Today is January 1st, which means that you can now sign up for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The FAFSA determines your eligibility for stuff like grants, loans and work study, so be sure to apply for it early.
In my first year of undergrad college, I signed up for the FAFSA, but did so very late. I ended up not getting any work study money. I believe I waited until the very last day. This time, I’m determined to sign up very early… as soon as I find my pesky PIN number.
So I talked to another past professor of mine today because I had heard he knows a lot about applying to grad school. He wouldn’t admit mastery of the subject, but he did say that he probably knows a hell of a lot more than I do about it right now. That fact is incontestable. Anyway, he gave me some tips that I hadn’t heard yet.
First off, he went through the process of how he looks at grad school applications at our own school. Apparently, some aid goes through and writes a summary of the entire application which goes in the front. Next he flips through the transcripts without much emphasis. He reminds me that there are hundreds of these things to read through. At a place like Stanford we’d be talking somewhere around 5,000…
Next he looks at the statement of purpose. This is one of the more important parts, since it shows that the applicant has a clear goal, and that the applicant can write well. He tells me there should be a beginning, middle, and end, much like a story. He also told me that the statement of purpose should make people at the program say “hey, this guy is cool, we should get him in here!”
Finally, he goes through the letters of recommendation. These are the closest thing to a third party that he has to make a decision on the applicant. They should really say things like “I worked with so and so on this and that, and he really impressed me.”
Unfortunately, I didn’t take the time to build the kinds of relationships to warrant those kinds of letters. The software engineering professor that I’m working with right now will be able to write something closer to that, but not this professor. All he can really say is that I was a fairly good student and that I was more willing to go up to the chalkboard than others in the same class. Though it’s not a tier 1 type of letter, I’ll still ask him since I do recall doing well in the class, and the professor is honest when he tells me he can’t write a stellar letter. At the very least, it won’t hurt (like a Dr. Bledsoe letter would).
Afterwards, we talked about the schools that I’m applying to. Apparently my undergraduate adviser went to Georgia Tech, so I should talk to him about faculty there. Apparently it helps to have a faculty at the school who would be familiar with me, so when my application pops up, they might push it harder. I’ll definitely try contacting some faculty, once I’ve turned in my applications.
So one of the (supposedly) most important parts of the grad school application packet is the statement of purpose. The SOP is basically an essay explaining how awesome you are and why the university should accept you as a grad student.
Interestingly, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech do not list the statement of purpose as a required part of the application. UC Irvine says that it’s part of a complete application, but doesn’t describe it at all. Lehigh has this to say about the statement:
(It is) a brief statement of career and research objectives. Essays should articulate clearly your experience and goals. Half a page to two pages is sufficient.
UC Berkeley’s iSchool has quite a bit more to say about the statement of purpose:
The Statement of Purpose provides the application reviewers with information about your professional goals, your intended areas of study within a given academic program, and your reasons for applying to this specific program of study. It becomes a crucial element in the admissions decision process since it conveys to the faculty reviewers how well-prepared you are to undertake graduate study in information management and systems; what you intend to do with the degree; and what specializations you wish to pursue within the Master’s program.
Your written statement should succinctly explain your reasons for applying to the iSchool, briefly review your relevant academic preparation and work experience, and describe your future professional goals once the degree is acquired. The focus should be on your preparation, experience, and aims rather than a discussion of the trends or the importance of information management and systems in general. The most successful statements are 1-2 pages in length and focus on the strengths and experiences of the applicant, providing the reviewers with evidence and justification for admitting those applicants who are qualified and well-suited for the iSchool.
Ph.D. applicants will need to also make clear their research interests and agenda, as well as which iSchool faculty they are interested in researching with specifically.
So far, I’ve written a very rough draft of the statement of purpose. I intend to clean it up quite a bit, as well as drafting a different one for each school I apply to. Given the lack of requirement/description from three of the five schools, I question how important the statement of purpose really is. I’ll still work hard in it though, since it’s one of the few parts of the application that is completely within my control (unlike transcripts, which I can’t really change anymore…).
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From Application to Graduation. I hope.
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