Statement of Purpose or Personal Statement...ahhh!

Graduate School
1

<p>Hey! So (obviously) I am applying to grad school and as simple as this question may be...I'm a bit confused how to go about this. Some schools are specific and say "A 1-2 page typed statement of purpose detailing why you are interested in the Composition concentration". While others are the more typical, "Personal Statement" detailing why you want to attend grad school in general...</p>

<p>Does anyone have any advice how to address a program specific essay while still standing out? Does it differ from the Personal Statement where you can talk about a life experience? I don't want to sound like "I want to do this because x,y,z". Any advice/tips/etc would be very much appreciated!
Thanks a lot!</p>

2

<p>I think you should emphasize on how your experience (research + working) leads you to pursue graduate studies. Most schools call this as statement of purpose, while others call it personal statement; pretty much the same thing. However, you should make sure that you answer all the specific questions they’re asking. For example, some schools will ask you to demonstrate why you want to work with particular professors and so on.</p>