<p>I'm switching research fields for graduate school and I don't have an intimate knowledge of my new research field. I'm familiar with the subject matter, but I don't know the nomenclature or important details of the field. (Just for anyone wondering why I'm going into the field given this: i know enough to know that I really like it.)</p>
<p>So as a result, I have no idea what to write my statement of purpose about. I have significant research experience, but its not in that field. I can't really be specific about what I'm interested in b/c I don't know the specifics. </p>
<p>Listen, I’m no expert, but I’ll give you my two cents. Anyone else can chime in to add or correct me…</p>
<p>I’d say that your best bet is a) to do enough preliminary research to “talk the talk” and b) make some kind of claim for yourself as a cross-disciplinary candidate. I’ve known people who majored in math and switched to the social sciences but made a strong case that their quantitative background prepared them for some aspects of social science research, for example. Do enough reading to come off as respectably knowledgeable in your chosen field, then show how your specific research background applies to that field. You’ll be additionally helped if you can provide a few specific examples of how the crossover (between old field and new field) may help your work in the new field.</p>
<p>That’s my two cents, anyway…maybe someone else has additional, or different, or better advice.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice lotf. Here’s some specifics: I’m a mechanical engineering major who did research and took senior electives in fluid mechanics (a subset of ME). Now I want to pursue grad school in another subset of ME: dynamics and control. I took two courses related to the subject material, but they didn’t provide much real-world knowledge. So it’s in the same major, but not he same reearch field.</p>
<p>I did try to tihnk of how my fluids research applied to control research, but I tihnk it’s a pretty tough sell. Should i just vaguely talk about what I believe the goals of engineering/science are and how dynamics/control is a way of completing those goals?</p>