Comments | applyingtograd: Cultural Material SOP Draft

kuniklos in applyingtograd

Cultural Material SOP Draft

Nov 12, 2011 13:23

I have been beating myself over the head over my SOPs for about 2 months. Mostly I have been rewriting this one from scratch again and again. I am applying to 3 Anthropology/Archaeology programs, 1 in Material Cultures and 1 in Art History. I am hoping once I feel good about one, I can use it as a template for the others, as essentially only one ( Read more... )

art history, sop, anthropology

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tisiphone November 12 2011, 19:27:50 UTC

OK, look. Anything that's on your CV, and that you don't say anything more about than "I did this," you can take out. They're going to review both your CV and your SoP, so they'll see you did it. That looks like the entire third paragraph except perhaps the last sentence.

tangerine42 November 12 2011, 19:46:14 UTC

This! They don't need to see things twice. If it's on your CV, take it out of your statement and use that space to show them why you'd fit well in their particular program.

biblio_filia November 13 2011, 05:05:00 UTC

I agree, but I also think it's totally relevant to mention your thesis/the research conference if it's something that was crucial to your realization of your own personal foci/methodology and you can add in how they shaped your goals.

Just a stylistic note: you have a sentence fragment at the end of your second paragraph. Also, be careful about getting too colloquial: the "bread in the sandwich" analogy seems out of place.

On another note, would you happen to be attending an open house at Bard? I'll be there on the 4th!

kuniklos November 13 2011, 05:29:39 UTC

Thanks! I'll take a closer look when I am not bubble brained from work.

And why yes, I just might be! >:D

kuniklos November 14 2011, 02:59:39 UTC

Thanks for catching the fragment! It seems I just did not complete my thought. I rewrote it as:

"How these people viewed and represented outsiders, and how their own representations changed in the eyes of their western counterparts is a topic I would love to build upon."

kuniklos November 14 2011, 03:27:03 UTC

I shortened and reworded it. I am still slightly over my size, but I am finding it hard to slip it in somewhere, as it seems sort of random and don't really "flow well" otherwise.

During my undergraduate education I took every opportunity to present at state and national conferences, as well as volunteer and hold academic student offices. I participated in three archaeology excavations in the UK, which were relevant to my interests, and attended a few medieval and Viking Age conferences. I also had the opportunity to hold a position as a teaching assistant in the Art History department, which was a fantastic experience. This final experience made me certain that I wanted both disciplines to be part of my career goals.

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