Statement of Purpose Question

[marianne202]

I have to write a statement of purpose for a post-bac certificate program. I have never had to do one of these and I'm wondering if anyone has any pointers that they have learned from submitting these statements. I'm limited to 300-500 words. I have been looking around some websites, but I'm looking for real feedback from schools. I figured there has to be a few from here that have experience with a statement of purpose!

[bricabrac]

Marianne202

I actually had to complete something similar for one of the two essays I had to submit for my master's application. The first essay was a statement of background and goals. After a lot of research I put together this outline. My letter was 392 words not including address/salutation etc. As you know it is actually much harder to write both concisely and constructively than to be too wordy.

Opening paragraph: Background statement, which was basically the summary from my resume. It is a concise statement of my professional qualifications.

Second paragraph: overview of my professional background – years experience, work ethics/character, specific skills. Just elaborate on the professional highlights.

Third paragraph: A brief overview of the industry in which I work, my career goals in that industry, and how this specific credential will help achieve that goal.

Fourth paragraph: overview on academic education to date. Described how each credential has met my academic goals. I also went into how each of the degrees earned laid the foundation for specific advanced educational and professional goals.

Final paragraph: I summarized dedication and commitment to academic and professional goals. Reiterated what had been accomplished to date and detailed my need for the current credential, how and why it would benefit my future goals.

HTH!

[marianne202]

Thanks Bric! That does help me focus in on the important aspects a little! After writing so many papers in classes, it will be hard to be very brief and to the point, but I will do my best!