I’m still feeling sick but my co-workers have been so lovely ♥ It feels more like Christmas in here; I’ve been gifted peppermint hot chocolate (my favorite ♥), and cough drops (both the ‘candy’ Ludens and Halls) and they moved Reginald (our giant huge reindeer who will eventually be going out to the gazebo for the holidays but he’s in the office right now and he’s so soft into my office cube so I can pet him and everyone is sending me their packet information for our village board early so I don’t have to bug them about it later. Gosh ♥ Bonus I get to dress as a super comfy hedgie all day and everyone keeps saying I’m adorable xDDD They’re so nice ♥
SOPs for Master's Programs, An Offering to the Void!!
Finding examples of successful Statements of Purpose for applying to Graduate school is quite difficult! This post, using my successful SOP for grad school, is a simple attempt to offer assistance in the writing and editing of an SOP.
This info can apply to Bachelor level SOP’s too - it’s just a different context!
Details are below the cut. Note: long!
There is additional highlighting and interlinear notes in the google drive doc, and the ability to jump across headings, found here!!
Although it should be obvious, it does bear stating - please do not plagiarize my writing in part or wholesale.
Rather, use this as a guide on how answering the prompt might get structured in the actual SOP, and how much word count real estate is dedicated to each part of the SOP prompt.
For privacy, I’ve put filler for names and locations. Otherwise, the grammar, diction, and overall structure remains the same from the copy I submitted in my application, and thus should still be useful.
(Also, there are some faq specifics breaking down the process of write/edit/write at the very end. Useful for SOPs and in general perhaps, ymmv).
Hope this is both interesting, and helpful!
The prompt at the time from my School, for the SOP:
Statement of purpose: Approximately 1,000 words explaining your reasons for choosing to undertake graduate work in English, your intellectual training, areas of interest, and why you have chosen to apply to School of Interest.
The Statement Of Purpose:
Undertaking graduate studies in English is the natural next step as I grow as a human in my social and academic communities, as I advance my teaching skills, and as I pursue a career that includes writing, language usage, and research. While the intricacies of the English language have always fascinated me, it was through my Bachelors degree that I gained foundational knowledge about the socio-cultural and linguistic history of it. Because of these experiences, I'm even more invested in studying language and literature; these are also part of why I see graduate work in English as the enticing and obvious next step in my studies. Additionally, my work as a tutor at the Mysterious Tutoring Center in A Nearby City has reconfirmed my aptitude for teaching, especially with reading, writing, and language instruction. I’m driven to matriculate from School of Choice’s MA either directly into an editing or analytics career, or to a PhD program focused on one of my areas of interest.
My intellectual studies and training primarily occurred during my Bachelor's degree, which I earned cum laude in Year. I majored in English and Medieval Studies, and minored in Linguistics and Creative Writing. I delighted in gaining a broad knowledge of the English language, chronologically and across these interconnected disciplines. I have a solid foundation in English and British literature, and am familiar with how stylistic periods like Romanticism are demarcated (and, in fact, fueled) by historical events. I had the opportunity to study Old English in my last academic year, part of which focused on reading, and speaking, the text of Beowulf. Simultaneously, I studied Old Norse (or Old Icelandic) across two trimesters, in an advanced reading and discussion course, utilizing E.V. Gordon’s An Introduction to Old Norse, 2nd Edition. Both of these language and literature studies offered key development in the precision and relevancy of my analysis and translation.
Another essential part of my Bachelor’s was “The Special Creative Writing Workshop.” During this year-long creative writing program, I studied fiction intensively, and produced a Special Inquiry Essay – the workshop’s cumulative thesis – investigating the relationship between first-person omniscience, and how the points-of-view of different types of narrators can support that omniscience. With several years hindsight, the essay needs a narrower focus on the texts I synthesized, such as Jorge Luis Borges’ “Borges and I,” and Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. Dissecting how creative writing techniques facilitate the story and thus thematic elements is an area of fascination for me. I easily envision myself using these creative writing lenses in conjunction with rhetorical and cultural analysis frameworks during the Master’s.
In a natural extension of my undergraduate studies, the Medieval era is of interest, particularly in the Scandinavian countries and in Britain. While understanding that the English language and literature are intimately entwined with knowing the associated cultural and linguistic history, there are other areas that I’d like to explore in depth during my Master’s of English. The intersection of gender and literature, studied cross-culturally, is very important to me. This is an area of study that my academic experience has lacked so far, and so I’m excited by the opportunity to investigate these areas with professors at School of Interest. Critical theory is an area of study that’s increasingly essential; I hope to investigate it in the context of political theory, in order to better understand how literature and rhetorical arguments are used tactically in the political sphere. Lastly, I’m interested in Twentieth Century literature from a global perspective, synthesizing how cultures understand and tell stories of human bodies and gender identity. I’m looking forward to narrowing my focus among these interests as I proceed with the Masters, especially for the Optional M.A. Essay. The structure of this essay is an essential opportunity to further my writing and research experience in preparation for pursuing a PhD in English.
A final area of interest is in teaching. My tutoring work among all ages at the Mysterious Tutoring Center has helped refine my career goals. Working with younger students and getting to see the real impact on their literacy is deeply fulfilling. That said, tutoring work I’ve done with older students in prep for the SAT, for teaching essay revision and writing styles, have all demonstrated my further aptitude for teaching older students. Earning the Master’s of English at School of Interest gives me the prerequisite skills and qualifications to pursue teaching at collegiate levels.
School of Interest is the right school to advance my academic and intellectual training for several reasons. That the school is known for fostering a diverse, accepting, and supportive academic community is critical. I believe that having supportive peers and faculty is a key part of supporting peoples’ growth as critical thinkers and ethical community members. Of even more importance, many of the professors and faculty have fields and specializations that align with my areas of interest. This assures me that School of Interest faculty will best support me toward pursuing an editing career, or toward further education in a PhD program. The overlap also assures me that my areas of interest will be a support to current faculty and fellow students; I’m excited to join the ongoing conversations, and learn even more in a collaborative environment.
Overall, my decision to pursue the M.A. in English at School of Interest is driven by genuine passion for the language and literature, a commitment to rigorous growth and study, and a desire to contribute meaningfully to the academic community. I look forward to advancing my rhetorical skills, in conjunction with my teaching, in order to better serve students. School of Interest is the ideal choice in all respects for studying the English language and literature, and the socio-cultural history thereof; I can’t wait to begin.
Word count in my successful application: 952
Word count in this modded copy: 963
Presumed FAQ / SOP Writing / General Writing Advice:
How does this SOP reflect me as a writer/person?
I’m a rather literal person at times, and I am often terrible at telling jokes/perceiving jokes. I do like being poetic sometimes, but not at the expense of being clear and direct (...unless a point cannot be expressed except via poetry…), especially in contexts that want some clear answers to specific questions (an SOP as a case in point). My writing reflects that: In the SOP, I don’t use any metaphors/similes to describe/contextualize my writing, experience, or goals. Once I state a fact of my skills/experience, it’s rarely repeated. My goals, though, do get repeated/reinforced a little.
I see the MA as about developing rhetorical and analytical skills, learning about genres, styles, historical context, etc. Synthesizing analytical frameworks with works of writing, and being able to understand why and how these writings are structured, and what they communicate. These are in fact some of my academic goals. All of this requires clear writing, the ability to interconnect ideas, etc. My SOP is, in itself, an example of my ability to complete those things, and my aspiration for those goals, how I balance writing about complicated things (...writing sample of course is primary proof of the latter, tho). My writing also reflects how I like things -- organized, flowing from one thing to the next, with a little bit of interweaving of topics/ideas.
I also love to understand the intersection of culture, linguistics, and history, with a given work of writing. My Bachelor’s degree reflects this, and it’s also demonstrated in the interests I have for the Master’s.
A point of contrast is James McGirk’s successful MFA SOP, one of the few I found to guide myself. Found here: http://jamesmcgirk.com/mfa-personal-statement/. He writes in a direct style as well, but it’s much more a narrative than mine (which is very fitting for his MFA fiction program). He provides essential details of his intellectual training, his inspiration, what he’s lacking, and his goals for the program, all at the same time as telling a bit of his life story and work history, and the story of how all of those things came about for him. It’s both incredibly succinct, and incredibly detailed; his word count lands at 503 words. Specific word choice tells a story: “dragged” in his second sentence gives the impression of reluctance; McGirk, the kid carted around at his parents behest. Different choice of verbs in this context – traveled, lived, explored – could get across the same facts, but with less emotional context, and less development of the story of his experience. Choosing a verb like “dragged” over others is what makes a piece of writing have your voice and not others. For McGirk, this experience was of being dragged (negative experience); for a different kid and different context, it could have been “explored” or even “adventured” (positive experiences). McGirk telling a story of himself in his SOP is thematically relevant for his application; his SOP is demonstrating his storytelling skills in itself, proof for the storytelling work he’ll have to do in the MFA, even as it communicates the factual details that the SOP needs to have.
Key things that we both ultimately have in common? Clear demonstration of the training we currently have, an understanding of what we currently lack, and statement of what we want to accomplish through the program.
Back to my SOP - How the heck did I start writing?
As the corresponding highlighting indicates (between prompt and essay), I first broke the prompt into the Big Ideas that I needed to answer.
Then, for each of those ideas, I brainstormed facts/examples/details and made a little list and collection of sentence fragments. Then, those turned into full sentences and paragraphs – the very first draft. It was rough, jagged edges, no pretty transitions.
Expect your first draft to go over word count. That’s normal! It’s also normal to be under-count!! Both of these states have happened to me, and will no doubt continue to happen. First drafts are mainly about getting complete sentences written, and then put in the barest of bare minimum structure of some organized thought. And that’s the writing done! (for now.)
But… the word count??
Word count is just about the last thing to worry about when it comes to writing SOPs (or anything that requires a word count, really). Word count generally gets fixed by editing, not by writing… unless you’re really short of words. In theory, content editing and line edit will do the brunt of the work to getting the correct word count. Editing to reduce word count is also part of what makes your writing more precise. Editing to get rid of passive voice, for example. Passive voice generally uses more words to communicate information; changing to active voice can make your grammar less complex, and also reduce that word count. But again, worrying specifically about this is the last thing we do! First, we need to figure out if we’ve even answered the prompt yet!
So what, that’s it for writing? What’s next then?
Yup, first bit of writing is done! Now, it’s development editing (which secretly include writing, but writing with a specific goal)!
Think of editing like this:
A beautiful triangle, but upside down, so the widest part of the triangle is at the top. And the narrowest part of the triangle is at the bottom, and is the “last” thing you do for the piece of writing.
The different stages tend to overlap a little as you go along. You might notice a paragraph level issue as you think about the structure of the whole essay/statement, for example. But overall, this triangle represents a gradient of editing, where as you resolve big picture things, your editing focus narrows to more specific and more detailed changes in the essay/statement. This editing process also reflects what essays themselves do – take a big idea/question, and get specific about part of it. Then going into detail, and arriving at pointed conclusions — and finished works.
Development Edit??
This one’s pretty much on the tin. We look over the writing, and see if we really do have the key big ideas, the key parts of the SOP prompt written down. Ask yourself questions, try to think about things from different angles/ POV’s.
Is there context missing? Do we really state why, specifically, we want This One School? What are the benefits of This One School, that might not be found elsewhere? And not just its location or its cost! Does the structure of the program match your goals? Does the length of the program, or any perks it has?
Structural Edit??
Getting into this phase, we think we have the SOP prompt mostly answered. We’ve got the key info. Now we’re making the essay organized.
In mine, for example, my first paragraph acts almost as a thesis, demonstrating what the subsequent paragraphs of the SOP will discuss, and also what order that discussion will happen. In my first paragraph, the order mostly goes pink (why a Master’s), orange (academic training), green (interests), blue (why school). That pattern mostly continues through the rest of the SOP. My second paragraph and part of the third are all orange. End of the second and all of the third paragraph are green. A bit of red and blue get interwoven, since it’s logical that my orange academic training and my green interests are what drive me to want a Master’s, and drive me to a specific school. Paragraphs six and seven are almost entirely blue - why specific school. For me, this makes a strong conclusion to the SOP – showing that I have clear goals and drive to graduate from the program, and that I know why this school is right for me, and I for it.
The red (why a Master’s) is the only thing of the prompt that I don’t dedicate a paragraph to. Info for that is woven throughout, and is partly answered in the blue text itself as well.
Why this order for everything?
Academic training is, for me, a foundation for all the rest, and so after the “introduction/thesis” of the first paragraph, I liked to have academic training be the very next topic. This info contextualizes all the rest for readers. This goes naturally into my interests… and then my interests drive what school I choose, and how my goals will be met a Specific School.
It’s entirely valid to use a different structure, though!
Fronting the blue, about why school, makes a lot of sense too. Putting that info in the second paragraph sets up the why a Master’s and why this program in the same paragraph. Stating the importance of those things, your goals for the program. Then, it would transition to why qualified… next paragraphs about training (orange). The green (interests) might be the interwoven thing, in this case. It would be touched on in the why program. It would be touched on in training as well… did your training inspire current interests? Or are your interests something new or beyond what the training was?
Whatever you start in the first paragraph, keep that pattern/organization.
Content Edit??
This is getting back into writing, but on a more detailed level than the first draft and the broad development edit view. This is looking at each paragraph on its own. And also thinking about the bridge (or transition) from one paragraph and to the next. Are the ideas expressed clearly? Are there details missing? Are there too many details that are distracting from the “topic” of each paragraph? During this, you might be adding sentences that are interweaving info (that had been missing) into appropriate spots in the statement.
In content (and in line) edits, we also think about the tone and voice. Is the style – academic versus casual – consistent across the topics/paragraphs?
During this, we touch on word count a little. Are there parts that are irrelevant or tangential? Can we make this part shorter, express the same idea with less?
Line Edit??
At this stage we’re getting narrow – thinking about each sentence. Is a sentence really long – unnecessarily so, or is the length because of expressing a complex idea? Are there sentences in the passive voice, which could be written instead in the active, and thus be shorter?
Is there any unnecessary repetition - perhaps of adverbs or adjectives? Are there more precise alternatives, or could we delete for clarity and/or word count?
This might also touch on style and word choice. Is that higher diction word choice really the one you need? Or is the “simpler” version better, just for clarity’s sake. For example, using “shows” versus the various “demonstrates,” “proves,” “exhibits,” “displays,” “presents,” and etc.
Final Proof??
Self explanatory, I think? Find a friend to help, perhaps. If not, then change the font or size of the text. Change to a different word processor. Read aloud as slowly as possible, to read every word. Find ways to “see” the writing with fresh or different eyes, and look for those sneaky minor errors. Spelling. Punctuation. Verb conjugation – are you consistently using past and present tense at the right times? Point of View - do you only use a first person pronon once in the whole statement? Would consistency be better with only using third person? Do you accidentally use slang, or more casual writing?
Editing for word count – how do I do it?
Ideally, the brunt of managing the word count is done during content and line edits. But if at the end, we’ve still got too many words…
Process-wise, this is just rereading, over and over, checking what can be changed and what cannot.
First, double check - can any transitions or conjunctions be shorter? Have we cut non-essential adverbs? Do we need to reduce adjectives, any poetic or descriptive language? Do we have repeating words or phrases that are all expressing the same idea already? Can we use abbreviations for the school name or other organizations?
If we’ve already done all of that, then we need to cycle back up to content editing, and if desperate, development editing. This is backtracking and thinking about our Big Ideas… can we make the examples of them shorter? Or reduce how much space is dedicated to a given topic? Are we sure this info isn’t already stated elsewhere in the application?
Development and structure, then, what are things I left out of the SOP?
I didn’t feel the need to state the actual name of the school where I earned my Bachelor’s. That info is listed in the resume required by the application, and in the secondary form of the application where you fill in prior education history. I didn’t need to use word count to state that fact, already found elsewhere. Also, the name of the school is more-or-less less important than what I learned there. Also also, just saying “Bachelor’s” is more succinct than the full school name.
I only wrote out the full name of the Master’s program school once or twice, and used abbreviations for all other references.
I didn’t talk about some of my other recent job history… In the interim since earning my Bachelor’s, I’ve mostly worked in restaurants. While that’s been great for my Spanish speaking skills, and my interpersonal skills, details about restaurant are less-than-relevant for Master’s level academic work. So, if your current work history isn’t directly related to your program of choice, or demonstrating a key skill for it, I’d say don’t include that work history. Also, it’s prob already in your resume, so.
A sidenote: The tutoring work that I’ve done I only use in the SOP as proof of teaching capability (I was trying to be a Graduate Teaching Assistant…didn’t get chosen for that, alas), and also as part of what led me to desire Master’s level work in order to be qualified to teach older students/college level students. If I had a lower max word count (like, 750), I probably would have cut this information.
I didn’t talk about the writing sample I submitted for the application. The writing sample I used was an essay from one of the English classes focused on the Medieval time period, which I edited and expanded to fit the application’s page count requirements (15-20 pg sample). My thought is that the writing sample should speak for itself. Meanwhile, the SOP is about things the writing sample can’t say/demonstrate.
I didn’t talk about how I had to withdraw from one of the terms of my Bachelor’s for a legit medical reason (.... it was back surgery 🙃). I did have this info in early drafts of my SOP, but ended up cutting it for a couple reasons. For one, this info is in a note on my official transcript already. And ultimately, the withdrawal didn’t dramatically affect my GPA, or what my Bachelor’s accomplished. It just made my graduation term bumped out to a Fall term (a weird time, but eh). Also, trying to include this information in a logical way was making my second paragraph too dense, and the medical info was distracting readers from the more interesting/important info – my intellectual training. I also couldn’t make it fit nicely in the first paragraph, and it definitely wasn’t topical to anything in the third paragraph and beyond.
I didn’t talk about the Honor and Professional Organizations that I’m part of… both from during Bachelor’s and now. Those are mentioned in resume. And often, there's the extra form to fill in, on the online application. And SOP didn’t have a direct question about these… and they don’t directly contribute to my training – that is mostly in classes.
So the content of the SOP… what do I include and exclude?
Well, first priority is to answer the school’s SOP prompt. I cannot overstate that. That is a number one basic thing that the application reviewers will look for. Word count allowing, then you think about secondary things.
Secondary things… what are things that I can include, can state/demonstrate relevantly in the SOP, that cannot be found anywhere else in the application (not in resume, writing sample, other Q’s, and other form questions). Similarly, use different annecdotes to prove skills/experiences throughout the application.
And on the flip – to an extent, exclude things from the SOP that can already be found elsewhere. A little info might overlap, because in the SOP I need to contextualize the info somehow. But overall as little overlap as possible. And in editing the SOP, look for things that don’t answer the prompt, and cut them. What these things are… it's gonna vary based on the SOP prompt, what your program is, and word count.
Disclaimer: Some reblogs and/or posts (tagged or not, accounting for human error) may be considered 18+, whether for artistic purposes or for intentional spicyness and innuendo. Please browse with your own discretion in mind.
About Icy:
I am a genderfluid and pansexual entity. He/they/she are all good pronouns for me.
At least so far, it's rare that I post anything personal. If I do, you can find it (or block it) from #icy or #about icy.
Miscellaneous Fun Facts:
Favorite color is Orange - especially Hex #fb8b23 - but really, all forms of orange are amazing. I have a cat named Musichetta, and for short, Chet or Chetta. The name comes from a very minor character in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. Fall 2024, I'm starting a Master's of English program; I'm incredibly excited. Reading/writing/research are all up my alley. I'm happy to answer any Q's about writing personal statements, revising essays, or navigating academic-style english.
Find me on: AO3 as archer_nebulae for posted fic and to browse my many, many bookmarks.
#icyfic for any fic things by me, here on Tumblrton.
#fic, for others' writing or writing advice related to fic.
Asks of any sort are welcome, and can be found under #asks.
Links for Fandom Tags and Other Tags below:
(these also constitute an incomplete accounting of what interests me, and what you may stumble across on this blog)
Across all fandoms/media forms, I use: art, comic, video, and meme.
Things regarding languages might be under that, or language, or also: english, spanish, japanese, old english. Also, langauge learning. And pun (or puns).
writing is its own tag, usually with advice/prompts/process stuff. For the result, usually non-fic, I use story.
Fandom-specific, that are pretty current, not exhaustive:
bionicle, including toa mata, toa nuva, and toa metru. With kopaka and pohatu as favorites.
star trek (tos or ds9), including kirk, spock, mccoy, uhura, bashir.
transformers, including thundercracker, starscream, and soundwave.
les mis for Les Misérables, including grantaire and bossuet.
legend of zelda
one piece
lupin iii, à la Lupin the Third, including lupin, jigen, goemon, and fujiko.
List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers 💜💜
An ask!! This ask makes me happy.
But we'll count a different thing as one of the five hehe.
Reading - all sorts. Fic primarily. But also novels/short stories. Human interest stories. And academic stuff too, when the topic compels me.
Musichetta - my cat. Named from a very minor character in Les Misérables.
Orange. Hex #fb8b23. Anything orange, but especially this one.
Visiting my friends :D
Watching my brother play video games; he's cool :D
OOC: I finished watching the first three seasons of Winx + the Lost Kingdom movie (which takes place post-Season 3) and I can state now that I will not be using any canon material about Icy from beyond Season 3.
I’m aware that Icy’s backstory was retconned in Season 8, but I will not be using it in my interpretation of her (unless I come across anyone RPing Icy’s little sister from season 8, which in that case please discuss this with me in IMs). Thanks for understanding!
This also means that Icy’s bio + verses are now fully updated! Please feel free to check them out. XD
OOC: Though I’m aware that Icy canonically had a crush of sorts on Darkor and Valtor in Seasons 2 + 3 (mainly Valtor), I won’t be RPing her that way on this blog. Why? Because:
1. Icy was a former Cloud Tower student before Darkor + Valtor picked up her and the rest of the Trix to serve them in Seasons 2 + 3. Meaning that Icy would’ve still been pretty young. Even if she theoretically did age a year per season, she’s still fairly young (barely just under 20 or so) and Valtor and Darkor are MUCH older than she is. I would have less of an issue if Icy was a full-fledged adult well into her late 20s or so, but she isn’t. Plus, Valtor is WAY older than Icy + the Trix by several years (his history goes all the way back to him being around Griffin + Bloom’s parents)
2. The way the show wrote the Trix eventually fighting with each other over Valtor felt really rushed and underdeveloped to me. At first they saw him as an ally which makes sense, sure, but fighting over him as a potential romantic interest felt way too weird considering their main dynamic as allies. Additionally, the Trix was basically pretty united throughout the first two seasons, so seeing them split apart over ONE PERSON (even if it was Valtor) felt a bit out-of-character for me as a viewer.
Considering the above points (especially point 1), I will NOT be RPing Icy trying to woo Darkor and Valtor in the verses associated with them or in any related threads. She looks up to them because of their power + because they were allied vs. Bloom and the Winx at the time, sure, but in a platonic sense like general allies.
OOC: A list of what I have about Icy so far in terms of romance + sexuality... (subject to potentially change)
Icy is biromantic. She’s always had a thing for ladies but is also equally capable of interest in dudes.
As for sexality, I’m still currently trying to figure that out for sure but I think she’d be in the bisexual/pansexual area when it comes to sexuality. (Of course, I won’t be having any smut on this specific blog since Icy is barely an adult depending on which verse she’s in and I’m not comfortable doing so with her or any of the other muses on this blog.)
When it comes to talking about sex + romance, Icy isn’t afraid to talk about it. She’s also not afraid to be to-the-point (”You’ve got a crush on X peron, don’t you?” or “I’ve seen you making eyes at Z person, I KNOW you want to get with them”) when talking about relationships and all the associated stuff with others. She’s not oblivious to people having complicated romances and so on.
((Also wanted to mention that Icy’s bio has been updated a little bit since I finished watching Season 2! I’ll be starting Season 3 tomorrow.))
