Phd Personal Statement Template

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Example of a PhD Personal Statement
Having majored in literary studies (world literature) as an undergraduate, I would now like to
concentrate on English and American literature.
I am especially interested in nineteenth-century literature, women's literature, Anglo-Saxon
poetry and folklore and folk literature. My personal literary projects have involved some
combination of these subjects. For the oral section of my comprehensive exams, I
specialised in nineteenth century novels by and about women. The relationship between
"high" and folk literature became the subject for my dissertation, which examined Toni
Morrison's use of classical, biblical, African, and Afro-American folk tradition in her novel. I
plan to work further on this essay, treating Morrison's other novels and perhaps preparing a
paper suitable for publication.
In my studies toward a Masters degree, I hope to examine more closely the relationship
between high and folk literature. My university and private studies of Anglo-Saxon language
and literature have caused me to consider the question of where the divisions between
folklore, folk literature and high literature lie. Should I attend your university, I would like to
resume my studies of Anglo-Saxon poetry, with special attention to its folk elements.
Writing poetry also figures prominently in my academic and professional goals. I have just
begun submitting to the smaller journals with some success and am gradually building a
working manuscript for a collection. The dominant theme of this collection relies on poems
that draw from classical, biblical, and folk traditions, as well as everyday experience, in order
to celebrate the process of giving and taking life, whether literal or figurative. My poetry
draws from and influences my academic studies. Much of what I read and study finds a
place in my creative work as subject. At the same time, I study the art of literature by taking
part in the creative process, experimenting with the tools used by other authors in the past.
In terms of a career, I see myself teaching literature, writing criticism, and going into editing
or publishing poetry. Doctoral studies would be valuable to me in several ways. First, your
teaching assistantship program would provide me with the practical teaching experience I
am eager to acquire. Further, earning a PhD in English and American literature would
advance my other two career goals by adding to my skills, both critical and creative, in
working with language. Ultimately, however, I see the PhD as an end in itself, as well as a
professional stepping stone; I enjoy studying literature for its own sake and would like to
continue my studies on the level demanded by the PhD programme.

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