Erin Todey

Courses

• UST 3020 (Introduction to Research II)
• UST 4010 (McNair Senior Seminar I)

Resource

• A Guide to Writing the Statement of Purpose for Graduate School Applications

Case Study

The statement of purpose (SoP) is an important part of the graduate school application, but it often presents challenges for writers. Based on a study exploring the rhetorical structure of SoPs from 32 disciplines, this OER introduces writers to the SoP framework (experiences, motivation, and fit to program) and guides them through the early writing stages. The OER also provides 10 annotated SoPs written by McNair Scholars who were accepted into graduate programs; these model texts show how writers from diverse disciplines have successfully chosen to use the SoP framework to tell their story and show their motivation to pursue a graduate degree. While there are guidebooks for "personal statements" available, they are not necessarily empirically-driven. Ultimately, the OER intends to increase awareness of this hidden genre and to make this important writing task more accessible, especially for historically marginalized populations.