Comments | applyingtograd: Help with SoP

chicamala21 in applyingtograd

Help with SoP

Jun 22, 2009 18:19

So I'm working on a first draft of my SoP. This is what I have as far as how my classes and internships have influenced my current interests; the rest of the statement will be specific to each school, which is what I'm having more problems with (but that's another story)

( Masters in Marine Science )

marine biology, sop

Comments 9

fullofpink June 22 2009, 23:10:19 UTC

Being honest, I find this a very dry and not very interesting to read. I've heard from professors that anecdotal stories aren't really appreciated as much as we (applicants) are lead to believe.

I also see too many "I's" - I did this, then I did that! I liked it a lot.. Is there anyway you can spice this up? Your internships and field work look good, I would just try to talk about it in a, I guess, tighter way?

chicamala21 June 23 2009, 00:24:31 UTC

Good points. Thanks!

etherealpearl June 23 2009, 00:07:40 UTC

Hello fellow marine scientist! :) Having gone through the grad school application process last year I can share some of the helpful info my advisors gave me ( ... )

chicamala21 June 23 2009, 00:24:13 UTC

Oh gosh thank goodness another marine science person! LOL ( ... )

etherealpearl June 23 2009, 01:03:12 UTC

I was definitely in the same boat: worked as an education/outreach assistant at an aquarium which turned me onto marine science and along with a invertebrate class narrowed my focus to inverts, did a summer REU where I was placed into a project (zooplankton behavior), completed a senior thesis on (potentially) symbiotic marine bacteria, and for grad school I am looking into marine/aquatic invasive invertebrates. Basically, I spinned my sop so that even though I had a lot of research in other areas and a definite lack of research in what I actually wanted to do I was familiar with molecular techniques (yeah pcr!), the necessary statistical techniques, and various field/collection methods ( ... )

chicamala21 June 23 2009, 15:47:35 UTC

Unfortunately I don't have the time or mobile access to the marine science campus for research (I work when I'm not in class), so this would be it (other than all the stuff I've done in classes, and unfortunately we don't have a fish biology class as far as I'm aware of) unless I switch jobs. It's just this feeling I have, like I went though my phases of marine mammals and corals, but this one has just stuck no matter what. But I do need a better reason than "I have a gut feeling".

But yea, I'll definitely focus on spinning everything so that it correlates with my interests.

Thread 5

holdup123 June 23 2009, 23:50:12 UTC

First problem. I don't know your research interest, i'm assuming it has something to do with fish (is there a certain type? where's the problem that needs to be researched in this fish?). This really should be your first sentence. "At wonderful institution I would like to expand my interests in so and so fish with this and this problem ( ... )

chicamala21 June 24 2009, 00:30:34 UTC

Yea, I stuck to just my HHMI labs and marine bio lab because I felt there was material that was relevant and that I could use to my advantage.

I'm currently in the middle of my research internship, so I'll have more to say once I'm done (such as if I end up publishing my work)

I plan on tailoring the rest (why I want to go to University X, etc) for each school, so I haven't completed that much yet. Thanks for the feedback!