World of English

Statement of Purpose

Your statement of purpose is something like an academic job interview, or at least that is one way to think about it.  Your SOP should sell you to the university.  Remember you are vying with others not only for admissions, but also important funding.  Therefore, it is necessary to present yourself in the best light possible.  It is also important to clearly illustrate why you are choosing this particular program and how it fits in with your larger life goals.

For an admissions essay, it should not dwell on how your interests developed, but it should outline your qualifications, the contributions you could make to the university's program, and especially areas of possible research you would like to pursue.  A little background on how you “discovered” your field of study is nice, but that doesn't pack the same punch as illustrating how you've pursued and contributed to it since you “found it.”

Cite particulars about the university that attracted you to it in particular; admissions officers are not likely to be moved by the idea you chose the university because of its well-organized Web site or you've always been a big fan of the basketball team.  It would be better to mention particular programs or research initiatives or even particular members of the teaching faculty whose research you are familiar with that attracted you to this university.  Statements like you "want to help mankind" is unlikely to differentiate you from other applicants and set you apart. Give reasons for choosing this university over another.  What graduate (and undergraduate) admissions counselors are looking for is someone with clear, definable goals and a good reason to be seeking admission into this particular university.  Then they are much more likely to feel the student is a "good fit" and consider them for admission.

A particularly nice site for this is www.statementofpurpose.com.  Be careful about this site though--it is a front for an essay review service, but it still provides some helpful information to get you started. 

Clustering!

Clustering is a prewriting technique that involves starting with an idea or topic, and “thinking out” about other subjects or information connected to that word or topic. You simply map your thoughts and the connections that are already inside your mind onto paper, and in doing so, you may form or create connections which didn't exist before. Below is an example of clustering using the thesis, underlined in red, as their topic--click on the image to see the example.

Making the most out of online writing tutors and consultants

Online Writing Labs are certainly not something many people were imagining twenty years ago, but today they offer a convenient way—and, in fact, for many people, the only way—to share your writing with a professional writing consultant or writing tutor. Students can meet online with a writing consultant and have their paper workshopped, or they can submit it for a review and then get it back with feedback. There are a few differences, and therefore I would like to outline some strategies at making your session with a writing consultant as fruitful as possible.

1. You may need to shop around before you find an online writing consultant that is well trained and qualified. My experience has been that often times the online consultant is more likely to take over your paper, focus on grammar and editorial problems rather than content. This is because they have not been well trained in writing or one-on-one pedagogy, or they think that you want them to rewrite your paper so you get a “better grade.” Many online services will offer essay review, but they will not offer the one-on-one time with a professional consultant. Also, more expensive doesn't mean a better job. Paper reviews range from $20 to over $60 to have an essay reviewed, and most of the $20 services are as good as the $60 services. Don't hesitate to ask about the qualifications of the writing consultants you are working with or their training.

   Some services also offer to write your essays for you . . .

   HAVING YOUR ESSAY WRITTEN BY SOMEONE ELSE IS CHEATING—IT IS ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND YOU CAN (and should) BE EXPRELLED FROM ALMOST ANY UNIVERSITY FOR CHEATING IN THIS WAY. NO CREDIBLE LEARNING INSTITUTION WILL OFFER TO WRITE YOUR ESSAY FOR YOU!!!

2. One of the most important matters, especially when working one-on-one with a writing consultant, is determine beforehand what you want to focus on. Since the sessions are often only one hour, and you may or may not be able to reschedule with the same consultant, coming up with a short list of things before the session that you want to focus on would be very helpful in making the best use of your time.

3. Make sure you will get your paper returned or your one-on-one session scheduled in time to incorporate your revisions into your essay before submitting it. Most essay review services guarantee a 24 hour turn around or can set you up with an appointment with a writing consultant within 24 hours. Be sure that gives you enough time to complete all the revisions you would like to make and do the final editing before submitting your last draft.

Argumentation

The history of the argument is a long one, probably as old as our ability to verbally communicate. It has, however, become refined over the course of humanities. Many traditions clarified what an argument is actually made, and through history we became better and better able to understand what was a good argument and what wasn't. Both the Greeks and Indians had highly-evolved modes of analysis and argumentation, and we still often refer to the syllogism as the Aristotelean syllogism.

Today, we understand an argument is made up of at least two parts—reasons and a conclusion. There are several models of looking at arguments, though, and different ways to break them apart. Two examples of ways to look at arguments are formal logic and the Toulmin Model. These are but a few of many approaches to arguments. Using different perspectives to examine an argument often leads to insights that you might not have seen otherwise.  Also, when you are able to break arguments down into different peices and analysize those peices seperately, you will find you are better able to understand and write arguments.

Reflecting on writing

Questions to consider in reflecting on a particular piece of writing:

1. • Why did you write this piece? Who is the audience? What purposes did you hope to achieve through the writing? What caused you to choose the subject or approach you took? What was it about the subject that first interested you or helped you decide on the angle or approach you would take?
2. • While you were formulating your ideas, did you sketch out some notes on your reading, thinking, and/or research? Did you do a rough outline or other plan? How did you begin your work?
3. • Can you describe the kinds of thinking that went into your writing? How did your ideas evolve? Were you thinking about stages in a process of development, were you applying theories to material, did you depend on an analogy, were you forming definitions or drawing conclusions from new findings? How and when did you arrive at your main idea?

By Dr. Libby Falk Jones, founding director of Berea College's Center for Effective Communication and Center for Learning, Teaching, Communication, and Research

Initial Questions for Thinking and Writing About Poetry

1. What is the genre, or form, of the poem?

Is it a sonnet, an elegy, a lyric, a narrative, a dramatic monologue, an epistle, an epic or a haiku, or one of the other many forms of poetry.

2. Who is speaking in the poem?

Identify the voice. Is it the author? Someone else? Multiple speakers? What is the tone of the voice and its attitude toward the subject—does it sound angry or indifferent, praiseful or critical? How involved in the action? What is the point of view of the poem?

3. What is the argument, thesis, or subject of the poem

What is the poem's primary themes? Is it advancing an opinion or expressing a stance on some issue? Is it about a physical, emotional, or mental object or experience? Does the poem tell a story about something or someone, and if so, what is the theme of that story?

4. How does the poem make use of setting?

There is the setting in terms of time and place, and there is the setting in terms of the physical world described in the poem. How does the setting of the poem contribute to its meaning? Do elements of the setting have metaphorical meaning for the poem?

6. How does the poem use imagery?

How does the poem make use of descriptive language, though adjectives, adverbs, and word choice, and how does the poem make use of methaphors and comparisons to create an image or idea in the reader's mind.

How Your SAT Essay is Scored and What the Scores Mean

Use this audio presentation to learn how your SAT essay is actually scored, get some tips on maximizing that score, and understand what the SAT essay scores mean.

How Your SAT Essay is Scored and What the Scores Mean

Formula for a Good SAT Essay Score (Part III of III)

Proving Your Thesis—Think about those supporting points of your thesis very carefully—you want them to fully support your thesis. If the reader feels that your essay has gone off-topic, not addressed the prompt question directly, or did not accomplish what you set off to accomplish in your introduction, it will hurt your essay right at the end, where it could hurt since it will be a final impression.

Conclusion—WATCH THE TIME!! Make sure you finish your essay with a concluding paragraph. This shouldn't be a summary, but more of just a restatement of the thesis, a closing thought or a quick explanation of how the thesis has been proven. Do not being your conclusion with, “In conclusion,” and do NOT introduce any new ideas in the conclusion.

Good Grammar—All your sentences should be grammatically correct. You should know how to use commas, semicolons, periods, quotations, and all the parts of speech correctly and in the proper tenses.

Appropriate Vocabulary—Using big words is okay, but don't overdo it—try to use which ever word is most appropriate in the particular instant. Othertimes, use what sounds best--”swift” and “quick” might have similar meanings, but one might just sound better in the sentence. You certainly don't want to misuse a world only. Oh yeah—spell those words correctly. If you can't remember the proper spelling of a word, try another that you do know if possible. Spelling mistakes won't count against you much, but if they interfere with comprehension on the readers' part, then it will be a real problem.

Formula for a Good SAT Essay Score (Part II of III)

Hook Line—Get your readers' attention, fast! Here is where your reader forms their first perceptions about you, so try to use a hook line that is interesting and displays originality and thought. Keep it very short, though, because you will want to quickly move into your essay.

Thesis—Make sure the thesis of your short essay appears in the first paragraph of your essay, preferably the first two or three sentences. This let's your reader know immediately what you will be discussing and mentally prepares them for the rest of the essay.

Clear Transitions—Make sure that between your introductory paragraph and the body of your essay there are clear and smooth transitions, as well as between the other paragraphs. You want your essay to “flow” smoothly from one point into the other.

Clear topic sentences—Clear topic sentences for each paragraph in your body is an important aspect of essay writing. It provides guidance to the reader through organizing and stating the information of your essay. It is also important that, when taken together, the topic sentences of your paragraphs contribute to proving your thesis.

Good Supporting Evidence—Be sure that all evidence or examples are directly related to your topic sentences and therefore your thesis. Do not use convoluted examples to try to make your essay seem more intellectual—it will not. Use appropriate examples, pulling from what you know and your own experiences. Try to introduce evidence in three steps—introduce the evidence, provide the evidence, and then explain how the evidence supports the topic sentence. Look at the example below. The topic sentence is italicized and evidence is underlined.

Poverty has been a problem throughout man's existence. In the early history, there are many accounts of poverty. Tiberius Graccus, who lived until 133 BCE, was elected for promising to help end the impoverishment of the plebeians. After his election, he was killed by nobles, angry at his reforms. Even at that time, poverty divided society . . . .

The paragraph might continue to offer supporting evidence demonstrating poverty has been a problem that has existed throughout time. But notice how smooth the transitions between evidence would be and how well the topic sentence is being supported.

Formula for a Good SAT Essay Score (Part I of III)

I think it is important to remember that making a six on the SAT writing section is your responsibility, and it has to be, because you are writing it. You can easily learn to score fives on the SAT essay consistently, just as easily as the readers who score your essay were taught to recognize a five level essay when they read one. To put it over the top and score that six, you have to be insightful in your examples and concise in your language. Therefore, mastering a formula for an essay, an essay format, and learning to use it effectively to communicate your ideas can get you only so far—a five. It will always be your job, however, to think of those points and that supporting evidence that will get you a six. While grammar is not as important in this section, it could make the impact of a point on your essay. Most important, however, is the development of strong reasoning skills and learning to use your examples to illustrate your points effectively most effectively. An essay formula or format can be a helpful tool in thinking about issues and thinking examples, giving you what you need to succeed.

I'll outline the basic elements in the next few entries. Please feel free to share about any strategies that you know are effective.