Writing Your Statement of Purpose

David Gard, Ph.D.

Psychology Department

SFSU

Overview What is a Statement of Purpose?How are they used in admissions?Important things to know about statementsHow to write a statement

Important dos and don’tsThe process of writingReaders’ pet peeves

Some examples of how to ‘frame’ statementsAnswers to your specific questions

A note about my biases…My experience reading applications

Background is in clinical programs (both research & clinically-oriented programs)

Suggestions about writing a statement are guidelines only

Different readers have different pet peeves (but many are the same)

Please feel free to interrupt me & ask questions at any time

What is a Statement of Purpose?

A written essay (usually 2-5 double spaced pages) that addresses a variety of topics:

Past experiences Future goals Reponses to specific application

questions A reflection of who you are and

where you are headed Likely the most important part of your

graduate application… so take your time

How are they used in admissions?

A narrative format for your experiences (but not simply a narrative of your CV)

Assessing whether you are a good fitAssessing your excitement for their

specific programA place to (briefly) explain deficienciesEvaluation of your writing skills

A note on the process of how universities often review applications…

Important things to know about statements

*Know your program* Masters versus doctoral General versus mentorship programs Clinically practice-oriented versus research-

oriented

Mentorship model Know your faculty member’s research (read

their publications closely) Make sure he/she is accepting students Email that faculty member (but do your

homework on them first)

Important things to know about statements

Mentorship model (continued) Do I need to write separate statements

for each university? Only if you want to be accepted

Can I just change the last paragraph to say ‘University X and Professor Y is a great match for my interests because yada yada yada…’

No

Important things to know about statements

Mentorship model (continued) Good statements tell a story, theme, or

focus on an idea/concept throughout Excellent statements tie that theme to a

specific mentor’s research This, of course, means that

those who write excellent statements write several different statements

Important things to know about statements

General model programs Similar to mentorship programs although: OK to focus on ideas that may or may not

relate to a specific faculty Very important to speak to interests and

match with the goals of the overall program Your goals should match with those of

students who have recently graduated from that program

Important things to know about statements

Clinical practice programs Qualitatively different statement Focus should be on practice experiences

and how this shaped your future goals Should speak to interests in therapeutic

orientation & match of the program Research experience is not a bad thing at

all, but should not be the emphasis

Important things to know about statements

Clinical practice programs (cont.) Most of these schools would like to know

about your life experiences Balance between disclosure and not

making the statement a therapy session Self-disclosure is generally a good thing in

these statements Write several versions of your ‘story’

Important things to know about statements

Remember your reader! Reads dozens of these Probably overworked, tired Wants you to excite them about you

Good writing requires good editing Stay within the requested limits Editing does NOT include:

Changing the font size, margin or spacing (11-12pt TNR!)

If it is ‘a little long,’ something needs to be cut

Important things to know about statements

Balance is the key to good statements

Excitement but professionalism

Detailed but not jargony

Unique/creative but not disturbing

Be ‘humbly boastful’ (don’t minimize or overstate experiences)

Excitement … not hyperbole

How to write a statement

Tell your storyGrab the reader in the intro – you have

only a few sentences to do thisWhat is unique about you & your

interests? What got you interested in this field?

Create a theme or story that weaves in:

Unique aspects of yourselfYour experiencesYour goal in their program & your

career direction (e.g., academia)

How to write a statement

It is OK to write a linear narrative but:This is not a place to re-write your CVKeep it interestingMake the narrative a theme – focused

around unique aspects of your experience and interests

Write about IDEAS & conceptsConsider cutting anything that diverges

from this theme, except: Frame ‘tangential’ experiences (clinical

or research) as creating a foundation

How to write a statement: General format

Introduction – opening paragraphGrab the reader’s attentionBegin the main theme of your statementProgram & career goals

Middle sectionExperiences, how the program fits Mentor fit (for mentorship programs)

Concluding paragraph – wrap up themesNote: This is just a guideline – It’s OK to

be creative!

How to write a statement – Other important points

Be specific – Depth over breadthAll research (& clinical) experience is good

experience (even if it doesn’t fit your theme) E.g., “This research helped lay the foundation

for my understanding of…” E.g., “This clinical experience broadened my

understanding of …” Express your excitement about all of your

research (and clinical) experiences OK to express excitement about what you

learned in a course (especially about ideas)

How to write a statement – Other important points

Self-disclosure – Do I do it?Generally not a good idea in research

oriented programsMay be necessary for practice-oriented

programs that ask for an autobiography or for some form of self-reflection

But, be: judicious, thoughtful, and insightful…

Should reflect growth (not an endpoint of enlightenment)

Have others read this closely!

How to write a statement – The process of writing

Good writing is difficultRemember this is a statement about

you. It is not you. Let it go. Ask as many people (professors,

friends, family) to read it as possible Ask someone to read it who does not

know you wellRead other successful statements

(people will be flattered that you asked)

How to write a statement – The process of writing

Good writing is difficult (continued)

Reward yourself (internally & externally) for even a little progress

Put it away for a week or two and come back to it later

Don’t be afraid to ‘start over’ In fact, good statements require

several completely different versions

Statement readers’ pet peeves

10 point font or less, small margins Rambling, directionless statements Statements that are vague and/or

filled with undefined jargon Mentorship model programs: No real

interest or statement about working with a specific faculty member

Not responding to specific questions Typoes Typos

Some examples ‘Karen’ is interested in getting into a clinical

research Ph.D. program where she can do research in depression. Her goal is to teach & do research. Her experiences:

Honors program at her undergrad RA experience in developmental lab & a

social psych lab Internship with children and adolescents

How to frame this, especially with no real experience working with depression?

Theme focused on ideas (e.g., self-fulfilling prophecy – perhaps with a clinical example), excitement, research experience & how these match with faculty

Some examples (continued)

‘Steven’ is interested in getting into a developmental Ph.D. program (mentorship-model) where he can do research on emotion regulation in children. His goal is also academia. His experiences:

RA in I/O lab, RA in social psych lab Wrote a senior thesis focusing on infant

cognition Some work in preschools

How to frame this, especially with no research experience working with children?

Theme focused on ideas (e.g., delay of gratification), work with children, research experience & how these match with faculty

Some examples (continued) ‘Maria’ is interested in getting into a practice

oriented Ph.D./Masters program where she can be trained as a clinician. Her goal is to work in the community. Her experiences:

Some traumatic experiences in childhood Honors research at her undergrad RA experience in a social psych lab Internship in community mental health

How to frame this, especially with limited clinical experience? Self-disclosure?

Theme focused on clinical experiences & clinical ideas, research is OK, but don’t make this the only focus. Judicious self-disclosure in moderation if fits interest and theme