Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Grad School Essay Update

At this point I've jotted down a few notes about my grad school essay. I've included the instructions for the essay to provide a framework to judge my notes. Comments are welcomed, perhaps even encouraged. I tend to use run on sentences in the style of many of the great authors, who I am definitely not, so I was making an effort to avoid such. If you feel this is a mistake let me know. Also if there are any points I should elaborate on, that would probably be more helpful.

Applicants are asked to provide a 3 - 4 page, double-spaced personal statement which includes the following:

* Why do you want to undertake graduate work?
* What do you expect to derive from your program of study?
* If you have a concentration in mind, briefly outline your interests in this area.
* What do you expect to contribute as a student and subsequently as a member of the profession?

It's always been a dream of mine to attend graduate school. For my entire life I've had a love of learning that drives to continue my education. In my life I will get my Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, if for no other reason than to gain all the knowledge that I can. I've know that I was going to be an Engineer for a long time now. After I came to college and started my Engineering education, I've become entranced. I feel as though I have found exactly what I was made to do. Everything about this career field seems to be a perfect fit for me. I could not at this imagine at this point a life that did not involve me working as an Electrical Engineer, and I know that a large part of that work is continuing life long education. Graduate work will not fulfill this goal, rather it would provide a sturdy foundation for continuing the pursuit of that goal.

I hope to expand my knowledge

1 comment:

Skip said...

Not bad. Perhaps you should consider appealing to their sense of nostalgia, really remind all the old EEs of why they got into the field to begin with. Maybe something like this: "As a child, my dream was to become a mad scientist. I can't honestly say I hoped for world domination, but certainly access to a well-appointed lab and an army of minions was an appealing list of perks, career-wise. Sadly I grew to discover that the long-term survival rate rate for mad scientists, at least outside a dungeon asylum setting, is abysmally low. Casting about for a similar and yet safer career field, I discovered electrical engineering, and it has turned out to be a perfect fit, allowing me the promise of access to a well-appointed lab, and the opportunity to at least create an army of robot minions, even if I can't actually control them. Naturally the most effective, albeit not quite the easiest, way to strut around a lab, being deferentially referred to as 'doctor' is to actually earn a PhD, and to that end, I am eager to continue my education."