Hello everyone! First of all, thank you everyone who came to
our Callout! It’s always exciting to see so many new and returning members :)
Based on the poll results, I decided to gather information
and post about the statement of purpose for applying to graduate schools. I've been hearing seniors worry about it left
and right, so I hope this is helpful. It’s
also good to reflect on these tips as a way of outlining your goals as an
Undergraduate.
I am by no means an expert on writing a statement of purpose
specifically for graduate school, but I do enjoy creating essays. I went to Dr. Huber, Lauren Rosswurm, and the
great people at Purdue OWL for more information that I’m very excited to share
with all of you!
Getting Started
The Statement of Purpose is the most frightening part of the
Graduate School
application for many, mostly because it is just so vague. For many programs, including Purdue, there is
no prompt whatsoever. It’s just a very short 300-500 word piece about why you
should be accepted in the program; and that lack of direction is frightening. For me, in high school our hand was held
throughout the whole college application process. We practiced personal essays a whole year
before actually having to do them, so it’s very strange to be on our own for
such an important application.
If you feel the same way I do, take a deep breath. Of course the Statement of Purpose is
important, but it’s definitely not the most important thing on your application. Think of it as your class participation. Your whole grade is not riding on it, but if
you’re at an 89% and the professor remembers you because you had a lot of
in-class input, they will most likely move you up to an A. A well written statement of purpose will help
you if you have a few low grades in certain classes or for breaking ties if you
have the same GPA and test scores as another applicant, but it certainly isn’t
the majority of the reason you’ll get accepted into a program
So take away all that stress and worry. Be excited!
You’re on your way to becoming a graduate student and finally landing
your dream job as a SLP or AuD! Focus on
positive energy and that’ll really come through in your statement.
Before even thinking about starting your statement, take
some time to reflect on a few questions:
what made you want to become a SLP or AuD? Was there a specific experience or maybe an
interesting fact you learned in school? Why
do you want to go to graduate school?
What are your goals for graduate school?
Where do you think you want your career path to go? Is there a certain population you like to
work with?
Reflect on all this and bullet-point your thoughts. Outlining all these things will make it much
easier to get started.
Time to write!
Like many essays, the introduction is the most difficult
part to write. It has to be the most
interesting portion and must be relevant to the rest of your essay. I almost never start out writing the
introduction. I find it much easier to
complete the body and conclusion of my piece first and then go back to the
introduction now that I have a clear understanding in what the rest of my essay
is about.
The body of your essay
Here is where you focus on a few of your
accomplishments. DO NOT make a list of
what you have done, that is what your resume is for. Instead, focus on one or two things that were
closest to your heart. Try to avoid focusing
on things you did in High School. If you
had an experience in High School that made you realize you wanted to be a SLP
or AuD, that’s fantastic, use it as your introduction. If you have been volunteering at a nursing
home for the past 5 years, that’s wonderful, focus on what that whole
experience taught you. But no one wants
to read about that one summer you babysat a child with a lisp unless it had a
major effect on your career path decision.
Instead, focus on things you learned and accomplishments from your
undergrad career, it is much more relevant.
Then, take your interests and experiences as
an undergrad and connect it with where you want your career path to go. If you have a specific dream to help
individuals with swallowing disorders, discuss that. Having a specific goal in mind for what you
want to do once you enter the real world makes your essay much stronger. But for those of you who have no clue if they
would rather work with kids on the autism spectrum or with adults with aphasia,
that is completely OK! Grad school
serves as a learning tool for what options you have once you enter the real
working world, and helps you grasp what you like to do best. If this is true for you, just make sure you
make it clear that you know what a SLP or AuD can do.
The conclusion
This is where you should get specific with the program you
are applying to. Make sure to do your
research, and include why you want to attend that specific school. Not only does this appeal to the readers of
your statement, but it’s also good for you to do your research about a school
to see if it’s a good fit for you. You
don’t want to apply to just any school; that is a waste of your time and
money. You should include specific
research within the program that interests you, classes they offer, professors
you’d love to work with, etc. Definitely
name drop and get as specific as you can, that way the readers know you’re
seriously interested in the program.
The introduction
Now that you have your body and conclusion, you should have
a clear understanding of what your introduction should be about. Here you should use an interesting, relevant
reason why you want to be a SLP or AuD and what got you interested. Maybe you went to a SLP or an AuD as a child,
or maybe you learned about neurogenic speech disorders in a class. You can use a specific story; just make sure
it is sincere. This is where you use
ethos to your advantage.
Check and double check
It is super important to have someone else read over your
statement once you have finished your first draft. Understand that you will probably go through
a lot of drafts, so start the writing process early. Purdue has some awesome resources for this
including the Purdue Writing Lab and the Center for Pre-Professional
Advising. You can schedule an
appointment or go to an info session and have someone there look over your statement. Use these resources for double checking your
grammar, spelling, and to make sure it is overall logical and consistent. These experts there are great, but they may
not necessarily know what our specific programs are looking for as far as
content goes. For content, have a
professor or a graduate student in our field go over your draft. They know well what our specific program is
looking for. Just make sure to only ask
one or two professors or grad students to check your work; they all have
different ideas of what makes a good statement so only asking the same people
will make your statement consistent and avoid confusion.
Most importantly, be honest and be you! As Dr. Seuss said, “today you are You, that
is truer than true. There is no one
alive who is Youer that You!” Absolutely
cheesy, but true! And that is what
graduate programs want to see. It can be
extremely tempting to exaggerate your accomplishments or discuss career goals
you’re maybe interested in but uncertain about.
But no quality is more attractive than honesty and individuality.
That was a lot of information, thanks for reading! I hope you found it helpful! Remember to stay
calm and focus on positive thoughts.
Sources
Purdue OWL:
Go to the center for Pre-professional advising! They specifically
help students who are interested in health related programs
Purdue’s Programs
Again, big thank you to Dr. Huber and Lauren for giving me
some great information!
