<p>Some of the schools I'm applying to explicitly state in their application instructions that I need to limit my "statement of purpose" to 4000 characters. The problem is that I have lots of research experience, etc. that I'd like to discuss, and 4000 characters is simply not enough.</p>
<p>My question is: Is it OK to state what you've done for research without actually explaining it in great detail? For example, let's say one of my research topics involved "the photoelectric effect." Could I just explain what I did for my research without explaining what the photoelectric effect is? (i.e., Can I just assume that the reader knows what it means?) It'll save me a lot of space.</p>
<p>What's worse is I'm planning on switching majors... chemical engineering to mechanical engineering. So I'm not sure if it's even okay to just assume the reader knows? It's just really frustrating because the prompt asks for so much information but allows so little space, and it's really to the disadvantage of the applicant if s/he is changing their major. :(</p>
<p>4000 characters is pretty short. I don’t know if it’s acceptable but I’m doing something very similar. I’m assuming the reader knows what kalman filters, particle filters, FastSLAM, hole filling, stereo-vision, projective texturing, and planning are since I’m applying to robotics programs. I don’t have time to explain what they all are while still explaining what I did with them. The photo-electric effect is an extremely well known phenomenon in engineering, and I’d be surprised if MEs didn’t know what it was or have some concept of it - especially if they are on an acceptance committee. If for some reason they still don’t know what it is, they should at least know that it is one of Einstein’s experiments and that it is a good research topic.</p>
<p>Never assume a reader knows. You need to be able to clearly demonstrate your intellectual contribution, NOT a technique - they can teach anyone that. Did you contribute to a project? Make a discovery? Suggest a new direction? Bring in a different mode of thought? How does your previous research set you up to think like an independent researcher? Did you analyze data or just collect it? How did you share your results?</p>