Applying to Graduate School
In the past few months, I have received many emails from students asking for advice on how to apply to graduate school. One student wrote: “Is there a secret tip that you can share with us? I really want to go to the school of my dream.” The fact is there is no secret tip but there are few things that you need in order to get accepted in a good university: A good grade point average (GPA); good Graduate Record Examination score (GRE), these are things that indicate you are qualified to a graduate program. If you are a foreign student, you also need to have a good TOEFL score to indicate that you can study in English. (Each university has its own standard for acceptance, top schools require higher scores); you also need two or three letters of recommendations from your professors or managers where you work; and you need to write a Statement of Purpose to explain the reason why you want to go to graduate schools.
For students who want to pursue an advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) the most important thing is be able to explain clearly why you want to pursue a graduate degree in the Statement of Purpose. Your decision should NOT be about making money as the advanced degree does not guarantee that you will make more money (See my previous blog on the pursue of Ph.D. degree). This is probably the most difficult thing to write but it is the key factor that distinguishes you from other applicants. As the chairman of the admission committee for several years, I can tell you that since many applicants have good GPA, GRE or TOEFL scores and good letters of recommendations, it is the Statement of Purpose that determined whether you get accepted or not, so you must be very careful when writing it.
You need to summarize your education and achievements as well as your skills, your passion, and your career aspirations. You also need to understand the program that you are applying, what it does, what you will learn, what technology you will use, and what problems you will solve by attending it. Only by knowing it well, you can explain why you want to apply to that program and be able to present yourself as a good candidate.
The most common mistake many applicants made is to use a “generic” Statement of Purpose for several programs, without being specific and clear about the goals, that is why most of them get rejected. If you are applying to five programs, write five different Statements of Purposes, it takes time but it is essential. Do not write something like: “I like to study computer science” but explain why you like to study computer science and what are you going to do with a computer science education after you complete the program. Do not write: “With this degree I can get a good job.” but explain why you want to work in this field and what you want to accomplish. Do not exaggerate but be sincere and tell the truth because the admission board wants to know what you are planning to do with your career and can you do well in the program. Most graduate admission committee consists of four to six faculties; they often have to read several hundred applications during the admission review. If your Statement of Purpose is vague or generic, they may not even read the rest of your application. The Statement of Purpose is something that represent you, it must portray you as someone who is passionate about the program; someone who is well prepared and ready to take any challenge to achieve your education goals.
After complete the Statement of Purpose, you may want to show it to some professors in your school for their advices. As faculty, they know what others are looking for and can help you to develop an effective statement. If they know someone in the school that you are applying, they may write specific recommendation for you too. You also need to proofread your statement for accuracy and style. I have seen some statement full of errors which means either the person is in a hurry or do not care. Since the Statement of Purpose represents the applicant, a poorly written statement full of misspelled and errors are not treated favorably so please take time to write it carefully and mindfully.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
