Certain schools give you specific details about their statement of purpose. For example a maximum of a certain number of words, double spaced, two pages maximum, etc. If a school does not provide any of the above-mentioned details, what would be a good lenght in terms of number of words to engage the admission committee? Is a single space statement of purpose too compressed, or is it acceptable?
I know that brevity and conciseness are important, but I find it hard to fit all the information they want in a one page. And I have to list relevant experiences, future goals, research interests, and which people I would like to work with in the department.
Answer
Depending on the program I would keep it between 1.5 to 2 pages. I framed mine to answer the following questions:
- Why am I applying to this school.
- What are my research interests.
- Previous academic accomplishments.
- Previous professional accomplishments.
- Personal story of triumph (optional, I talk about having to drop out of high school to support my family)
- What is your goal after graduation.
Addition:
I would also target schools that are pumping out the research that matches with your interests... this will help when you are stating why you are applying like:
A major factor in helping me choose Awesome University was Professor Awesome's research on being awesome. I feel that this aligns well with my research interests, and would make for a great fit between me and the department.
Also, if you talk about any abstract ideas be sure to elaborate on them to give a level of specificity. They want to see you be able to translate abstract ideas into specific thoughts.
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