Questions to ask
yourself before
graduate admissions
essay
971001515
Rachel
中文四
Who am I?
•Characteristics
•Skills
•Difference
•Previous obstacles
•Important people
•Career Goals
Why do I want to continue my studies?
•When
•Why
•What have I learned?
•Internship, job experience and
extracurricular activities
Who is my audience?
How can I address my academic record?
•Gaps and inconsistencies
•Awards and recognition
Dos and Don’ts
Do
• Outline and draft
• Unique introduction
• Write clearly, confidently and
positively(use a mixture of long and short
sentences)
• Write about yourself(I…)
• Future goals
• Show, don’t tell
• Proofread
Don’t
• Have any grammar or spelling errors
• Swear or use slang
• Digress or be repetitive, boring, defensive,
arrogant
• Be wordy or use jargon
• Preach, talk about politics and religion
• Be comical
• Give excuse
• Make lists of accomplishments
What is a
Statement
of Purpose?
971001017 中文四 鄭雅双 Cheryl Cheng
• SOP tells the admissions committee who you are, what has
influenced your career path so far, your professional interests and
where you plan to go from here.
Questions to help you think of
writing the SOP
• (For graduate students) Why do you want to pursue this
particular course of study?
• Why would you choose to attend Program A and not
Program B?
• What is important to you? (experiences& activities)
• What is distinctive about you?
• What are you proud of and why?
Identify your goals
Consider exactly why you feel
so passionate about your subject area.
• Do you have a specific memory of what first got
you interested in your subject?
• What experiences confirmed that this is what you
really want to study?
• When did you realize that this wasn't just a casual
interest, but what you actually wanted to do with
your life?
Evaluate your personality, aptitudes
and interests
• academic career
• have a burning desire to teach
• born researchers
• fall somewhere in the middle
(most of people )
Which type of person are you
and where you "fit in"?
Explore different career paths
• various employment options available
• university career centers & Internet and library research
• interview people who have jobs that appeal to you
Write your goals
• Explain your motivations
• Tailor your past experiences to your goals
• Tailor your graduate school experience to your goals
What interest graduate and
professional schools?
• Your purpose in graduate study
• The area of study in which you wish to specialize
• Your future use of your graduate study
• Your special preparation and fitness for study in the
field
• Any problems or inconsistencies in your records or
scores such as a bad semester
• "Why do you wish to attend this school?"
Conclusion
• objective yet self-revelatory. Write directly and
tells about your experience and what it means to
you.
• (1) what you learned about yourself
(2) about your field
(3) about your future goals
(4) about your career concerns.
• It should be specific. Document your conclusions
with specific instances (ex individual experience)
• careful but persuasive writing.
Example
Begin
I was already doubting my future career choice as
a physical therapist.
about himself
Although I loved… the lack of variety within the
field and its limited options for growth bothered me.
I needed a career that helped a large number of
people, emphasized prevention and primary care
rather than tertiary care, and would continually
challenge and motivate me to improve…
about future goals
…My thoughts wandered to the area of public health,
particularly health management.
My first true introduction to the public health arena came in a
class offered through the Big U School of Public Health
…In the last two years I have continued to learn about public
health both through coursework and work in the field.
Working experiences in this field
Because field experience is such a valuable learning
tool, I searched for a research assistant position that
would allow me to view public health at a different
level.
Many working experiences
…My work at the county health clinic as well as my
knowledge of some areas of public health led me to
accept an internship in Washington D.C. this past
summer.
Show his ability&interests in this field
…Along with my duties at XYZ, I attended
seminars and met with public health leaders at
different functions and events. All these activities
confirmed my growing interest in preventive
medicine, outcomes and effectiveness, and quality
of care, particularly within the private/managed
care sector.
Ending
• These are my strongest interests because
I believe they are fundamental to our nation’s
health. We must achieve efficiency and access
without sacrificing quality.
…Since rejecting physical therapy as a career
possibility my interest in public health has only
grown. I welcome the challenge of serving a large
community and participating in such a dynamic
and challenging field.
Persuasive and active ending
…I would like to find answers for questions during
my career as a public health graduate student and
professional.
Ten Tips for Better
Writing
英文四 971002201 吳沛彊
Tip #1
• Express yourself in positive language.
• Example: “These are my strongest interests because I believe
they are fundamental to our nation’s health. We must achieve
efficiency and access without sacrificing quality.”
Tip #2
• Use transitions between paragraphs.
Transitions tie one paragraph to the next.
(Later, furthermore, additionally, or moreover…)
Example: “Because field experience is such a valuable learning
tool, I…”
Tip #3
• Vary your sentence structure.
• SVO, too much = boredom.
• Mix: Simple, complex and compound sentences.
• “Working for the country exposed me to a different side of
health care that I had previously seen.”
Tip #4
• Understand the words you write.
• Communication over vocabulary
Tip #5
•
•
•
•
Use Synonyms to emphasize/ Reinforce
I learned economics at business school.
I attained knowledge in economics at business school.
I acquired economic skills at business school.
Tip #6
• Be Succinct. (Expressing in fewer words.)
Example
“During my sophomore and junior years, there was a significant
development of my maturity and markedly improved selfdiscipline towards school work.”
“During my sophomore and junior years, I matured and my selfdiscipline improved tremendously.”
Tip #7
• Make every word count. Do not repeat yourself. Each sentence
and every word should state something new.
Tip #8
• Avoid Qualifiers (Adverbs that modify adjectives) such as quite,
somewhat, probably, possibly, etc…
• “You might improve your writing somewhat if you sometimes
try to follow this suggestion.”
Tip #9
• Use the active voice.
• Example:
• The application was sent by the student. (Passive)
• The student sent the application.
(Active)
Tip #10
• Read and reread Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and
E.B. White.
• Grammar, punctuation, composition, style…