Writing Your Graduate School Application Essay printable pdf download

Writing Your Graduate School Application Essay

Generally speaking, there are two types of application essays for graduate school: the statement of

purpose (SOP) and the personal statement. (Refer to FAQs to find out how the two types are different.)

Both types let you convince the admissions committee that you are a good fit for the program and can

contribute to the department.

Although different graduate schools may ask you to answer different prompts, most ask that you write

no more than a two-page application essay. The application essay is difficult to write because you must

pitch your candidacy to a few department faculty members who read through hundreds – or sometimes

thousands – of other essays. In this handout, you will learn how to show these busy readers that you will

contribute meaningfully to the university and their department.

1. Relate your past and present experiences to the future.

In their application essays, many applicants make the mistake of underemphasizing the future. But it’s

important that you show how your past experiences have informed your present work, and how your

present work can be extended to the future or raise new research questions.

Admissions committees assess many qualified applicants based on whether their research will reflect

positively on the university and their department. Committees will think your past and present work

is relevant only if it relates directly to your plans for the future. If you don’t know exactly where your

current work will take you, you should at least mention how you could develop it. Committees want to

see that you have a sense of direction and motivation to pursue issues specific to your field.

Note: Your application essay is not a binding contract, and you don’t have to list your qualifications in

chronological order like a résumé or CV. It may be better to order them according to importance.

BEFORE

I am an ideal candidate due to the knowledge I have gained thus far in my Master’s

Doesn’t show how

program at Carnegie Mellon University. I have completed courses in multiple fields of

qualifications will benefit

chemical engineering, as well as increased my knowledge in engineering techniques

applicant in the future

and lab research. I further honed these techniques from participating in a lab research

project. My first lab experience started when I joined Professor Annette Jacobson’s

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team to determine the electrophoretic mobility of colloidal contaminants in water, which

past experiences are

is useful in water treatment processing. Moreover, I have acquired scientific research

relevant to graduate

skills, for instance, searching literature, designing experiments, analyzing results and

level work

writing papers.

Writing Your Graduate School Application Essay