check it out of the library or buy a copy:
Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way into the Graduate School of Your Choice (Graduate Admissions Essays) (Paperback)
by Donald Asher
I like your comment that the purpose those essays may be a way of weeding out the psychos. If that is the purpose, it hasn't been very effective at a great many places.
Brian Lockey
Assistant Professor of English
St. John's University
718-390-4442
-----Original Message-----
From: Sidney-Spenser Discussion List on behalf of David Wilson-Okamura
Sent: Fri 11/17/2006 9:46 AM
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Subject: Statement of purpose -- what should go in it?
Earlier this week, someone who is applying to graduate school (not one of my own students at ECU) asked me to review his statement of purpose (SOP). This I was happy to do -- the student is well read, hard working, and bright. However, my department doesn't have a literature PhD and I don't get to read these things very often. Could the Jedi Knights who do comment? Specifically, what should the SOP cover? Should it describe a project that the student wants to work on in graduate school, or is that too narrow? Does it matter? Is the SOP really just a method for uncovering psychos before they arrive on campus?
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Dr. David Wilson-Okamura http://virgil.org [log in to unmask]
English Department Virgil reception, discussion, documents, &c
East Carolina University Sparsa et neglecta coegi. -- Claude Fauchet
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