Letters Of Intent 715g6t

Graduate School Letters of Intent

Grace Bernhardt MSU Writing Center Adapted from presentation materials developed by Jill McKay, Stephanie Sheffield, and Kym Buchanan

About the Writing Center  Main Writing Center 300 Bessey Hall M-F 9-5 By appointment 432-3610 Stop by and talk to receptionist  Library Satellite Across from Cybercafe Sun-Th 3-10 p.m. Walk-in only First-come, first-served

Letters of Intent Also known as: Letter of introduction Personal statement/essay Statement of professional interests Statement of career goals

The MAPS Tool MAPS is a tool to help you through the writing process. It is a tool for thinking, planning, writing, evaluating, and reflecting. Mode Audience Purpose Situation

Mode What are the characteristics of a letter of intent? Are there conventions or standards for the formal features of a letter of intent? What format would be most effective? How might you organize/structure your document?

Mode, cont’d Does it have a title? What language is most appropriate? How can we use examples? How should we use examples?

Audience  We can write a more effective letter of intent if we have a clear understanding of the audience we are writing for.  Who will read your letter of intent? In most cases, we're talking about faculty who teach in the program that you're applying to.  How much do you know about the department to which you are applying? Do your research!

Audience, cont’d What do we know about their expectations for your letter of intent? What do they hope to learn from it? What kinds of evidence do they privilege? How does it factor into their decisionmaking process?

Purpose What is the purpose of a letter of intent? If you're trying to convince someone of something, what is it?

Again, put yourself in your reader’s position—What is the department’s purpose in asking you to submit this document?

Purpose, cont’d What do you expect your letter of intent to accomplish for you? What impression do you want to leave with your reader(s)? How does the letter of intent function within the application process? How does it relate to other materials, like forms, cover letters, references, CV, etc.?

Situation Strategy What do you know about the particular school and program you're applying to (that maybe other applicants may not know)? What is it about your skill set, experience, or interests that sets you apart?

Situation, cont’d Planning What resources are available to you that might help you write your letter of intent? How can you build in time for and revision?

Logistics What are the university guidelines? When is your application due?

So what might a letter of intent look like?  Introduction  Catchy example that shows your interest in the field  Mention the program you are applying for

 ing paragraphs detailing your background and skills that relate to the program  Address questions they asked  Summarize your qualifications and establish fit  Detail your long term goals

 Conclusion  Tie together loose ends  Reiterate your interest in the program

Sample Prompts  MSU: asc.msu.edu/programs/application.html All applicants are required to submit a one-page personal statement giving an academic and intellectual biography and reasons for seeking the degree.

 Northwestern:

www.communication.northwestern.edu/csd/programs/g raduate The statement of purpose should be limited to 500 words. At the bottom of your statement of purpose, please list the following essay question and your answer to it. “In your opinion, what are the two areas of communication sciences and disorders that interest you the most and why?” (please do NOT use anecdotes in your answer)

Sample Prompts  Western Michigan University: www.wmich.edu/hhs/sppa/graduate/ission.ht ml Discuss the reasons you have decided upon a career in speech-language pathology or audiology, any plans you have for advanced training, your eventual professional objectives, including job settings and disorder types that are of special interest to you, and the reasons you are applying to Western Michigan University. Additionally, in view of this department’s interest in promoting diversity of background and experience within the profession, feel free to describe any way in which your ission might further this goal.

Sample Prompts What area of speech-language pathology are you interested in focusing on and why? What faculty member would you like to have as a mentor and why? What your career goals? What, in your opinion, are the two most important unresolved issues in the field? How could these be addressed through research?

Challenges Find a way to make your story unique and interesting. Be specific. Don’t just say you will make a good speech pathologist—back this up with evidence from previous experience.

Create a first paragraph that will really hook the reader and keep their interest.

Things to Avoid  Clichés and anecdotes, too much personal information “I’ve always wanted to help people” “I want to make a difference” Your goal is to convince the issions committee that you are serious about doing graduate level work.  Careless mistakes in grammar, spelling, typos  Making stuff up!

Things to Avoid Including experiences from high school Controversial subjects Don't be tempted to use the same letter for all applications—your audience will know if you try this. Tailor your response to each set of questions being asked.

Strategies for Revision You are writing to discover, so revision may be critical to weed out things that are less interesting or less relevant Be sure you answer the question Be specific Will the committee know enough about what you're writing about? Will the committee feel bored or condescended?

Strategies for Revision Managing length Stay within length requirement Cutting or expanding What's most important? What's worth repeating? Think themes Think flow Think arguments and evidence (more, less)

Strategies for Revision Save everything Read it aloud Awkward phrases or sentences Quality of writing reflects on you Have someone else read it Writing must stand on its own Someone with experience in the field Someone with experience on issions committees

Resources  The Writing Center can help! Make an appointment at main Writing Center Stop by the Library walk-in hours

 Talk to an advisor at the Career Services Office Make an appointment online at: www.csp.msu.edu/students/advising

Online resources  MSU Career Services Office www.csp.msu.edu/students/advanceddegrees /writing-a-personal-statement  UC Berkeley Career Center Advice career.berkeley.edu/Grad/GradStatement.stm  Purdue Writing Center Advice: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/ p_perstate.html