Resources for PhD Statement

[wwmmkk]

I'm starting to get my stuff together for PhD applications and have realized that I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to writing my statements. I've been unimpressed with most of the writing resources I've found via Google, but I did find this outline via social media yesterday that seems promising. I am mainly struggling with how to interpret prompts, how to structure my writing, and what level of detail about myself, my research interests, and my experiences to use. Does anyone have any advice or online resources to point me to? A solid example from public health or a similar field would be great too. Obviously I will get feedback from mentors & peers once I have a draft, but right now I just need to get things started.

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[medception]

I am having similar issues - I have nobody to lean on for how to navigate the public health Ph.D process. Woe is me

 

[wwmmkk]

I am having similar issues - I have nobody to lean on for how to navigate the public health Ph.D process. Woe is me

Yuuuup. I did some additional extensive searching for online resources and came up with jack. I have an outline of my statement now but won't have a chance to draft it until mid-summer at earliest. I'd be happy to exchange [with you or anyone else reading this!] any time after that point if you're interested. My deadlines are mostly early December. I think we're in different fields/would be applying to different programs, so I have no worries about plagiarism. I'm applying mostly to health behavior, health education, and health psychology programs and IIRC you're in management/policy.

 

[MPH1985]

My experience (from a few years ago): Keep a Google Doc for each school's SOP - they all vary in length, they all need to be tailored specifically to each program, and you never know where you'll be when you need to add to your SOP. Put your name and school's application ID as a header on each page. As for content, first I provided an overview of my research interests, my career goals, how X school will help me achieve those goals, and which professor(s) and research projects I want to work with. Then I structured the next few sections on (a) my research background, (b) my policy background (this may vary depending on program), and (c) my research interests. Without regurgitating my resume, in each section I highlighted aspects of my work/school experiences that were stepping stones to what research I would like to pursue further. Lastly I provide a summary reiterating my strengths, what I can offer X school, and that I'm excited at the prospect of learning/growing at said institution. Like you, I had no SOPs to compare to, so after many drafts I took the strategy of not beating around the bush and being very direct. Don't talk grades. You may have success in this realm, but I'd suggest not including a stereotypical public health story; you only have a few pages so save room. Try to strike an optimistic tone and convey your ambitious goals. Does this help?

 

[medception]

Above poster deserves a medal. Well said!

 

[wwmmkk]

My experience (from a few years ago): Keep a Google Doc for each school's SOP - they all vary in length, they all need to be tailored specifically to each program, and you never know where you'll be when you need to add to your SOP. Put your name and school's application ID as a header on each page. As for content, first I provided an overview of my research interests, my career goals, how X school will help me achieve those goals, and which professor(s) and research projects I want to work with. Then I structured the next few sections on (a) my research background, (b) my policy background (this may vary depending on program), and (c) my research interests. Without regurgitating my resume, in each section I highlighted aspects of my work/school experiences that were stepping stones to what research I would like to pursue further. Lastly I provide a summary reiterating my strengths, what I can offer X school, and that I'm excited at the prospect of learning/growing at said institution. Like you, I had no SOPs to compare to, so after many drafts I took the strategy of not beating around the bush and being very direct. Don't talk grades. You may have success in this realm, but I'd suggest not including a stereotypical public health story; you only have a few pages so save room. Try to strike an optimistic tone and convey your ambitious goals. Does this help?

YES this helps, thank you so much!

When you say sections, do you mean you made subsections of your paper with headings? Or did you flow from idea to idea? Asking because use the former structuring approach in most writing I do but have assumed they are expecting/desire the latter.

 

[MPH1985]

YES this helps, thank you so much!

When you say sections, do you mean you made subsections of your paper with headings? Or did you flow from idea to idea? Asking because use the former structuring approach in most writing I do but have assumed they are expecting/desire the latter.

I used explicit subsection headings when I didn't have word count restrictions, but I also used transitions to flow from idea to idea. During my interviews, I saw a few professors were referring to my SOP 'prior research' subsection as a resource, so I'd like to think I made their job easier (to grill me). But again, this is just my experience, so YMMV.

Kudos for starting early. You got this.

 

[chantik]

I was accepted into 5 of the 6 PhD programs I applied to last year-not because my applications were particularly stellar but because I 'played the game' well. In other words, do your research on the programs you are applying to. Make sure they understand why you want to attend THEIR program and why you would be a good fit. Honestly, the SOP is kind of half about you and half about them imo.

And in your research, if you can find out what the funding options are, that makes life easier for you and you're not wasting your time writing a SOP for a school that can't admit more than one student (I believe Yale was a problem child last year with this).

 

[medception]

I was accepted into 5 of the 6 PhD programs I applied to last year-not because my applications were particularly stellar but because I 'played the game' well. In other words, do your research on the programs you are applying to. Make sure they understand why you want to attend THEIR program and why you would be a good fit. Honestly, the SOP is kind of half about you and half about them imo.

And in your research, if you can find out what the funding options are, that makes life easier for you and you're not wasting your time writing a SOP for a school that can't admit more than one student (I believe Yale was a problem child last year with this).

I am curious - which department type did you apply to and what did your GPA/GRE Scores look like? I am concerned that my scores are going to sink me eventhough I have a strong application otherwise.

 

[chantik]

I am curious - which department type did you apply to and what did your GPA/GRE Scores look like? I am concerned that my scores are going to sink me eventhough I have a strong application otherwise.

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences.

Two of the 3 GRE sections were 90% or above, the third about 75% I believe...