留学文书写作.ppt

Writing Statement of Purposes for Studying Abroad,A process of self-discovery,About the speaker,Ho Simon Wang Facebook/LinkedIn(Buzz,Douban)Office:Room 103,South Wing,Science Building,Why PS?,You are more than a set of numbers-GPA,TOEFL,GRE,country code,DOB(know thyself)You have to tell a good story about why you should be admitted(good matching)You have to demonstrate your writing skills(good writing),Outline,Know thyself Good matching Good writing,Know thyself,Reflect on your undergraduate education(NOT your childhood)the courses you took and how they fit together the skills(professional and general)you developed through courses and lab work the most exciting things you have learned at HUST(point to your research interests),Know thyself,Think about what you want to do with your life(a degree is a means,not an end)what is your passion?what makes you happy?what are your career goals?,Know thyself,why studying for a degree can help you achieve your goals explore the alternatives and understand the opportunity costs check out the PhD handbook to know the process of getting the degree Talk with people who are working on their degrees,Good matching,your academic competence should match with the profile of the admitted studentscheck out the student page of the departmentinformation on ranking may helppay attention to acceptance rate,Good matching,Consider the PhD application as a job applicationwhat skills are expected in the research teamwhat can you bring to the table How do the current research projects in the department match with your interests and skills ask the people in the research teams about specific issues such as work pressure,teamwork,support and funding,Good matching,Do not choose the school,choose the supervisor try to avoid people in the blacklist review the papers and projects of the professors in the past 5 years(read the abstracts,SQ3R)E-mail them specific questions about their research works(as a test of whether s/he is willing to help junior researchers),Good writing,Good writing=good story+reasonable organization+clarity and conciseness,A possible outline-P1,get straight to the point highlight the main reasons why you are a good match with the program answer other specific questions raised in the instructions,P2,critically review your undergraduate education(coursework);highlight your accomplishments and needs for further education;talk about your GPA,GRE or TOEFL scores only if the numbers do not accurately reflect your academic abilities,P3,discuss your research experiences;focus on the skills and the research interests you developed in the process;avoid laundry lists;make a story,P4,discuss what you want to do as a researcher and how the program may help you achieve your goalsemphasize how the program(faculty,team,resources)meets your needsdo your homework and write based on the information available on the department websites,P5,summarize your essayrestate the key points you want your readers to remember,Outline,P1:introduction-answer the questionsP2:Review courseworksP3:Review research experiences(skills+interests)P4:discuss how the program fits your needs P5:sum up,Advice on effective writing,Think before you write Personalize your PS for each programConsult Elements of Style by William Struck Imitate George Orwell Ask someone to read your PS to check grammar,logic and clarity,My tutorial for PS writing,Contact me before you write your first draft Consider a list of my questions(available from Tao Wei)and e-mail me your answers in written EnglishSet up an appointment with me Office:Room 103,South Wing,Science Building,