Polishing the Essay

Polishing your Statement of Purpose for Graduate School

So now you have a coherent essay put together. You think the structure is more or less right, the ideas flow, and the language isn't bad. What next?

 

The 'In their shoes' check 

Put your essay away for a day or two. When you take it out, lay it face down for two minutes while you put yourself in the admissions committee's place. Imagine yourself to be a professor or graduate student who is going through a few hundred applications and classifying them into 'yes', 'maybe' and 'no' piles. Think of how you would look at SoPs and try to read yours through a stranger's eyes. What do you see? Detailed description 

 

Showing your stuff around 

It is essential to show your SoP to a few people whose opinion you respect - an English teacher from school, a professor, an older friend, a parent or a relative. Include among these, 2-3 people who know you well. Ask your readers to pay particular attention to the following points: Detailed description

 

The final print-out 

Once you have the final draft ready (you have to stop sometime!), do the following before you take a final printout: Detailed description