How to Write a Successful
Statement of Purpose
James Beebe, Ph.D.
Professor, Doctoral Program in Leadership
Studies
Gonzaga University
Spokane, Washington USA
[email protected] DO
1. Begin writing your Statement of Purpose
weeks before the deadline. Give yourself
time to be thoughtful and to rewrite, edit,
and revise.
2. Revise your statement several times.
3. Explain your academic standing relative to
other students and the meaning of any
grades that may look low.
DO
4. Carefully read what is required.
5. Plan your statement carefully.
6. Get advice from different people.
7. Revise your statement several times.
8. Check your grammar and spelling.
9. Be honest.
DO
10. Provide insight into what drives you, what
is your passion.
11. Address the particular unique features
that attract you to the Fulbright program
and to study abroad.
12. Do discuss your career and life goals.
13. Revise your statement several times.
DO NOT
1. DON'T merely repeat information that
you've provided elsewhere in your
application.
2. DON'T talk about money as a motivating
factor in your plans for the future.
3. DON'T waste your personal statement
opportunity with poorly written introduction
or conclusion.
DO NOT
4. DON’T indicate that your goal is to live
abroad (If this is your goal you should not
be applying for a Fulbright.)
5. DON’T sound like you will be ready to save
Afghanistan or the World if you are able to
get a graduate education.
6. DON’T indicate an interest in a degree or
area of study that is not something the
program funds.
Planning
Go the Fulbright Afghanistan
web site
1. Find out what Fulbright will fund
2. Read the paper on How to Write a
Successful Statement of Purpose for
Graduate School based on a
presentation by: Professor Hower,
Cornell University.
Use Google to find
information
Look for information on universities
and programs in the United States
that might be of interest to you.
Make notes. Record the url of web
sites.
The purpose of the
Statement of Purpose
To give the reader information on
your preparation for the program and
your academic interests that relate to
your life.
Provide personal stories, intellectual
musings, or significant events to
bring you and your background to
life.
The purpose of the
Statement of Purpose
Your Statement of Purpose should
mention your passion in life and focus
on things that you have done that
illustrate your passion especially as
your passion relates to graduate
study.
The purpose of the
Statement of Purpose
Your driving motivation at this point
of time in your life and how this
relates to graduate study, especially
in the United States should make up
the bulk of the Statement of Purpose.
The purpose of the
Statement of Purpose
Build in your academic, extra
curricular, and social
accomplishments as much as you
can.
Mention any project, internship or
academic research that you might
wish to pursue while at the graduate
school.
The purpose of the
Statement of Purpose
The Statement of Purpose should lead
the reader to your short and long
term goals.
Five items to include
1. A Picture of Your Overall
Personality
2. Academic Background and Work
Experience
3. Continuity
4. Commitment and Motivation
5. Communication Skills
1. A Picture of Your Overall
Personality
What are your passions and interests
and how are they related to your
interest in graduate study?
Don’t say ‘I am energetic.’ Give
evidence by the fact that you worked
after school every day in your family
business and still had time to play
football.
2. Academic Background and
Work Experience
What classes have best prepared you for
graduate study and your specific interests?
What has been the role of mentors or
professors in influencing your academic
pursuit?
What experiences have significantly
enriched, informed, or influenced your
graduate study choices (for example
language study, unique work
opportunities)?
2. Academic Background and
Work Experience
Remember, that while information on
your past work is important, it is
most relevant in explaining how it led
you to focus on the problems that
currently interest you.
3. Continuity
How are your past, plans for graduate
school, and your hopes for the near
and far future related?
4. Commitment and Motivation
Rather than simply saying ‘I am
committed’, find a way of showing
that you are indeed highly committed
and motivated to your proposed field
of study.
5. Communication Skills
Your Statement of Purpose provides
evidence of your communication skills
so invest time in writing, rewriting,
and editing this statement.
If you have published something in
English, this would also provide
evidence of your communication
skills.
Writing the Essay
Stage 1: Preparation
Take and write down the important
events and facts about your recent
life.
List the things that you have done
and the things that have been
important to you.
Stage 2: Writing
Write several outlines and decide
which you like best.
Remember the essay has an
introduction, a body, and a
conclusion.
Outline the things you want to say
and from all the material you have
written, select the material which you
think will go well in your essay.
2: Writing
Select the most significant
details.
Put that into your outline. Now you
are ready to write the essay.
As you write the essay you will
continue to change the outline. Stay
focused on two or three main points.
Stage 3: Revision
Let the essay sit for a day or two.
Then go over it crossing cross out
words or sentences.
Revise it carefully and write your
second draft.
Stage 3: Revision
Don’t expect too much from your first
attempts.
It takes a lot of work.
Do as many drafts as you feel
necessary.
For every hour you
spend writing,
you should spend four
hours revising.
Spend time on the first
paragraph.
Make sure that first paragraph is
terrific and interesting. You need to
grab attention.
Begin your statement with an
interesting lead.
DO NOT BEGIN BY SAYING “I am
applying for a Fulbright because . . .”
Spend time on the first
paragraph.
You are unlikely to be able to write a
great first paragraph on your first
draft.
Also pay attention to your last
paragraph which may be only one
sentence - make it a snappy last
sentence.
Rewrite,
revise,
edit,
outline,
begin again,
write,
rewrite,
revise.
Proofread
Once you think you have written the
final draft, proofread it as if you were
the editor of a newspaper.
Get help.
Ask others to read it.
Read it aloud to others.
Proofread
Not a single mistake must survive,
spelling or grammatical.
Look every word up in the dictionary
that you are not absolutely sure of.
DO
1. Begin writing your Statement of
Purpose weeks before the deadline.
Give yourself time to be thoughtful
and to rewrite, edit, and revise.
2. Revise your statement several times.
3. Carefully read what is required.
4. Plan your statement carefully.
DO
5. Explain your academic standing
relative to other students and the
meaning of any grades that may look
low.
6. Get advice from different people.
7. Revise your statement several times.
8. Check your grammar and spelling.
9. Be honest.
DO
10. Provide insight into what drives you,
what is your passion.
11. Address the particular unique
features that attract you to the
Fulbright program and to study
abroad.
12. Do discuss your career and life
goals.
13. Revise your statement several
times.
DO NOT
1. DON'T merely repeating information that
you've provided elsewhere in your
application.
2. DON'T talk about money as a motivating
factor in your plans for the future.
3. DON'T waste your personal statement
opportunity with poorly written introduction
or conclusion.
DO NOT
4. DON’T indicate that your goal is to live
abroad (If this is your goal you should not
be applying for a Fulbright.)
5. DON’T sound like you will be ready to safe
Afghanistan or the World if you are able to
get a graduate education.
6. DON’T indicate an interest in a degree or
area of study that is not something the
program funds.
NEXT!
Submit your application and start
planning for your graduate program.
Work on your writing.
Learn to touch type (keyboarding
without looking at your fingers).
Learn to use word processing
software like MS Word or Open Office.
References
Web sites University of Idaho, Georgetown, University
of California-Berkeley
Statement of Purpose
http://www.statementofpurpose.com/
Many A Group
http://www.manyagroup.com/modules.php?name=25c2g_how_wo
rk_college_app
The Global Educator
http://www.theglobaleducator.com/study_abroad/pdf
s/October%202003%20Statement%20of%20Purpose.
PDF
Perfect Personal Statements
http://www.west.net/~stewart/pstips.htm
Recommended Books
Becker, Howard S. (1986). Writing for
Social Scientists: How to Start and
Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Peters, Robert L. (1997). Getting
What You Came For: The Smart
Student’s Guide to Earning a Master’s
or Ph.D. New York: Farrar, Straus,
and Giroux
