It is the season for PhD program applications and as I work on letters of recommendation, reading over people's materials, I want to share some tips that I hope will be useful

The statement of purpose is not a personal statement.

I can't emphasize this enough.

Unlike college applications that require you to provide details about your life and experiences that help readers understand your trajectory, PhD applications are spaces to explain the intellectual questions you want to pursue

Tell readers what you have read, how it does or does not capture what you’ve seen in the world, what you think might be missing in current scholarly approaches to your topics of interest

Explain what research questions drive your pursuit of PhD training. What research methods might you employ, and why?

Also important: Explain why are you applying to each particular program. Who would you work most closely with (1-3 professors) and why? Does the location of the program matter for the kind of work you hope to do?

PhD admissions decisions are based on how well faculty think they can support and guide you through your proposed project. Do your best to communicate your passion for research; make faculty want to witness your trajectory

Even when we know that you will likely change your research plan along the way, we want to know how you’ve prepared so far and how creatively you are thinking about the fields we share in common