Research Guides: Applying for Graduate School: Statement of Purpose

Statement of Purpose

What is a Statement of Purpose?

A Statement of Purpose - sometimes called a Letter or Statement of Intent - is a brief essay explaining your academic background, achievements, and goals.

This is the opportunity to expand upon your accomplishments listed in your resume and explain how they have helped to prepare you for a graduate level program. It is also an opportunity to share research interests and career aspirations to show that you have a plan for the future.

It exists to help the selection committee understand why you specifically (more so than hundreds of other excellent applicants) would be a benefit to their program and why their program would be a benefit to you.

SHSU Writing Resources

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Helpful guides:

A Guide to Writing the Statement of Purpose for Graduate School Applications by Erin Todey
Publication Date: 2025-03-19

This book guides applicants through writing the statement of purpose (SoP) for graduate school applications. It discusses the conventions and expectations of the SoP and the writing process, and includes example SoPs written by students who have been accepted into a graduate program as models.

The Conundrum of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

From SHSU Professor Erin Owens:

With the rapid emergence and adoption of tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini, it may be tempting to use Generative AI to help you write an admissions essay.

But remember: What matters the most in an admissions essay is sharing your authentic voice and your own lived experiences. That is something Generative AI cannot do!

You may think AI tools will write an essay that sounds more like "what is expected," but you risk submitting an essay that just sounds... generic. Not compelling. Redundant to any other student who also asked AI to write their essay.

Start with writing that is authentically yours and authentically representative of YOU. Then, if you're concerned about your mastery of language, you might consider using a Generative AI tool to check your spelling and grammar, or to suggest changes to awkward phrasing,

Just don't fool yourself into thinking that a machine's "voice" could be more interesting than your own.