Guidance on Statement of Purpose & Personal Experience Prompts
Statement of Purpose
The goal of this essay is to get to know you as an individual and as a potential graduate student. We encourage applicants with a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences to apply. The University of Maryland, a public institution, is committed to supporting the diversity of the graduate student body and promoting equal opportunity in higher education. This commitment to diversity furthers the educational mission to serve the increasingly diverse population and educational needs of Maryland and the nation. Both the Dean of the Graduate School and the University of Maryland affirm that diversity is critical to promoting lively intellectual exchange and the variety of ideas and perspectives essential to advancing higher education and research. Our graduate students contribute to the global pool of future scholars and academic leaders, thus high value is placed on achieving a diverse graduate student body to support the University of Maryland’s academic excellence. We invite you to include in this statement how you may contribute to the diversification of graduate education and the University of Maryland community.
The admissions committee is interested in your academic, professional and personal background and goals. In your essay, please address the following points as appropriate.
- Your preparation and motivation for graduate study, including the academic, work, and/or research experiences that prepare you for this graduate program (for example: coursework, employment, exhibitions, fieldwork, foreign language proficiency, independent study, internships, laboratory activities, presentations, publications, studio projects, teaching, and travel or study abroad) and motivation or passion for graduate study.
- Your research interests, disciplinary subfields, area/s of specialization, and professional objectives.
- Your fit with the graduate program at Maryland, including how your preparation, experiences, and interests match the specific resources and characteristics of the graduate program at UMD. Please identify specific faculty within your desired graduate program with whom you would like to work and how their interests match your own.
Personal Experience Prompts
Guidance: This section is intended to give you, as the applicant, the opportunity to discuss how your lived experiences, including those outside of your academic experiences, resulted in a positive outcome that helped prepare you for this stage in your life. This section is not intended to compel the applicant to share traumatic experiences. This section is intended to encourage the applicant to share positive outcomes from lived experience(s).
Recommended Length: 100 - 300 words
Instructions:
How has your personal experience(s) in at least one of the areas listed below positively impacted your ability to succeed in the academic program you are applying for?
- Community involvement and/or service
- Engagement in leadership roles, facilitating change, and/or mentoring
- Overcoming social, economic, educational, or physical barriers