<p>I am a high school drop out who did well in my GED and then got admitted to a four year college. In college I double majored in CS and Econ with GPAs of 3.4 and 3.9 respectively. Should I be including the fact that I am a high school dropout who worked his way back as background info in my statement of purpose. One of my professors told be not to because it brings about more negative opinions than positive. However, I feel that this achievement defines the person that I am -- a high school drop out that turned his life around and even did well in college. If anybody has read any of the other posts, I am currently planning to apply to Columbia and NYU for their mathematics of finance masters program. My GRE score is 410V(I know it stinks, might take it over depending on what they tell me) and 790Q.
Anybody could offer any advice on this and/or other positive things I should be including in the statement of purpose.</p>
<p>Dude, you alone are the only one who knows about yourself. How your experiences (both struggles and victories) made you the person that you are. More than your GPA and your GRE (which to me are mere numbers), I have immense admiration for a person with such character. </p>
<p>I don't see the point why you can't mention that in your statement of purpose, for as long as you can observe flow and coherence with regard to your real objective then it should fully work to your advantage. However, if in any case that the admission panelists are not able to see through that, then it's their problem. As far as I am concerned, you're a winner. </p>
<p>Good luck bro.</p>
<p>there's a good side and a bad side and it all depends on who is going to read your statement. a lot of people will think it is really awesome that you have overcome such obstacles, but there are some really nasty people who will get that GED thing stuck in their head and look their nose down at you. but you really cant tell.</p>
<p>personally, i say put it in because it is your story of how you have worked hard to make it to where you are and to hell with people who might think negatively about it. </p>
<p>here are some tips i got about writing a purpose statement:
1. sell yourself big time, make yourself sound like you cured cancer or something
2. talk about any relevant experience in your field and how it has to do with what you want to do in the future.
3. name drop. if you took classes or workshops with someone famous write it down
4. if youve done any volunteer work in your field, put it in and talk about how it made you more passionate about what you want to do
5. mention conferences, publications or other research you have done
6. above all, do not say that you want to teach because you love it.<br>
instead say that you hope to oneday represent Columbia, stanford, whereever as a scholar in your future career. totally talk about how you want to publish, research, and what you are doing now to make it happen.
7. have your profs look at it before you send it</p>
<p>Keep anecdotes short, they mostly want to hear about what youve done in your field, what your goals are, how you plan to represent them, and how kick ass you think you are.</p>
<p>Personally I would leave it out, but that's just me. Here's why: if you only mention it briefly ("After dropping out of high school I pulled myself together to earn a GED and succeed in college...") then it does seem to raise more questions that it answers. Explaining it in a way that makes it a clear positive for you (that is, highlights the good points of your personality and raises no questions about a problematic past) would probably require a good chunk of text, in a document where space is very limited. </p>
<p>My suggestion is that you write out all the other necessary information; then, add a statement about your high school situation only if there is adequate room to explain it.</p>
<p>For your personal statement, I would not include this. For the most part, schools will not care where you have been on a personal level. Professors want people who can do research and do it well, only state your techincal aspects and technical interests which presents you to be a good candidate. </p>
<p>Now, many applications have a personal history statement which usually go like "Describe your personal motivations and any diversity or circumstances which leads you to pursue graduate school" or "Describe any personal experiences which will enhance the class experience or diversity of Such and Such Universtiy". In those essays, your story would be very compelling. Then again, theres no sign that people actually read these essays which indicates they don't care.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for all your advice. I have an appointment with the director of the program that I am applying to, has any one been to one? I would be grateful for your advices. This is not a usual interview. I personally called up and requested to meet with him so that I can get some questions and concerns answered with regards to both the program and my qualifications. Please note that this is a masters program and the main enphasis described in their website is to prepare you to work in the financial industry doing jobs that require an understanding of econometrics and statistics that most undergraduate programs cannot provide.</p>
<p>Be as knowledgable as you can be about the field, and try to have read a few of the interviewer's publications. Draw up a list of questions you have about the program before you go to the interview.</p>
<p>I agree with the advice NOT to include the high school dropout information. I have read many statements of purpose written by applicants to graduate programs, and one of the most common mistakes people make is including too much life story stuff. Graduate school application essays should focus on your qualifications and interests within your field. This is in contrast to undergraduate application essays, which can concentrate more on showcasing your character and personality.</p>
<p>Take your weakness (dropping out earlier) address it, then turn it into a strength. (What it did to change things around for the better) so that by the paragraph's end, it is no longer a negative aspect. </p>
<p>Something like:
One weakness, which took me some time to overcome, was that I withdrew from high school before I graduated when I was ----- years old. I had left believing that (your reason) . As time passed, I never gave up wanting to return to (finish my education, degree. ..). When I completed my Bachelors degree, I found I had developed an even greater passion for learning that continues to grow today. These experiences taught me that I really want the graduate degree and that I am especially motivated by (name something pertinent that matters to you)</p>
<p>Yes, I just finished two interviews for the doctorate programs. The first one I was unprepared and have regretted it ever since. </p>
<p>for the second one, I had a prepared list of questions (sectioned into areas) that the Graduate Director even remarked how organized it was and helpful to keep us on track to address all my questions.</p>
<p>Some questions were:
What were the core courses and how often are they offered? Is there a sequential order to them?
Does continuous enrollment include/exclude summer?
Are the qualifying exams written, oral, or both?
What is a typical example of a TA/RA duties?
How many, what type etc of the research facilities are available?
Is there wi-fi access on campus? Where?</p>