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Thread for those who are working on this or guiding students. What is the statement of purpose? /1
At its core, it's a story. It's a very academic story. It shouldn't start with "I was born in the hills in West Virginia" but it should start with how you were "born" as a scholar. When did you figure out what made you tick? /2
The point of the SoP, which is the first draft of the Research Statement, a document you'll be re-writing and reshaping for the rest of your career if you become a career academic, is to answer the question "What am I about as a scholar?" /3
It's great to talk about the undergrad class you adored (especially if it's mine, ha ha) but don't focus on how fun it was or how much you loved the prof. What *questions* did it spark? How did it give you a new lens to see the the world? /4
Ideally, you'll be able to point to some ways you followed that spark--course papers, presentations, awards. What is the tangible evidence that you're good at using this lens? /5
The things you care about shouldn't just matter to you. This is your first opportunity to explain why the questions you're interested in matter to others. Is it an understudied area (be careful with this--check with your profs)? /6
Is it an area where you are uniquely situated to have an impact because of who you are? Does it promote social justice and equity? Who does your work benefit? /7
If you have other evidence that this is what you are *about,* it goes here. Are you interested in gender issues and you volunteered throughout undergrad with Planned Parenthood? Drop that in. Leave your time as a crewmember at McDonald's out. /8
By this time, you've made the argument, "I have good questions which matter. I'm prepared to research those questions." And then you turn to the case of why this program. What does this specific program offer you, and what do *you* offer them? /9
This is the first tiny shift toward the job letter you'll write at the end of a Ph.D. program. Yeah, right now you're still a student so it's okay to say "I'd be thrilled to learn from professor so-and-so" or "the program's interdisciplinarity will allow me to learn xyz" /10
But ultimately, for a Ph.D. program, you're starting to shift footing to "I am a scholar." So you also make the case that "Hey, the things I'm interested in are a really good fit for what's already going on in your program." /11
And that's where you end it. The SoP is a narrative form, but ultimately is an argument paper, the thesis of which is "I am a scholar who is ready for your program and who has cool things I'm going to do." That's the case you're making. Just like any argument, it needs evidence.
