Of all the materials required for graduate school applications, the statement of purpose is probably the most important. Although grades, standardized test scores, and letters of recommendation are important, the statement of purpose is the only chance you get to “sell” yourself to the school to which you are applying.

So what exactly is the statement of purpose and why is it so important? Well, the statement of purpose is exactly what it sounds like: a statement of your research interests and an explanation of why your chosen program is the right “fit” for you. Graduate programs expect you to be able to describe (in some detail) what exactly it is you hope to accomplish if they allow you into their program. It is also important that you do your homework: if your chosen program doesn’t really have any faculty who work in the area of say, eighteenth-century British literature, and you are dying to write a dissertation on Henry Fielding, then you might be writing to the wrong folks. It is critical that you take a good look at the graduate faculty in the programs of your choice. You need to identify at least two or three professors whose work interests you and mention that in your statement of purpose.

Before you start work on your statement of purpose, sit down and think about the most interesting research project you’ve worked on. How did you come up with the topic? How did your project develop over time? What interesting tidbits did you discover as you sifted through your mountain of articles and books? What questions were left unanswered when you finished? All of these questions and more could provide the impetus for your statement of purpose. But be careful, you don’t want to write a dissertation on your dissertation! Just highlight some key points from your research experience, and use those as the foundation for your current research interests and objectives. Doing this proves that you are able to actually work on a serious research project and that you can think critically about your own work and the work of others to formulate new projects.

As mentioned earlier, make sure that you research the schools you are applying to with regards to their graduate faculty’s research interests. Finding someone whose interests fit yours may be the key to whether or not this particular program is a good fit for you and for them; and may be the key to whether or not you get in! For example, my favorite professor works at a school where no one really works on the topics I was interested in when I was looking at doctoral programs. So, even though I really wanted to work with her, I probably would have ended up working in an area where I really wouldn’t be happy. So I didn’t apply there.

Keep in mind that schools may ask you to address certain issues in the statement of purpose that you write for them so make sure that you do that as well. They may ask you address teaching experience, foreign language requirements, and if you’ve been out of school for awhile, you may want to address what you’ve been doing.

Finally, before you send out your statement of purpose, have a trusted professor or two take a look at it. Not a friend or co-worker, but a professor who has served on admissions committees and who knows what they look for in applicants. They can help you polish your statement, and can also make suggestions on what to include or exclude, to help you make the best possible impression on the graduate program of your choice.