http://gradschool.about.com/cs/shouldyougo/a/should.htm
Students choose graduate school for many reasons, including intellectual curiosity and professional advancement.
http://gradschool.about.com/od/essaywriting/a/questps.htm
Who am I?
Why do I want to continue my studies?
How can I address my academic record
How do field experiences enhance my application?
Who is my audience?
http://gradschool.about.com/od/essaywriting/a/DosandDonts.htm
# Discuss your future goals.
# Mention any hobbies, past jobs, community service, or research experience.
# Speak in the first person (I…).
# Mention weaknesses without making excuses.
# Discuss why you're interested in the school and/or program.
# Show, don’t tell (Use examples to demonstrate your abilities).
# Ask for help.
# Proofread and revise your statement at least 3 times.
# Have others proofread your essay.
http://gradschool.about.com/cs/essaywriting/a/essay1.htm
* Hobbies
* Projects that you've completed
* Jobs
* Responsibilities
* Accomplishments in the personal and scholastic arena
* Major life events that have changed you
* Challenges and hurdles you've overcome
* Life events that motivate your education
* People who have influenced you or motivated you
* Traits, work habits, and attitudes that will insure your success your goals
http://gradschool.about.com/od/essaywriting/a/whyessay.htm
Why the Admissions Essay?
Your essay is an indicator of your writing ability, motivation, ability to express yourself, maturity, passion for the field, and judgment. Admissions committees read essays with the intent to learn more about applicants, to determine if they have the qualities and attitudes needed for success, and to weed out applicants who don't fit the program.
However, your underlying theme should be why you should be accepted into graduate school or specifically accepted into the program to which you are applying. Your job is to sell yourself and distinguish yourself from other applicants through examples.
Should I write in the first person?
Although you were taught to avoid using I, we, my, etc., you are encouraged to speak in the first person on your personal statement. Your goal is to make your essay sound personal and active. However, avoid overusing “I” and, instead, alter between I and other first person terms, such as “my” and “me” and transition words, such as "however" and "therefore."
How should I discuss my research interests in my personal statement?
First, it is not necessary to state a specific and concise dissertation topic in your personal statement. You are only to state, in broad terms, your research interests within your field. The reason you are asked to discuss your research interests is because the program would like to compare the degree of similarity in research interests between you and the faculty member you wish to work with. Admissions committees are aware that your interests will likely change over time and, therefore, they do not expect you to provide them with a detailed description of your research interests but would like for you to describe your academic goals. However, your research interests should be relevant to the proposed field of study. Additionally, your aim is to show your readers that you have knowledge in your proposed field of study.
Here's what the admissions committee considers when reading an applicant's admissions essay:
* How well does the applicant address the assigned question?
* If no specific topic is assigned, how well does the applicant manage the ambiguous assignment and construct an essay that is relevant and informative?
* How well does the applicant write?
* Does the applicant attend to details, such as spelling and presentation?
* Does the essay illustrate critical thinking?
* Does the applicant demonstrate abstract and complex reasoning?
* Is the essay appropriate? Is it too informal?
* Does the applicant reveal appropriate personal details and avoid sharing irrelevant and overly personal information (e.g., mental illness, childhood experiences, family tragedies, etc.)?
* Is the essay free of careless errors (e.g., listing the wrong school)?
* How well is the essay organized? Is it easy to read and to follow the author's ideas?
http://gradschool.about.com/cs/miscellaneous/a/want.htm
What Do Graduate Schools Want?
The Ideal Grad Student
The ideal graduate student is gifted, eager to learn, and highly motivated. He or she can work independently and take direction, supervision, and constructive criticism without becoming upset or overly sensitive. Faculty look for students who are hard workers, want to work closely with faculty, are responsible and easy to work with, and who are a good fit to the program. The best graduate students complete the program on time, with distinction - and excel in the professional world to make graduate faculty proud. Of course, these are ideals. Most graduate students have some of these characteristics, but nearly no one will have all, so don't fear.
http://vmcl.xjtu.edu.cn/studyZone/writing/How_to_be_a_Good_Graduate_Student_Advisor/how.2b.research.html
The hardest part of getting a Ph.D. is, of course, writing the dissertation. The process of finding a thesis topic, doing the research, and writing the thesis is different from anything most students have done before. If you have a good advisor and support network, you'll be able to get advice and help in setting directions and goals.
Of course, the ideal advisor will be in the area you're interested in working in, and will actively be doing high-quality reseach and be involved in and respected by the research community.
A good advisor will serve as a mentor as well as a source of technical assistance. A mentor should provide, or help you to find, the resources you need (financial, equipment, and psychological support); introduce you and promote your work to important people in your field; encourage your own interests, rather than promoting their own; be available to give you advice on the direction of your thesis and your career; and help you to find a job when you finish. They should help you to set and achieve long-term and short-term goals.
The most important thing is to ask for (i.e., demand politely) what you need.
A good source of ideas for master's projects (and sometimes for dissertation topics) is the future work section of papers you're interested in. Try developing and implementing an extension to an existing system or technique.
In any case, a good topic will address important issues. You should be trying to solve a real problem, not a toy problem (or worse yet, no problem at all); you should have solid theoretical work, good empirical results or, preferably, both; and the topic will be connected to -- but not be a simple variation on or extension of -- existing research. It will also be significant yet manageable. Finding the right size problem can be difficult. One good way of identifying the right size is to read other dissertations. It's also useful to have what Chapman [chapman] calls a ``telescoping organization'' -- a central problem that's solvable and acceptable, with extensions and additions that are ``successively riskier and that will make the thesis more exciting.'' If the gee-whiz additions don't pan out, you'll still have a solid result.
In order to get feedback, you have to present your ideas. Write up what you're working on, even if you're not ready to write a full conference or journal paper, and show it to people. Even for pre-publishable papers, write carefully and clearly, to maximize your chances of getting useful comments (and of having people read what you wrote at all).
Give presentations at seminar series at your university, at conferences, and at other universities and research labs when you get the chance. Your advisor should help you find appropriate forums to present your work and ideas. Many fields have informal workshops that are ideal for presenting work in progress.
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