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Post Info TOPIC: Grad school letter of intent UPDATE
halleybird


Hermes

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Grad school letter of intent UPDATE
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Can someone give me some ideas on how to start this? I know what I want to say in the rest of the letter, but I can't figure out how to start! Everything I type feels generic.


The program is for a master's degree in English (general studies). The directions say:


"This is a statement about yourself, your interest in English as a subject, and your possible career aspirations.  You can mention courses from our catalog that interest you."


 


update below -- sound OK?


 



-- Edited by halleybird at 15:38, 2006-01-03

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HeatherLynn


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RE: Grad school letter of intent
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Maybe start with your background and why that brings you to this decision??

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honey


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i like heatherlynn's suggestion. i have a friend who's applying to english  programs so i'll ask her how she went about writing the letter of intent and let you know what she says.

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halleybird


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thanks HeatherLynn. That's probably what I should do, but it just feels so...blah! But getting straight to the point is probably best.


Honey - I would love to hear any advice your friend has if you remember to ask. Thanks.


 



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HeatherLynn


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I agree that it is very boring, but I know in letters of intent being very concise is important.  Is there a particular quote that has inspired you?  Maybe start with that quote, then explain it and why you love it or how it has inspired you and then lead into your background.  Just another idea.  =)  Good luck writing it!!

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blubirde


Chanel

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I helped my roomie write her letter of intent for her appliation to a MLA program. She came up with the general idea and the bulk of the writing, and I helped add some spice. I'm good with the spice.


Anyway, her's was about her love of books. She went around her room and her bookshelves and wrote about her favorite books, her experiences tied to certain books, her educational experiences related to books, etc. It incorporated her scholastic background, her career goals, and her personal life goals and experiences. It was funny, articulate, and told her plans without laying out a resume or boring two page "I want to be an astronaut" paper.


I helped another friend write his for his application to a computer science graduate program (or something like that) and he has a website that has a portfolio of all his work on it. Because it was a computer/technology based program, we used a lot of links from his work (his own website and other websites he designed and/or worked on) in the paper. It worked out really well in electronic format. Basically he started with the links on the top of his website and went from there. It included a history of how the website was started, his resume, his portfolio, some samples of his art and graphic design, etc. He explained each section and went chronologically, starting with his undergraduate experiences and working his way up to his then current job and creative work.


I bet you could go to some grad school websites and find some sample letters of intent if you want a more specific example. (That's how it worked for law school - schools had sample letters of recs, etc. on their websites.)



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halleybird


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I think I finished mine -- does this sound OK?


Paragraph 1-- a general statement (thanks HeatherLynn!) that reads:  "Most of my life has been spent in the pursuit of two passions: reading and writing. I am composing this with the hope that I may enhance my skills in both of these areas, and inspire others to do the same."


Paragraph 2-- My background, explaining that even though I majored in journalism, I loved my English classes more (so much so that I took a major's worth of credits) and how my love for English led me to a career in teaching instead of journalism.


Paragraph 3--A short description of my adventures in English with high-school students, pointing out the particular elements I work with.


Paragraph 4 -- an explanation of why I want to go back to school, and why I want to go to grad school for English instead of teaching. (My reason -- the truth: I like teaching is because it allows me to discuss the disciplines that most interest me.) 


Paragraph 5 -- What I am most excited about with this program, and which direction I want to pursue in my classes/research.


Paragraph 6 -- Closing statement ("I hope you will consider me for admission...blah blah").


???



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HeatherLynn


Gucci

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RE: Grad school letter of intent UPDATE
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I think that sounds great and very concise.  I like it.  Good Luck!!

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poptart


Coach

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halleybird wrote:

I think I finished mine -- does this sound OK? Paragraph 1-- a general statement (thanks HeatherLynn!) that reads:  "Most of my life has been spent in the pursuit of two passions: reading and writing. I am composing this with the hope that I may enhance my skills in both of these areas, and inspire others to do the same." Paragraph 2-- My background, explaining that even though I majored in journalism, I loved my English classes more (so much so that I took a major's worth of credits) and how my love for English led me to a career in teaching instead of journalism. Paragraph 3--A short description of my adventures in English with high-school students, pointing out the particular elements I work with. Paragraph 4 -- an explanation of why I want to go back to school, and why I want to go to grad school for English instead of teaching. (My reason -- the truth: I like teaching is because it allows me to discuss the disciplines that most interest me.)  Paragraph 5 -- What I am most excited about with this program, and which direction I want to pursue in my classes/research. Paragraph 6 -- Closing statement ("I hope you will consider me for admission...blah blah"). ???

I missed your thread the first time, but I'm so happy to hear you're applying! Good luck! I'm sure you'll get in. This outline sounds great to me.



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