WRITING STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Before you write your statement of purpose, I recommend that you check out the link below that provides some suggestions of what NOT to include in your statement of purpose. It is from a blog written by a professor, and there is some useful discussion after the initial blog post. I have not seen any statements of purpose on the web that I think are great examples for psychology. However, I think that the blog below gives some excellent advice that applies to all scientific fields, including psychology. It also applies to more applied graduate programs, such as Mental Health Counseling or Performance Management, etc. Different people will give different advice on how to write your statement, so you should seek input from different professors and grad students. However, as a general rule, I personally think the statement of purpose should only briefly indicate how you got interested in the field to which you are applying, particularly if your interest began at a young age. The primary focus of the statement should be on how you went about preparing yourself for graduate/professional school. Your statement will overlap with your vita/resume, but the statement provides a compelling narrative to show how you are developing into a young professional. It should not just be a list of things you did, as is true for your vita/resume. In your statement of purpose, you should describe your research and applied experiences in more detail than you would in a vita/resume. Also, for apprenticeship programs (where students are accepted to work in the lab of a particular professor), indicate why and with whom you wish to work with at that university. I think it is fine to indicate more than one person, as long as you don't list more than 2 or 3.

See link below for what NOT to include in your statement.

http://chronicle.com/article/Leave-Dr-Seuss-Out-of-It/126098/?sid=wb&utm_source=wb&utm_medium=en

My Best, Dr. Licht