ARRRRRRG! SOP!

SOP General outline

What and why I want to study at grad school

• Simple introduction or what in my life pointed me toward my intrest in this field of research

Experiences in the field

• College experiences relevant to my intrest
• Research experience, what I learned from them, the responsibilities I had, who I worked for. How I think this research experience is relevant to my research field of application

(Short comment on GRE or GPA scores, explain)

Future goals

• Goals in grad school, what I hope to learn, and why I am confident to be successful in grad school.
• Why the program in question is a good choice for my career goals, what is especially appealing about the school/program to me. (change this according to the school/program in question)
• Mention what type of work I wish to do after grad school, list the possibilities. (focus on the program in question)

Summarized from all the outward links from the Wikipedia entry on SOP.