The Graduate School
graduate school statement of purpose:
Statement of Purpose: An
Overview
A statement of purpose (also called a letter of
intent or a research statement) introduces
your interests and experience to the
admissions committee. For research-focused
programs, like most PhDs and many master’s
degrees, your statement of purpose will focus
primarily on your past research experience and
plans. For more professionally-focused
graduate programs, your statement of purpose
will primarily discuss how your pursuit of this
professional program relates to your past
experiences, and how you will use the skills
from the program in your future career.
A statement of purpose for grad school
is also where you sell the admissions
committee on why you belong
in their program specifically. Why do you fit
there, and how does what they offer fit your
interests?
Show
how you fit together.
What’s in a Great Grad
School Statement of
Purpose?
Here are the essential elements of a strong
Clear Articulation of Goals and Interests
A strong statement of purpose will clearly and
specifically lay out your goals in undertaking
the program and what you hope to
accomplish with the degree. Again, for a
research-focused program, this will focus
primarily on the research project(s) you want to
undertake while you are there. For a more
professional program, discuss what interests
you within the professional field and what
skills/knowledge you hope to gain through the
program.
Quick side note: we've created the world's
leading online GRE prep program that adapts
to you and your strengths and
weaknesses. Not sure what to
study? Confused by how to improve your
score? We give you minute by minute guide.
You don't NEED a prep program to get a great
GRE score. But we believe PrepScholar is
the best GRE prep program available right
now, especially if you find it hard to organize
your study schedule and don't know what to
study.
Click here to learn how you can improve your
GRE score by 7 points, guaranteed.
You should be as specific as possible in
discussing what interests you. Use
examples of particular phenomena, tools, or
situations that you find exciting. If you are
vague or say that everything in the field
interests you, you run the risk of seeming
unfocused or not actually that passionate.
Don’t worry that being too specific will box you
into a particular research area or subfield
during your entire tenure in graduate school.
Your program understands that interests
change—they won’t be pulling out your
research statement to cross-reference with
your dissertation proposal!

Evidence of Past Experience and Success
A great graduate school statement of purpose
will also show programs that you have
already been successful. They want
applicants that will be able to follow through on
their research/professional plans!
To this end, you’ll need to provide evidence of
how your background qualifies you to pursue
this program and your specific interests in the
field. You’ll probably discuss your
undergraduate studies and any professional
experience you have. But be sure to draw on
specific, vivid examples. You might draw on
your thesis, major projects you’ve worked on,
papers you have written/published,
presentations you’ve given, mentors you’ve
worked with, and so on. This gives admissions
committees concrete evidence that you are
qualified to undertake graduate study!
Past successes: slithering, sliding, shedding, snaking.
Interest and Fit With the Program
The third essential ingredient to a great
statement of purpose is to clearly lay out why
you and the program are a good fit. You should
be able to identify both specific reasons why
your work fits with the program and why the
program suits your work/interests! Are there
particular professors you’d like to work with?
Does the department have a strong tradition in
a certain methodology or theory you’re
interested in? Is there a particular facet to the
curriculum that you’d like to experience?
Showing that you and the program are a match
shows that you chose the program
thoughtfullyand have genuine interest in it.
Programs want to admit students who aren’t
just passionate about the field. They want
students who are genuinely enthused about
their specific program and positioned to get
the most out of what they have to offer.
Strong Writing
The final essential piece of a strong statement
of purpose or letter of intent is strong writing.
Writing skills are important for all graduate
programs. You’ll need to demonstrate that you
can clearly and effectively
communicate your ideas in a way that flows
logically. Additionally, you should show that
you know how to write in a way that
is descriptive but concise. A statement of
purpose shouldn’t ever be longer than two
pages, even without a hard word limit.
Admissions committees for humanities
programs may be a little more focused on
writing style than admissions officers for STEM
programs. But even in quantitative and
science-focused fields, written communication
skills are an essential part of graduate school.
So a strong statement of purpose will always
be effectively written. You’ll see this in our
statement of purpose for graduate school
samples.

Let your writing be beautiful, strong, and graceful, like
this swan.
Real, Successful Statement
of Purpose Samples
In this section, we’ll present four successful
graduate school statement of purpose
examplesfrom our graduate school experts,
along with a brief commentary on each
statement. These statements come from a
diverse selection of program types to show you
how the core essentials of a statement of
purpose can be implemented differently for
different fields.
Note: identifying information for these
statements have been changed—except for
example four, which is my statement.
Statement of Purpose Sample One: Japanese
Studies MA
(click icon)
This statement of purpose is notable for its
great use of space and its vivid
descriptions. The author is able to cram a lot
into about a page. She discusses how she
came to her two primary research interests
(and how they are connected). She integrates
this discussion of her interests with information
on her past experiences and qualifications for
pursuing the course of study. Finally, she
includes details on her goals in pursuing the
program and components of the program that
interest her. Her examples are specific and
fleshed-out. There’s a lot very cleverly included
in a small amount of page space!
Additionally, the language is very
vivid. Phrases like “evocative and visceral” and
“steadily unraveling,” are eye-catching and
intriguing. They demonstrate that she has the
writing skills necessary to pursue both
graduate study and her interest in translation.
Statement of Purpose Sample Two: Music MM
(click icon)
This sample is fairly long, although at 12 point
Times New Roman it’s under two pages single-
spaced. The length of this statement is partially
due to the somewhat expansive nature of the
prompt, which asks what role music has played
in the applicant’s life “to date.” This invites
applicants to speak more about experiences
further in the past (in the childhood and teen
years) than is typical for a statement of
purpose. Given that this is for a master’s
degree in music, this is logical; musical study is
typically something that is undertaken at a fairly
young age.
This statement does an excellent
job describing the student’s past
experiences with music in great detail. The
descriptions of the student’s past compositions
and experiences performing new music are
particularly vivid and intriguing.
This statement also lays out and elaborates
on specific goals the student hopes to pursue
through the program, as well as features
particular to the program that interest the
student (like particular professors).
Make beautiful music with your statement of purpose.
Statement of Purpose Sample Three:
Economics PhD
(click icon)
One of the first things you’ll likely notice about
this statement is that it’s a little on the longer
side. However, at 12 point Times New Roman
font and single-spaced, it still comes in under 2
pages (excluding references). It makes sense
for a PhD statement of purpose sample to
be longerthan a master’s degree statement of
purpose—there’s more to lay out in terms of
research interests!
The writing style is fairly straightforward—
there’s definitely a stronger focus on delivering
content than flashy writing style. As Economics
is a more quantitative-focused field, this is fine.
But the writing is still well-organized, clear,
and error-free.
The writer also gives numerous examples of
their past work and experience, and shows off
their knowledge of the field through references,
which is a nice touch.
Statement of Purpose Sample Four: History of
the Book MA
(click icon)
This is actually my statement of purpose. It
was for a program that I got accepted to but did
not end up attending, for a Master’s in the
History of the Book. You’ll notice that the two
essay prompts essentially asked us to split
our statement of purpose into two parts: the
first prompt asked about our research interests
and goals, and the second prompt asked about
our relevant experience and qualifications.
I’ll keep my comments on this graduate school
statement of purpose sample brief because I’ll
do a deep dive on it in the next section. But
looking back at my statement of purpose, I do a
good job outlining what within the field interests
me and clearly laying out how my past
experiences have qualified me for the program.
Obviously this statement did its job, since I was
accepted to the program. However, if I were to
improve this statement, I’d change the cliche
beginning (“since I was a child”) and provide
more specificity in what about the program
interested me.

What about the history of these books?
Deep Dive Analysis of a
Sample Statement of
Purpose for Graduate School
Next, we’ll do a paragraph by paragraph
analysis of my statement, statement of purpose
sample four. I’ll analyze its strengths and
suggest ways I could shore up any
weaknesses to make it even stronger.
Essay 1: Academic Interests
To refresh, here’s the first prompt: Please give
a short statement that describes your academic
interests, purpose, objectives and motivation in
undertaking this postgraduate study. (max
3500 chars – approx. 500 words)
Want to improve your GRE score by 7
points? We have the industry's leading GRE
prep program. Built by world-class instructors
with 99th percentile GRE scores, the
program learns your strengths and
weaknesses through machine learning data
science, then customizes your prep program to
you so you get the most effective prep
possible.
Try our 5-day full access trial for free:
Get a great GRE score.
Guaranteed
Paragraph 1
Since I was a child, my favorite thing has
always been a book. Not just for the stories
and information they contain, although that
is a large part of it. Mostly, I have been
fascinated by the concept of book as
object—a tangible item whose purpose is to
relate intangible ideas and images.
Bookbindings and jackets, different editions,
the marginalia in a used book—all of these
things become part of the individual book
and its significance, and are worth study and
consideration. Books and their equivalent
forms—perfect bound, scrolled, stone
tablets, papyrus—have long been an
essential part of material culture and are
also one of our most significant sources of
information about the human historical past.
Through both the literal object of the book,
the words contained thereon, and its
relationship to other books—forms of
context, text and intertext—we are able to
learn and hopefully manage layers of
information with which we would otherwise
have no familiarity.
First, the good: this paragraph does a good
job introducing my academic interest in the
book-as-object, and shows off pre-existing
knowledge both of the study of material culture
and literary theory. Additionally, the language
is engaging: the juxtaposition of “tangible” and
“intangible” in the beginning and phrases like
“perfect bound, scrolled, stone tablets,
papyrus” lend life to the writing and keep the
reader engaged.
If I were to go back and improve this
paragraph, first, I would absolutely change the
first sentence to something less cliche than
talking about my childhood. I might try
something like “My love of books is a
multifaceted thing. I don’t only love them for the
stories and….” Second, I would chill out on
the em dashes a little bit. Three sets in one
paragraph is a little excessive. Finally, I might
actually cut this paragraph down slightly to
make more room word-wise later in the
statement to discuss what specific things about
the program interest me.
The pen really is mightier than the sword when it comes
to your statement of purpose.
Paragraph 2
Furthermore, blogs, webcomics, digital
archives, e-readers, and even social media
sites like tumblr and Facebook have
revolutionized the concept of the book by
changing how we share and transmit ideas
and information, just as the Gutenberg
printing press revolutionized the book all
those years ago in the fifteenth century.
Once again there has been an explosion
both in who can send out information and
who can receive it.
This paragraph briefly and effectively
introduces my other main academic
interest: how new technology has changed the
concept of the book-as-object. The tie-back to
the printing press is a nice touch; it’s a vivid
example that shows that I’m aware of important
historical moments in book history.
Paragraph 3
I am deeply interested in the preservation of
the physical book, as I think it is an
important part of human history (not to
mention a satisfying sensory experience for
the reader). However I am also very
concerned with the digitization and
organization of information for the modern
world such that the book, in all of its forms,
stays relevant and easy to access and use.
Collections of books, archives, and
information as stored in the world’s servers,
libraries and museums are essential
resources that need to be properly
organized and administered to be fully taken
advantage of by their audiences. My
purpose in applying to the University of
Edinburgh’s Material Culture and History of
the Book is to gain the skills necessary to
keep all forms of the book relevant and
functional in an age when information can
move more radically than ever before.
This paragraph actually has a focus
problem. Since it covers two topics, I should
split it into two paragraphs: one on the
integration of my two interests, and one on my
goals and interests in the program. I could also
stand to expand on what features the program
has that interest me: professors I’d like to work
with, particular aspects of the curriculum, etc.
In spite of these things, however, this
paragraph does a good job clearly integrating
the two academic interests related to the
book I introduced in the first two paragraphs.
And the language is still strong—“satisfying
sensory experience” is a great phrase.
However, I’ve been using the word
“information,” a lot; I might try to replace with
appropriate synonyms (like “knowledge”) in a
couple of places.
Paragraph 4
Additionally, I intend on pursuing a PhD in
Library and Information Sciences upon
completion of my master’s and I feel that
this program while make me uniquely suited
 to approach library science from a highly religion and storytelling have been deeply
academic and interdisciplinary perspective. concerned with intertextuality. One of my
courses was specifically concerned with the
This final paragraph offers just quick touch on
Heian-period Japanese novel The Tale of
my future goals beyond the program. It’s
Genji and questions of translation and
typically fine for this to be relatively brief, as it
representation in post-Heian picture scrolls
is here, just so long as you can clearly identify
and also modern translations and manga. In
some future goals.
addition to broader cultural questions
concerned with gender and spirituality both
in historical Japan and now, we considered
the relationships between different Genji
texts and images.
This is a strong, focused paragraph. I relate
my academic background in Folklore and
Mythology to my interests in studying the book,
as well as showing off some of my knowledge
in the area. I also chose and elaborated on a
strong example (my class on the Tale of
Genji) of my relevant coursework.

Paragraph 2

I also have work experience that lends itself

See those goals off in the distance. to the study of the book. After my freshman
year of college I interned at the Chicago
History Museum. Though I was in the visitor
services department I was exposed to the
Essay 2: Relevant Experience preservation and archival departments of
the museum and worked closely with the
The second prompt just asked me to describe education department, which sparked my
my relevant knowledge, training, and skills. interest in archival collections and how
museums present collection information to
the public. After my sophomore year of
college and into my junior year, I worked at
Paragraph 1 Harvard’s rare books library, Houghton. At
Houghton I prepared curated collections for
As a folklore and mythology student, I have archival storage. These collections were
gained a robust understanding of material mostly comprised of the personal papers of
culture and how it relates to culture as a noteworthy individuals, categorized into
whole. I have also learned about the alphabetical folders. This experience made
transmission of ideas, information, stories me very process-oriented and helped me to
and pieces of lore among and between understand how collections come together
populations, which is an important on a holistic basis.
component of book history. Folklore is also
This paragraph also has a clear focus: my past,
deeply concerned with questions of the
relevant work experience. Discussing archival
literary vs. oral lore and the tendency for text
collections and presenting information to the
to “canonize” folklore, and yet text can also
public links the interests discussed in my first
question or invert canonized versions; along
statement with my qualifications in my second
with this my studies in my focus field of
statement. However, if I were to revise this
paragraph, I would add some specific
examples of the amazing things I worked on
and handled at Houghton Library. In that job, I
got to touch Oliver Cromwell’s death mask! An
interesting example would make this paragraph
really pop even more.
correct way to structure a statement of purpose
just so long as it flows well and paragraphs are
structured in a logical way: one topic per
paragraph, with a clear topic and concluding
sentence.

Paragraph 3

Finally, in my current capacity as an

education mentor in Allston, a suburb of
Boston, I have learned the value of book
history and material culture from an
educational perspective. As a mentor who
designs curriculum for individual students
and small groups, I have learned to highly
value clearly organized and useful
educational resources such as websites,
iPad apps, and books as tools for learning.
By managing and organizing collections in a
way that makes sense we are making
information accessible to those who need it. Make sure it’s got that flow.
This final paragraph discusses my current (at
the time) work experience in education and
how that ties into my interest in the history of
the book. It’s an intriguing connection and
More Statement of Purpose
also harkens back to my discussion of Examples
information availability in the paragraph three
of the first statement. Again, if I were to amp We’ve provided you with four great graduate
up this statement even more, I might include school statement of purpose examples from
a specific example of a book-based (or book our graduate school experts. However, if you’re
technology-based) project I did with one of my looking for more, there are other sample letters
students. I worked on things like bookbinding of intent and statements of purpose for
and making “illuminated manuscripts” with graduate school online. We’ve rounded up the
some of my students; those would be best ones here, along with some strengths
interesting examples here. and weaknesses about each example.

This statement is split into two parts by virtue of
the two-prompt format. However, if I were
tointegrate all of this information into one
unified statement of purpose, I would
probably briefly introduce my research
interests, go in-depth on my background, then
circle back around to speak more about my
personal interests and goals and what intrigues
me about the program. There’s not really one
Majortests Statement of Purpose Sample
This is a fairly straightforward, clearly written
statement of purpose sample for a biology
program. It includes useful commentary after
each paragraph about what this statement of
purpose is accomplishing.
 Strengths
 This statement of purpose sample is well-
organized, with clear topic sentences and points
made in each paragraph.
 The student clearly identifies what interests her
about the program.
 The student proactively addresses
questions about why she hasn’t gone directly to
graduate school, and frames her professional
research experience as a positive thing.
 She gives a tiny bit of color about her
personality in a relevant way by discussing her
involvement with the Natural History Society.
Weaknesses
 In general, discussing high school interests is
too far back in time unless the anecdote is very
interesting or unusual. The detail about The
Theory of Evolution is intriguing; the information
about the high school teacher seems irrelevant.
The student should have condensed this paragraph
into a sentence or two.
 While this statement is cogently written and makes
the candidate sound competent and well-qualified,
it’s not exactly the most scintillating piece of writing
out there. Some of the constructions are a little
awkward or cliche. For example, the “many
people have asked me” sentence followed by “the
answer is” is a little bit clunky. This is probably fine
for a STEM program. But just be aware that this
statement is not a paragon of writing style.
Want to improve your GRE score by 7+
points?
Check out our best-in-class online GRE prep
program. We guarantee your money back if
you don't improve your GRE score by 7 points
or more.
PrepScholar GRE is entirely online, and
it customizes your prep program to your
strengths and weaknesses. We also
feature 2,000 practice questions, official
practice tests, 150 hours of interactive lessons,
and 1-on-1 scoring and feedback on your AWA
essays.
Check out our 5-day free trial now:
Get 7 More Points On Your
GRE, Guaranteed
UC Berkeley History Statement of Purpose
Sample
This is a graduate school statement of purpose
example from the UC Berkeley History
department’s PhD program, with annotations
from a professor as to why it’s a successful
statement.
Strengths
 The author is able to very clearly and
articulately lay out her research interests and link
them to past work she has successfully completed,
namely, her thesis.
 She is able to identify several things about the
program and Berkeley that indicate why it is a
good fit for her research interests.
 She addresses the time she spent away from
school and frames it as a positive, emphasizing that
her use of time was well-considered and
productive.
 Her writing is very vivid, with excellent word
choice and great imagery.
Weaknesses
While very well-written and engaging, this
sample statement of purpose for graduate
school is a little bit on the long side! It’s a
little over two single-spaced pages, which is
definitely pushing the limits of acceptable
length. Try to keep yours at 2 pages or less.
Some of the information on the thesis (which
comprises over half of the statement of
 purpose) could be condensed to bring it down
to two pages.
She’s ready to investigate history’s mysteries.
Pharmacy Residency Letter of Intent Sample
This is not technically a sample letter of intent
for graduate school because it’s actually for a
pharmacy residency program. However, this
example still provides illumination as to what
makes a decent graduate school letter of intent
sample.
Strengths
 This is a serviceable letter of intent: the writer
clearly lays out their own goals within the field of
pharmacy, what qualifications they have and how
they’ve arrived at their interests, and how the
program fits their needs.
 The writing is clearly structured and well-
organized.
Weaknesses
 The main weakness is that some of the writer’s
statements come across as fairly generic.For
example, “The PGY-1 Residency Program at UO
Hospitals will provide me with the opportunity to
further develop my clinical knowledge, critical
thinking, teaching, research, and leadership skills”
is a generic statement that could apply to any
residency program. A punchier, more program-
specific conclusion would have amped up this
letter.
 While the writer does a decent job providing
examples of their activities, like working as a tutor
and attending the APhA conference, more
specificity and detail in these examples would
make the statement more memorable.
 There’s a typo in the last paragraph—a “to” that
doesn’t belong! This is an unprofessional blip in an
otherwise solid letter. Read you own letter of intent
aloud to avoid this!
NIU Bad Statement of Purpose Example
This is an ineffective graduate school
statement of purpose example, with
annotations on why it doesn’t work.
Strengths
As you might imagine, the main strength in this
document is as an example of what not to
do.Otherwise, there is little to recommend it.
Weaknesses
 The annotations quite clearly detail the weaknesses
of this statement. So I won’t address them
exhaustively except to point out that this statement
of purpose fails at both content and style.The
author includes irrelevant anecdotes and
lists without offering a decisive picture of interests
or any particular insight into the field. Additionally,
the statement is riddled with grammatical
mistakes, awkward sentence structures, and
strange acronyms.
 You’ll note that the commentary advises you to
“never start with a quote.” I agree that you should
never start with a freestanding quote as in this
example. However, I do think starting with a quote
is acceptable in cases like the Berkeley history
example above, where the quote is brief and then
directly linked to the research interest.
 Statement of Purpose Sample One: Japanese
Studies MA
 Statement of Purpose Sample Two: Music MM
 Statement of Purpose Sample Three: Economics
PhD
 Statement of Purpose Sample Four: History of the
Book MA

Kitty doesn’t like this statement of purpose.

Graduate School Statement

of Purpose Examples: 4 Key
Points
Graduate programs ask for statement of
purpose to hear about your interests and goals
and why you think you and the program would
be a good fit.

There are four key elements to a successful

statement of purpose:

 A clear articulation of your goals and interests

 Evidence of past experiences and success
 Interest and fit with the program
 Strong writing

We’ve provided you with four successful

statement of purpose samples from our
graduate school experts!