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Academia Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [statement-of-purpose]

Concerning an individual, what influences them, professional interests, and plan for the future, typically described as part of a college applicant's application for admission.

Statement about an individual, what influences them, professional interests, and plan for the future as typically described as part of a college applicants admissions application.

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Is it okay to mention a mathematical fact that intrigues me in SOP when I don't understand its technical details?

I'm applying for Ph.D. in Mathematics and I'm writing a statement of purpose (or SOP) where I plan to express my interest in geometric representation theory and categorification. To me, an intriguing aspect of the field is that a mature…
Hyeongmuk LIM
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What are the downsides of publishing your statement of purpose on the Internet after you've already been admitted to a PhD program?

After getting into some top schools, I linked my statement of purpose on my personal website so it could serve as a resource for others. Are there any reasons this might be a bad idea?
Ben Bitdiddle
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Is it okay to discuss multiple interests when writing statement of purpose for attending a conference?

Question: I am interested in two fields, mathematical biology and cryptography. Is it okay to discuss both of these interests in my statement of purpose? I'm currently a junior majoring in mathematics. I have to write a statement of purpose so that…
SOULed_Outt
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Statement of Purpose for Math PhD's with a fairly complicated mathematical history

TL;DR: I'm applying for a PhD program in mathematics, but my academic performance was bad for a long while and I already have a PhD attempt that I ended early. (However, I now have good enough results to apply again.) Given this background, should…
bears
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How negative to go in a statement of purpose?

Okay yes I know another 'I'm a bad candidate help me' post sorry. I was in grad school years ago but I quit because the program wasn't good for me. The exact program doesn't matter. It was a small one on the USA west coast though, and for MS not…
Applying again
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Can I mention interest in two somewhat different research areas in my SOP?

I am applying to 8 schools in research area X of applied physics. I have some research experience in a very closely related area and one publication in a solid journal. One of those schools has a professor working on very interesting topics in area…
Ash
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Statement of Purpose (MS/MA vs PhD)

Is there any fundamental difference between a statement of purpose for a masters and a PhD? In particular, I am talking about North American graduate schools and in the fields like mathematics and science where there is a high degree of technical…
user97718
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Should I add figures to my Statement of Purpose for PhD in STEM?

Is it a good idea to include descriptive figures/diagrams from previous poster presentations and publications in a statement of purpose?
user147166
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What should I write in a personal history statement (diversity statement) if I am not at all diverse?

I am applying for a PhD program in Computer Science. The university asks each applicant to hand in an optional personal history statement. I have detailed my research experience, career goals clearly in my statement of purpose. Hence I don't really…
Zhao
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Is it appropriate to include actual maths in a mathematics personal statement?

So, the title speaks for itself, but essentially over the course of the last few weeks I've been doing a course in complex analysis, and some of the identities that pop up are immaculate, and I think including one of these will enable me to convey…
joshuaheckroodt
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Should I mention that I quit my job and give up good salary to take a PhD degree in the personal statement?

I have a good job and salary now. And I want to quit my job to take a Ph.D. degree, which means my income will be cut in half. Should I mention that in my personal statement to prove my dedication to academia? Would that be like I am looking down…
hidemyname
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How do I add a little bit of personality to my SOP without turning it into another "trembling steps" narrative?

I wrote my SOP very closely to JeffE's answer here: Choosing research ideas to include in a statement of purpose Just a very straightforward, all research no BS statement. My 3 letter writers liked it quite a bit and said it was very well written…
Ash
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Can I show my long-term research interests on SOP, which are very important topics but aren't constantly researched yet

I hope you can share your insights with me. I'm struggling to figure out appropriate research questions in my SOP. I'm trying to get into a top CS graduate school in the USA. I am a cs grad and have done bioinformatics research, which attracts me to…
WilliamW
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Mentioning faculty member in SOP

I have been advised to mention faculty members in the area I want to apply for (ECE PhD). My Question is: how much of an effect would this have on my admission? Maybe that particular faculty will not want to work with me but some other person in a…
Gappy Hilmore
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Is it OK to mention dreams and future plans for a specific company in my SOP when applying for master's degree?

I am about to apply for Master's degree at a University in US that specializes in game development. I have been playing and I am a huge fan of Blizzard games for almost 15 years and the reason I pursue a higher education is to broaden my knowledge…
Varaquilex
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