SOP advice
I've been trying to write my SOP, but it's been very difficult for me to know what exactly I should include. I've looked at other samples posted here, as well as Duke's guide on their website, but I just don't seem to know what to put in, given my interest in indisciplinary studies and my educational and professional background
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1. Orient your writing towards the future, not the past. Don't write about your past unless it's directly related to what you intend to accomplish in the programme.
2. Fit is the most important section of your SOP, so don't half-ass it. Really think about it, and sell them on why you are right for their programme specifically.
3. Unite your essay with a theme... Leave a clear impression in the mind of the reader. Have the conclusion reinforce the main idea.
4. Avoid the "what I did with my life" approach.
5. Avoid the "I've always wanted to be a" approach. Absolutely no "Ever since I was a child, I have been interested in..." sentences.
6. Avoid a catalogue of achievements. That's what the CV is supposed to be.
7. Avoid lecturing the reader. They know what the discipline is about. They got a PhD in it, remember?
8. The statement should form conclusions about the value and meaning of your experience.
9. You need to sound engaged and able to focus - not already committed to a project.
10. Think about the traits in other professors or grad students or literary critics/writers that you most admire. Frame your statement in relation to that.
11. Don't hedge your goals in qualifiers. You can sound confident without sounding arrogant. They need to believe you can do it, and as a consequence, so do you.
12. Don't spend much time on background bio information in the SOP. Just because it's a good life story doesn't mean it belongs in your SOP.
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