Graduate School Statement Template
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Writing the statement of purpose for graduate school
UC Berkeley
Graduate School - Statement
Graduate and professional schools often require some sort of written statement as a part of the
application. The terminology differs, but may include "statement of purpose," "personal
statement," "letter of intent," "personal narrative," etc. Some statements require rather specific
information--for example, the applicant's intended area of study within a graduate field. Others
suggest subjects which should be addressed specifically. Still others are quite unstructured,
leaving the applicant free to address a wide range of matters. Some applications call for one
statement, while others require responses to a series of six or more questions, ranging from 250
to 750 words each. The importance of the statement varies from school to school and from field
to field.
Determine your purpose in writing the statement
Determine the content of your statement
Determine your approach and style of the statement
Words and phrases to avoid without explanation
Determine your purpose in writing the statement
Usually the purpose is to persuade the admissions committee that you are an applicant who
should be chosen. You may wish to show that you have the ability and motivation to succeed in
your field, or you may wish to show the committee that, on the basis of your experience, you are
the kind of candidate who will do well in the field. Whatever its purpose, the content must be
presented in a manner that will give coherence to the whole statement.
Pay attention to the purpose throughout the statement so that extraneous material is left
out.
Pay attention to the audience (committee) throughout the statement. Remember that your
audience is made up of professionals in their field, and you are not going to tell them how
they should act or what they should be. You are the amateur.
Determine the content of your statement
Be sure to answer any questions fully. Analyze the questions or guidance statements for the
essay completely and answer all parts. Usually graduate and professional schools are interested
in the following matters, although the form of the question(s) and the responses may vary:
Your purpose in graduate study. This means you must have thought this through before
you try to answer the question.
The area of study in which you wish to specialize. This requires that you know the field
well enough to make a decision and are able to state your preferences using the language
of the field.
The Writing Center: Writing a Grad School Personal Statement
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