Getting In to Grad School for Physics by Vincent Klug

Author:Vincent Klug [Klug, Vincent]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-08-03T22:00:00+00:00

4.3 Statement of Purpose

If you ask a member of the admissions committee about the statement of purpose, they’ll say something like the following: Well, most of them are only glanced at, since most are absolutely terrible. Well-written ones can be read carefully, but ultimately they don’t factor that much into the decision unless

they give us new information. Physics department faculty pride themselves on being objective, so they will be reluctant to realize that a well-written statement of purpose can really make a big difference. As a result, this statement is not all that accurate – your statement of purpose can really have an impact. Why?

• There are many applicants and few spots. If your statement of purpose is horrible, they will consider only your statistics – which might not be enough. But if your statement of purpose is compelling, they will often try to find a spot for you even if you don’t have the best statistics in the pool.

• Most statements of purpose are absolutely horrible (probably because lazy applicants start writing them the night before the deadline). If yours is even halfway decent, it will stand out from the pack.

• Your statement of purpose is the one part of your application over which you have complete control. It’s your chance to frame your application the way you want it framed: emphasizing the good and minimizing the bad.

On that note, let me define exactly what a statement of purpose is: Definition. A statement of purpose is an essay, usually two single-spaced pages or less, which outlines why you are applying to grad school by way of discussing your interests and experiences.

A typical statement of purpose will start by explaining your love of physics and/or your interest in a particular subfield, proceed to discussing your research experience, coursework, and/or other relevant details, and conclude that attending grad school is a reasonable decision.

Now you’re probably thinking that the statement of purpose is just one more annoying thing in a long list of annoying things you to have do in order to complete your application. I disagree: you’re going to need to write short, clear, well-written papers like this over and over again during your career. If you have the time,6 you should take a week or two to really learn how to do this type of writing – you’ll acquire a useful skill and you’ll end up with an excellent statement of purpose.

I strongly suggest that you write your statement of purpose during the summer before your senior year; that way you’ll have enough time to really write this properly. Let me outline the ideal writing process:

1. Look over sample admissions essays with commentary. This

6 If you don’t have the time, you should still read this section, but you might have to skip a few of the steps. I also direct you to chapter 7: I put in a sample outline that will help you to develop a typical, underwhelming, yet acceptable statement of purpose

will give you an idea of what you’re aiming for.

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