一位副教授对PS写作的建议.docVIP

一位副教授对PS写作的建议 Ive read many applications to our graduate program, and Ive seen a lot of statements of purpose that, frankly, arent very good. Here are some thoughts and comments that will hopefully help you write a better statement of purpose. These are merely my own thoughts and should not be construed as official guidelines of any sort. What the statement of purpose is not ????????? Many students (particularly foreign students) think that the statement of purpose is about character. While honesty, sincerety, conscientiousness, etc. are important attributes, I assume students with good academic records applying to graduate school have these traits. ????????? Many students think that the statement of purpose should be an autobiographical sketch. Believe me, the story of your first computer when you were 10 years old and how it inspired you to devote your life to Computer Science does not make particularly interesting reading, nor does it tell me the things I want to know. Questions that your statement of purpose should answer When I read a statement of purpose (which I think is one of the most important parts of a graduate application), I have the following questions in mind. Dont structure your statement with these questions! (I can just see the applications pouring in now with my questions used as section headings.) Your statement of purpose should be a cohesive piece of prose. (Some use of section headings is OK, but not with my questions.) It should present yourself to the reader. One way you can think of your statement is as an extended (and somewhat more formal) answer to the interview question, “Tell me about yourself...” While some of my questions below can (and should) be answered directly, the rest should be addressed by relating relevant experiences and accomplishments. ????????? Why do you want to get a PhD (or MS)? ????????? What are your research interests? Be as specific as possible, but keep in mind who will be reading your application. I