Writing a Statement of Purpose Letter for Graduate School
Applications
A Statement of Purpose letter should mention the following: “1) your interests in
psychology and how you came to have those interests, 2) your goals and ambitions in the field of
psychology, and 3) how the program to which you are applying can help you to achieve those
goals,” as stated by Dr. Karen Kemtes (a whole PowerPoint presentation on applying to graduate
school can be found on the Cluster Server in the “Lab Meetings and Presentations” folder). A
Statement of Purpose letter does NOT tell your whole life story. Thus, do not to begin your
statement with “I was born in…”; doing so will make you look “unsophisticated and naïve.”
When talking about your interests in psychology, avoid generic phrases such as “I want to
practice psychology so I can help people”. This statement is overly used and does not add much
to the letter. Would anyone want to practice psychology to hurt people? Possibly try to think
about a human problem that evokes your desire to practice psychology. – Linda J. Hayes and
Steven C. Hayes from UNR (www.unr.edu/psych/advising/howto.html)
When describing how you came to have those interests in psychology, focus on education
and occupational experiences instead of personal ones. Personal experiences are difficult to put
in a short written statement “without either trivializing them or needlessly confining your
intellectual interests to emotional motivation.” - Hayes (UNR)
When discussing your goals and ambitions, try to be as specific as possible. Do NOT say
that you are open-minded, just want to learn, and are going to decide on a career after graduation.
Doing so will make it look like you are uncertain about graduate school and the future. They are
looking for people who are motivated and who know what they want to study. Do show
openness in the program though and willingness to learn new things and possibly even different
career choices. – Hayes (UNR)
Your letter CANNOT be generic. Having a generic letter will hurt your chances of
getting accepted because the people who are reading it will think that you are not serious. Each
letter must be tailored to that specific school/program. Tell them why you are applying to
THEIR school and WHAT in their program interests you. Definitely do your homework!
In terms of the actual letter, think of it more as an essay. It has 3 main parts, an
introduction (which gives a brief synopsis of the letter), a body (which will describe your goals,
why you chose the program, a few faculty members with whom you would want to work, and
other accomplishments or assets that you have), and a conclusion (which should state that you
are competent, motivated, open for an interview, etc).
Writing a Winning Statement of Purpose
Source: http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/gcallaghan/graduate/winningstatement.htm
Determine your purpose in writing the statement
Usually the purpose is to persuade the admissions committee that you are an applicant that they
should choose. You may want to show that you have the ability and motivation to succeed in
your field, or you may want to show the committee that, on the basis of your experience, you are