出国留学资料-Outstanding SOP Essay-出国留学申请材料.docx

writing a winning statement of purposeusually graduate and professional schools are interested in the following: 1. your purpose in graduate study. this means you must have thought this through before you try to answer the question. 2. the area of study in which you wish to specialize. this requires that you know the field well enough to make such decision. 3. your future use of your graduate study. this will include your career goals and plans for your future. 4. your special preparation and fitness for study in the field. this is the opportunity to relate your academic background with your extracurricular experience to show how they unite to make you a special candidate. 5. any problems or inconsistencies in your records or scores such as a bad semester. be sure to explain in a positive manner and justify the explanation. since this is a rebuttal argument, it should be followed by a positive statement of your abilities. 6. any special conditions that are not revealed elsewhere in the application such as a large (35 hour a week) work load outside of school. this too should be followed with a positive statement about yourself and your future. 7. you may be asked, why do you wish to attend this school? this requires that you have done your research about the school and know what its special appeal is to you. 8. above all this, the statement is to contain information about you as a person. they know nothing about you that you dont tell them. you are the subject of the statement. iii determine your approach and the style of the statement there is no such thing as the perfect way to write a statement. there is only the one that is best for you and fits your circumstances. 1. there are some things the statement should not be:l avoid the what i did with my life approach. this was fine for grade school essays on what i did last summer. it is not good for a personal statement. l equally elementary is the approach ive always wanted to be a _. this is only appropriate if it also reflects your current career goals. l also avoid a statement that indicates your interest in psychology is because of your own personal psychotherapy or a family members psychological disturbance. while this may have motivated many of us to go on to graduate study in psychology, this is not what your audience is necessarily looking for in your statement. l these are some things the statement should do: 1. it should be objective yet self-revelatory. write directly and in a straightforward manner that tells about your experience and what it means to you. do not use academese or jargon. 2. it should form conclusions that explain the value and meaning of your experiences such as: (1) what you learned about yourself; (2) about your field; (3) about your future goals; and (4) about your career concerns. 3. it should be specific. document your conclusions with specific instances or draw your conclusions as the result of individual experience. see the list of general words to avoid using without explanation listed below. 4. it should be an example of careful persuasive writing. considertions about form: 1. keep to the page limit number! reviewers have to read hundreds of these applications, dont overburden them with extra pages. 2. do not leave in typographical errors. you dont want to be taken less seriously due to a typo, rite? (laugh) words to avoid using without explanationsignificant invaluable appealing to me interesting exciting, excited appealing aspect challenging enjoyable, enjoy i like it satisfying, satisfaction i can contribute its important rewarding valuable fascinating gratifying helpful appreciate meaningful useful helping people meant a lot to me feel good i like to help stimulating remarkable people incredible getting startedexercises: a. recalling and analyzing experience - write short paragraphs on the following: 1. pick a memorable accomplishment in your life. what did you do? how did you accomplish it? 2. what sort of important activities have you engaged in? with whom? what role did you play? 3. what work experiences have you had? what was your job? responsibility? how did you carry it out?l now look over your paragraphs. what skills and qualities do you see that you possess? for example, consider working with others. were you a leader? important team player? l looking at what you have found, you can now look for skills and qualities that will help you in graduate school. what factors stand out? l note: you will undoubtedly have more material than you can use. this is good, but you need to make strategic choices. b. your career goals - write two short paragraphs: 1. what career have you chosen? what factors formed this decision? 2. what evidence shows that this is a correct choice? that is, how can you show that this choice is realistic? (personal experience in the field is a good place to begin.)you sample sop for graduate school admission as a medium to express your personality why you want to study masters degree research experience and research interests community service and volunteer services preformed leadership and communications skills events and inspirations in your personal lifesample outlineopening paragraph: state your general reasons for pursuing graduate study and introduce yourself to the selection committee in a compelling manner. make it interesting; the committee members will read many applications, so be sure yours gives them a sense of your particular talents and individuality.background: describe your community and family background and tell how your interest in, and knowledge of your chosen field developed. describe any personal attributes and qualities that would help you complete graduate study successfully, such as determination in achieving your goals, initiative and ability in developing ideas, and capacity for working through problems independently.qualifications: explain those experiences that will serve as a foundation for your forthcoming graduate work. discuss(1) your expertise and accomplishments in your major field,(2) your undergraduate studies in general and how they relate to what you intend to do in graduate school,(3) specific learning experiences that demonstrate your motivation and inspiration for continued study, and (4) other relevant experiences such as jobs for community activities, including names of organizations and concrete detail.specific goals: express the specific training and background that you would like to acquire while in your graduate program. your specific goals should be consistent with the goals and training objectives of the department to whichyou are seeking admission.closing paragraph: leave the reader with a strong sense that you are qualified and will be successful in graduate or professional school. here, as throughout your statement of purpose, try to be as brief but as informative as possible.remember that your essay has the following objectives: show your interest in the subject. rather than saying that you find electronics interesting, it is more convincing to demonstrate your interest by talking about any projects you may have done and what you learnt from them. if you have taken the initiative to do things on your own, now is the time to talk about them show that you have thought carefully about further studies, know what you are getting into, and have the confidence to go through with it. have the admissions committee like you! avoid sounding opinionated, conceited, pedantic or patronizing. read your essay carefully, and have others read it to find and correct this. demonstrate a rounded personality. include a short paragraph near the end on what you like to do outside of your professional life. keep the essay focussed. each sentence you use should strengthen the admissions committees resolve to admit you. so while you may have done several interesting things in life, avoid falling into the trap of mentioning each of them. your essay should have depth, not breadth. the resume is where you should list achievements. remember that you have very little space to convey who you are, so make every sentence count. pitfalls your essay must avoid : it is a repetition of the resume or other information available from the application form, it could have been written by just about anybody; your individuality does not come through, it is not a honest account in response to the essay question (why you want to study what you do, what you have learned from an event/person in your life and so on) it has embarrassing, highly personal and emotional content that should be avoided unless it makes a unique, creative point. the admissions committee would not appreciate reading about the pain you went through after breaking up with your boyfriend. an account of how you overcame difficult family circumstances, illness, or a handicap, would be a valid point to include in your essay. however, avoid emotional language. uc-berkeley ps guidancea) things to keep in mind: 1. what the admissions committee will read between the lines: motivation, competence, potential as a graduate student. 2. emphasize everything from a positive perspective and write in an active, not a passive, voice. 3. demonstrate everything by example; dont say directly that youre a persistent person, demonstrate it. 4. you dont want to make excuses, but you can talk about the mistakes youve made as a learning experience. 5. if there is something important that happened (poverty, illness, excessive work, etc.), which affected your grades go ahead and state it, but write it affirmatively, that is, in a way that shows your perseverance. 6. make sure everything is linked with continuity and focus. 7. the essay should be 500-600 words (1 to 1 pages) single-space, typed, 12pt. font size. b) writing the statement of purpose: part 1: introduction this is where you tell them what you want to study. for example, i wish to pursue an ms degree in mechanical engineering with an emphasis in controls. part 2: summarize what you did as an undergraduate a) important class or classes you took which stimulated your desire for graduate study, such as a specific project for a class. b) research you did. indicate with whom, the title of the project, what your responsibilities were, and the outcome. write technically; professors are the people who read these statements. c) work experience, especially if you had any kind of responsibility for testing, designing, or researching a product or apparatus. part 3: if you graduated and worked for a while and are returning to grad school, indicate what youve been doing while working: company, work/design team, responsibilities, what you learned. you can also indicate here how this helped you focus your graduate studies. part 4: here you indicate what you want to study in graduate school in greater detail. this is a greater elaboration of your opening paragraph. a) indicate area of interest, then state questions you might have which are associated with the topic, i.e. what you might be interested in studying. you should have an area of emphasis selected before you write the statement.ps 的框架 fromuc berkeley比较好的文章架构your statement of purpose is the single most important piece of the application.things to keep in mind remember that you are writing for an audience who cares about one thing and one thing only: they want to recruit graduate students with a great deal of intellectual promise.remember that your statement has to stand out among countless others.dont tell it, show it. that is, dont say how dedicated or committed you are-show it by describing your accomplishments. use positive language and avoid the passive voice.be sure that your thoughts flow from one paragraph to the next.stay focused on your research: past, present, and future.if there is an aberration in your record, explain in positive terms what happened with that particular course or semester.be sure to line up a critical reader who will look over the statement for you.writing the statement of purposepart 1: introductionwrite two sentences or so on how (sociology, history, anthropology, or political science, etc.) first grabbed you. (history department is particularly fond of lyrical writers.) in good writing, god is in the details. stay away from saying the predictable. use colorful language. let your personality come through in your writing. and briefly introduce what it is you want to pursue in graduate school.part 2: academic biographywhat classes have you taken to prepare yourself for graduate school? what classes/mentors were particularly influential in shaping your academic pursuit? what tutorials, research experience, or field work have you done in the field of your interest? what insights and methods did you gain? if there was anything unusual in your academic journey-transfers, hiatus, jobs, etc.-explain in positive terms how that came about and what you gained from it. part 3: graduate research projectspeak about a specific project you want to pursue in graduate school. in some ways everything youve written thus far should lead up to the point you make here. even if you are not sure, it is important that you choose something concrete to speak of. the committee needs to see how you think through a specific research project. intellectual clarity and zip-thats what the committee is looking for.part 4: why uc berkeley?why did you choose berkeley? with whom would you work and why? what do you like about the department? what is its distinguishing mark? dont waste your time with empty accolades in this section. ultimately, why would it make a good match for you and your future career goals?exude confidence, poise and commitment!文书不是展示一个“真实的”的你，而是展示一个“投其所好”的你应该展现出的detail motivation and commitment to a field of study expectations with regard to the program and career opportunities writing ability major areas of interest research and/or work experience educational background immediate and long-term goals reasons for deciding to pursue graduate education in a particular field and at aparticular institution maturity personal uniqueness what you would add to the diversity of the entering class大体上需要包括background & abilities correlate your personal information with the degree program you wish to enter. highlight your unique skills, abilities and character traits, focusing on those that correlatewith success in graduate school. show a logical transition from your experience in school/work to graduate school. howhas that experience cultivated your interest in this degree program? feature your relevant experience. balance content between academic and work-relatedexperience.goals & motivation discuss your motivation for pursuing graduate education. demonstrate how the degreeprogram can help you achieve the goals you have set for yourself. relate your qualifications, experiences and skills to your goals and to your schoolsresources. ensure that your goals are a logical extension of your qualifications, experiences andabilities. spell out your short- and long-term goals, including proposed areas of research andprofessional interests. answer the question, “why this school/program and why now?”whats a good statement of purpose? your application to any graduate program at suse requires you to submit a statement of purpose. we attach great importance to the statement. a thoughtful and well-written statement often makes the difference between admission and denial. but applicants frequently fail to do justice to themselves in statements of purpose. in what follows, i offer a few tips to help you to make your best effort.your statement should clearly have the purpose its supposed to have.that sounds too obvious to be worth saying, but many statements fail on this elementary criterion. the statement should be narrowly focused on convincing the intended reader i.e., a professor at suse who teaches in the program to which you are applying that you have a serious and well-considered purpose in applying to that program. a compelling statement will convince the reader that you are the kind of student likely to thrive in the program to which you are admitted and who would contribute to (and not merely benefit from) our academic community. too often, statements of purpose are poorly focused, vaguely autobiographical essays, in which case they become inadvertent disclosures of purposelessness.a statement of purpose is not a narrative of your accomplishments.the reader of your file will make a judgment about whether you merit admission on the basis of many considerations, and your file will include much material including your transcripts, what your referees say about you, etc., that reveal your academic and other accomplishments. there is no harm in mentioning a particular accomplishment in passing in your statement when this is relevant to explaining your purpose in applying to the program. but statements go astray once the author assumes that his or her purpose is to persuade the reader that he or s