Fill out the document attached with these paragraphs
Goal:
Analyze successful S
Fill out the document attached with these paragraphs
Goal:
Analyze successful Statement of Purpose (SP) texts for what they “do.”
Identify the dominant theme(s) and some of the strategies used in these SP texts.
Overview:
The following three examples are successful Statement of Purpose texts. Your task is to chart all three textsLinks to an external site.. For complete instructions, please view this videoLinks to an external site..
Example One: Fulbright/Denmark, Information Science
Fulbright Prompt
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/application-components/academicLinks to an external site.
“The statement should be a 1 page narrative that provides a picture of yourself as an individual․ It should deal with your personal history, family background, influences on your intellectual development, the educational, professional, and cultural opportunities (or lack of them) to which you have been exposed, and the ways in which these experiences have affected you and your personal growth․ Include your special interests and abilities, career plans, and life goals, etc․ It should not be a recording of facts already listed on the application or an elaboration of your Statement of Grant Purpose․ It is more of a biography, but specifically related to you and your aspirations relative to the specific Fulbright Program to which you have applied.”
Length is limited to a maximum of one single-spaced pages. The application system will not allow statements longer than one page to be uploaded.
Draft
1) Sixteen years after I had taken the series of calculus (I, II, & III), I found myself sitting in a classroom full of students that were half my age, taking Calculus III again. skipping some of the prerequisite undergraduate mathematics course, I was prepared to begin graduate courses after just one semester. some said this was a monumental achievement. others were particularly impressed when I told them that my undergraduate degree was a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology.
2) You might wonder how I managed that switch from studying anthropology to mathematics. the truth is my passion for mathematics, present in my earlier studies had never gone away and my questions on how we apply mathematics to real world problems were never answered. However, I was actually discouraged from pursuing mathematics when I was in junior college in the U.S. Since most people who studied mathematics would become math teachers, the counselor could not see a career outcome for me. I was a first-generation immigrant, speaking English poorly, and I could not imagine myself being a math teacher.
3) The opportunity came about four years ago and I took the chance. I knew it wouldn’t be easy and that it would take longer than usual to finish my master’s degree. nevertheless, I knew this was the right thing to do, later than never. working on my master’s thesis in cryptography fulfilled my curiosity, and I finally had an answer to that lingering question: Can I apply mathematics to solve real world problems?
4) In August 2010, I attended two international conferences, Crypto 2010 and CHES, which were held at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I met many people with different nationalities, and I was very comfortable with the atmosphere. I could envision myself pursuing a research and development career in the field of cryptography. during the conferences, I was introduced to xxxx and spoke to him about the Fulbright scholarship opportunity. Anxious to facilitate the very type of opportunity that the Fulbright provides, he told me I would be welcome at xxxx University, to participate in one of his projects with his research group.
5) Of course, as a child in Hong Kong, I never imagined myself studying in a university, let along for a master’s degree, and now a Fulbright scholarship. American opportunities for education are outstanding. It would be a nearly impossible if I were still living in Hong Kong. I am excited about the prospect of going to Denmark. I grew up with Quality Street Chocolate and Danish butter cookie; consequently, I have always been fascinated by European culture. My life has been a great adventure and I am blessed with the opportunities the USA has to offer. Like many immigrants that came before me. I am looking forward to the next chapter of my journey and achieving the American dream through the Fulbright scholarship.
Example Two: from UC Berkeley’s Graduate Statement of Purpose Requirement
Prompt:
https://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/steps-to-apply/apply/statement-purpose/
Summary of their prompt:
Part 1: Introduce yourself, your interests and motivations
Part 2: Summarize your undergraduate and previous graduate career
Part 3: Discuss the relevance of your recent and current activities
Part 4: Elaborate on your academic interests
“An ideal essay should say everything it needs to with brevity. Approximately 500 to 1000 well-selected words (1-2 single space pages in 12 point font) is better than more words with less clarity and poor organization.”
Draft:
1) As a young child, I was obsessed with flying. I spent hours watching birds fly, noting how the angle of their wings affected the trajectory of their flight. I would then waste tons of fresh printer paper, much to the dismay of my parents, to test out various wing types by constructing paper airplanes.
2) One day, this obsession reached its fever pitch.
3) I decided to fly.
4) I built a plane out of a wooden clothes rack and blankets, with trash bags as precautionary parachutes. As you can imagine, the maiden flight didn’t go so well. After being in the air for a solid second, the world came crashing around me as I slammed onto the bed, sending shards of wood flying everywhere.
5) Yet, even as a five-year-old, my first thoughts weren’t about the bleeding scratches that covered my body. Why didn’t the wings function like a bird’s wings? Why did hitting something soft break my frame? Why hadn’t the parachutes deployed correctly? Above all, why didn’t I fly?
6) As I grew older, my intrinsic drive to discover why stimulated a desire to solve problems, allowing my singular passion of flying to evolve into a deep-seated love of engineering.
7) began to challenge myself academically, taking the hardest STEM classes offered. Not only did this allow me to complete all possible science and math courses by the end of my junior year, but it also surrounded me with the smartest kids of the grades above me, allowing me access to the advanced research they were working on. As such, I developed an innate understanding of topics such as protein function in the brain and differential equation modeling early in high school, helping me develop a strong science and math foundation to supplement my passion for engineering.
8) I also elected to participate in my school’s engineering pathway. As a team leader, I was able to develop my leadership skills as I identified and utilized each member’s strength to produce the best product. I sought to make design collaborative, not limited to the ideas of one person. In major group projects, such as building a hovercraft, I served as both president and devil’s advocate, constantly questioning if each design decision was the best option, ultimately resulting in a more efficient model that performed significantly better than our initial prototype.
9) Most of all, I sought to solve problems that impact the real world. Inspired by the water crisis in India, I developed a water purification system that combines carbon nanotube filters with shock electrodialysis to both desalinate and purify water more efficiently and cost-effectively than conventional plants. The following year, I ventured into disease detection, designing a piezoresistive microcantilever that detected the concentration of beta-amyloid protein to medically diagnose a patient with Alzheimer’s disease, a use for cantilevers that hadn’t yet been discovered. The project received 1st Honors at the Georgia Science Fair.
10) Working on these two projects, I saw the raw power of engineering – an abstract idea gradually becoming reality. I was spending most of my days understanding the why behind things, while also discovering solutions to prevalent issues. In a world that increasingly prioritizes a singular solution, I am captivated by engineering’s ability to continuously offer better answers to each problem.
11) Thirteen years have passed since that maiden flight, and I have yet to crack physical human flight. My five-year-old self would have seen this as a colossal failure. But the intense curiosity that I found in myself that day is still with me. It has continued to push me, forcing me to challenge myself to tackle ever more complex problems, engrossed by the promise and applicability of engineering.
12) I may never achieve human flight. However, now I see what once seemed like a crash landing as a runway, the platform off of which my love of engineering first took flight.
Example Three: Japanese Studies MA University of Michigan Statement
1) I’d always possessed an affinity for storytelling—my other major was English, after all—but I’d never considered integrating my passion for Japanese with my love of literature until my junior year of college. While studying abroad at Sophia University in Tokyo, I enrolled in an introductory course on Japanese literature through which I discovered an array of acclaimed Japanese writers, including Kawabata Yasunari, Tanizaki Jun’ichirō, Mishima Yukio, and Enchi Fumiko. I quickly fell in love with the evocative and visceral imagery ubiquitous in their works and began to crave more. The following year, I registered for Aiko Nakamura’s “Love, Gender, and Identity in Japanese Literature” and Aaron Smith’s “The Natural Environment in Japanese Literature and Culture.” In these courses, I particularly enjoyed Tanizaki’s twisted love story, Quicksand, and the pungent sense of desolation in Abe Kōbō’s The Woman in the Dunes. Since obtaining my bachelor’s degree, my interest in modern Japanese literature has only grown stronger. I’ve devoured several short stories by Murakami Haruki and am steadily unraveling Kawabata’s oeuvre. So far, my favorite pieces of Kawabata are House of the Sleeping Beauties, “One Arm,” and Palm-of-the-Hand Stories.
2) But modern literature isn’t the only Japan-related field for which I’ve developed a sincere fondness; I am also deeply intrigued by Ainu culture. In 2013, I expatriated to a small town in Hokkaido to work as an English teacher. There, I plunged myself into Ainu culture: I visited several Ainu museums, conversed in Japanese with various Ainu people, and attended a weekly Ainu-language immersion class for two months (irankarapte!). I’m specifically fascinated by Ainu mythology, or kamuy yukar, and its survival into the modern age. Ideally, I’ll eventually be able to translate the kamuy yukar into English without using Japanese as an intermediary.
3) Both of these interests of mine, albeit evidently distinct, share a defining characteristic: they tell a story of Japan—a story I am committed to engaging with on a scholarly level. This is why I am ready for graduate school at the University of Michigan. Your Master of Arts in Japanese Studies program offers an ideal interdisciplinary environment wherein I can develop strategies for decoding the symbolism and syntax of Japanese narratives while honing my Japanese-language skills. A master’s degree will also assist me significantly in my career. For the past year I’ve worked as a freelance writer and editor, but my overarching goal is to break into Japanese-English translation, preferably in the literary sector. Despite my holding JLPT N2 certification, I lack both basic knowledge of translation methods and sufficient exposure to the Japanese literary canon; thus, I believe the University of Michigan’s program in Japanese studies will not only improve my Japanese but also provide me with the tools, support, and foundation necessary for ultimately becoming a successful literary translator.