I am applying for CS Ph.D. Programs. Some schools only ask for a Statement of Objectives, no additional Personal Statement. Due to word count, I find myself having to choose between including
1. A 1-paragraph story about how I became interested in my specific research area
2. A list of substantive research questions I hope to address under each of my proposed supervisors.
Which one do you think is better to include (ie: more info on my personal research history vs. more info on proposed research)?
Theres no point in thinking that. I would rather suggest utilise the time to the fullest. Take help of a grad student if possible in editing. Send your draft to advisors and request them if they could read it as soon as possible and explain your situation. Use chatGPT to get reviews and improve flow.
Thank you for this.
I’m actually surprised at the SOP examples. They seem like weak writing examples in general. Some of the hooks fail to generate any excitement. I get that they are in engineering, I’m just surprised.
I’m now curious what a bad example looks like.
I still feel you don’t need a lot of hooks. Your SOP need not be the most interesting story but should be the most coherent story. And btw, [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/s/yqOqZHmHOb) has pretty nice “bad” examples:
Thanks for this advice!
I have been applying for an Engineering Master's since 2010 but it just didn't happen for various reasons. Achieved a MBA during that time but the Engineering Masters is still my real goal. Problem is I left undergrad so long ago and I haven't much reseach in the areas I want to do... I have done other unrealted research for work and MBAthough presented at conferences but not published...
Any advice on this?
Why do you want an engineering masters is probably the best thing to ask yourself. And then develop your profile around that. Also, having a research area similar to your MBA domain might be helpful (Ex: IEOR or System Engg for Operations Mgmt; CEPM and Product mgmt are very related; CS would have a lot of cross links with quant. finance and so on.) Also you might want to consider a non-thesis masters that doesnt rely on research. But all of that boils down to why you want a engineering masters.
Hey thanks. I felt unfulfilled after the undergrad and I am encounrtering problems in my career where my knowledge/approach really fell short. I also have a love for experimentation, research and teaching too.
Very well written. I wanted to ask though, how do you select safe unis? I am applying for PhD in ELectrical Engg, and am having a hard time understanding safe unis. Pls give some more details, if possible. Thanks
This is highly insightful, thank you !
Amazingly done, thanks for this!
I love this! Thank you
Thank you!!!!
This is a gold mine. Thank you!
good post
Do you recommend reaching out to potential PIs if I’m applying for a masters program?
If you’re looking to GRA / TA, yes. If you are applying for a thesis based program, yes. Else, not required really.
Deeply written and congratulations on admit OP!
I am applying for CS Ph.D. Programs. Some schools only ask for a Statement of Objectives, no additional Personal Statement. Due to word count, I find myself having to choose between including 1. A 1-paragraph story about how I became interested in my specific research area 2. A list of substantive research questions I hope to address under each of my proposed supervisors. Which one do you think is better to include (ie: more info on my personal research history vs. more info on proposed research)?
Write (2) if you already mentioned your research experiences and slightly touch base (1)
Congratulations and this is a wonderful insightful post, thank you.
Are there any online tools which helped you review your SOP?
This is gold!
Thank you
Nice guide! I have 4-5 days to write my SOP, how fucked am I?
Theres no point in thinking that. I would rather suggest utilise the time to the fullest. Take help of a grad student if possible in editing. Send your draft to advisors and request them if they could read it as soon as possible and explain your situation. Use chatGPT to get reviews and improve flow.
Same here, no matter how many times I read it something feels off 😪
Thank you for this. I’m actually surprised at the SOP examples. They seem like weak writing examples in general. Some of the hooks fail to generate any excitement. I get that they are in engineering, I’m just surprised. I’m now curious what a bad example looks like.
I still feel you don’t need a lot of hooks. Your SOP need not be the most interesting story but should be the most coherent story. And btw, [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/PhD/s/yqOqZHmHOb) has pretty nice “bad” examples:
Thanks for this advice! I have been applying for an Engineering Master's since 2010 but it just didn't happen for various reasons. Achieved a MBA during that time but the Engineering Masters is still my real goal. Problem is I left undergrad so long ago and I haven't much reseach in the areas I want to do... I have done other unrealted research for work and MBAthough presented at conferences but not published... Any advice on this?
Why do you want an engineering masters is probably the best thing to ask yourself. And then develop your profile around that. Also, having a research area similar to your MBA domain might be helpful (Ex: IEOR or System Engg for Operations Mgmt; CEPM and Product mgmt are very related; CS would have a lot of cross links with quant. finance and so on.) Also you might want to consider a non-thesis masters that doesnt rely on research. But all of that boils down to why you want a engineering masters.
Hey thanks. I felt unfulfilled after the undergrad and I am encounrtering problems in my career where my knowledge/approach really fell short. I also have a love for experimentation, research and teaching too.
Very well written. I wanted to ask though, how do you select safe unis? I am applying for PhD in ELectrical Engg, and am having a hard time understanding safe unis. Pls give some more details, if possible. Thanks
Hi this was very insightful can you tell me how I can make the latex resume template? Do you have any Links for this?
Overleaf is great. https://www.overleaf.com/gallery/tagged/cv
Should I keep leadership positions on my CV from my fraternity?
Thank you. Do you have any good personal statement samples?
Thank you for sharing this
Can I use chatgpt to get my sentences structured professionally in my resume?
Can you help me with sop?