While most students have heard of a personal statement or statement of purpose, not many can accurately describe what a statement of intent is. This grad school admissions requirement is subtly different from the other “statement” essays you may be familiar with. It is most often requested as an application component for research intensive master’s programs. It typically centers around a cohesive narrative of the applicant’s research interests, experiences, long-term goals, and what they intend to study in grad school. You’ll need to tailor your essay to ensure you meet the unique requirements for this application component.
In this blog, our grad school essay tutors reveal what a statement of intent is, how it differs from a statement of purpose for graduate school, and how to write and structure your statement of intent. You can also check out a sample statement of intent for graduate school.
Applying to graduate school is an exciting yet daunting process. A key part of your application is the statement of intent, also called a statement of purpose This document explains why you want to pursue graduate studies and why you’re a strong candidate Crafting an engaging statement of intent takes time and effort. Follow these tips to write a compelling statement that gets you accepted into your dream program.
What is a Statement of Intent?
A statement of intent sometimes called a letter of intent or statement of purpose, is a required essay for graduate school applications. It’s typically 1-2 pages long and explains
- Why you want to pursue graduate studies in your chosen field
- How your academic background has prepared you for graduate-level work
- What relevant experience you have
- How your research interests match up with the program/faculty
- Your future goals and plans after earning the graduate degree
Admissions committees read your statement of intent to understand your motivations and assess your potential for success in their program A strong essay can boost your chances of acceptance
Why the Statement of Intent Matters
Your GPA and test scores provide insights into your academic abilities. But admissions committees also want to get to know you as an individual. The statement of intent humanizes your application by highlighting your passions, knowledge, writing skills, and personality.
Through this essay, the admissions committee can evaluate qualities that grades alone can’t reveal, like:
- Motivation and commitment to your chosen field of study
- Ability to express complex ideas clearly and concisely
- Research interests and independent thought process
- Fit with the program’s strengths and faculty expertise
- Potential for scholarly contributions and future career success
Given how important this document is, you’ll want to devote plenty of time to crafting and refining your statement of intent. Treat it as thoughtfully as you would a thesis paper. Follow the advice below to make yours stand out.
How to Write an Effective Statement of Intent
Choose a Research Focus That Excites You
- Reflect on what initially sparked your interest in your field of study. Tap into that passion as you hone in on a research focus.
- Align your research interests with the program’s areas of specialty. Familiarize yourself with the faculty’s work.
- Explain why you find your chosen research topic meaningful and how it fits into the larger field.
Highlight Relevant Academic Background
- Provide an overview of your academic journey, including institutions attended, degrees earned, and relevant coursework.
- Emphasize classes, projects, and papers that prepared you for advanced research in your area of focus.
- Mention any honors thesis or independent study related to your interests.
Include Relevant Experience
- Describe any jobs, internships, or volunteer work that allowed you to gain valuable skills for grad school. Emphasize transferable abilities like research, writing, analysis, teamwork, and communication skills.
- For research-heavy programs, highlight any labs or fieldwork experience you have, even if not directly related to your proposed research area.
Identify Potential Faculty Mentors
- Name one or more faculty members you’d be excited to work with and why you’re drawn to their research. Be specific by mentioning their areas of specialty, publications, or projects.
- If allowed, indicate the faculty member(s) you’ve communicated with about shared research interests.
Explain Why You’re Pursuing Graduate Studies
- Reflect on how your undergraduate studies sparked your desire for advanced research and knowledge in the field.
- Discuss the types of research questions or problems you want to explore through graduate-level work.
- Share any relevant life experiences that shaped your interest in your chosen area and increased your commitment to your field of study.
Outline Your Research Goals and Plan of Study
- Describe the specific research project or thesis you want to pursue and key questions or hypotheses you’ll explore. Ensure it aligns with faculty expertise.
- Explain how your project fits into and expands upon existing literature in your subfield. Discuss gaps your work could help fill.
- Briefly map out proposed methods, theories, models, and frameworks you may utilize to conduct your research study and analyze data.
- List the coursework, independent studies, labs, or practicums you plan to complete to prepare for and support your research.
Share Your Career Goals and Aspirations
- Explain your short and long term career goals, and how graduate studies will help you achieve them.
- Discuss specific roles or positions you plan to pursue after earning your advanced degree.
- Share how your research aims to create positive change or impact within your scholarly community or society.
Revise and Refine Your Draft
- Craft an introduction that grabs attention and clearly states your research interests and motivations.
- Use active voice and varied sentence structure. Avoid repetition.
- Organize ideas logically, with smooth transitions between paragraphs.
- Strike the right balance between personal tone and academic language.
- Ask faculty and advisors to provide feedback on drafts so you can improve your essay.
- Edit carefully for clarity, concision, grammar, spelling, and formatting.
Statement of Intent Template and Examples
Check out some statement of intent examples online for inspiration. While content will vary, most follow a similar structure:
- Introduce your research interests, motivations, and goals. Include a brief overview of your academic background.
Body Paragraphs
- Highlight your relevant coursework, knowledge, and experience
- Discuss potential faculty mentors and shared research interests
- Outline your proposed research project and plan of study
- Recap your excitement to contribute to the field and optimism about your future career
- Restate your qualifications and fit for the program
Tailor your statement of intent to each program, emphasizing how your goals align with their unique strengths. With thoughtful content and polished writing, your statement can help convince admissions committees that you have what it takes to succeed in their graduate program.
Don’t get too personal
Remember that your statement of intent is very different from a personal statement. As we mentioned previously, it’s more formal and has a very specific focus. The admissions committee is expecting to see a coherent autobiography of your academic or professional interests and experiences. That should be your focus – you should only refer to personal information as it relates to the larger context of your academic experiences. For example, avoid telling stories from your childhood about your early interests or including details about life events that shaped you, unless they are strictly relevant to your research journey.
This isn’t the right platform to expand upon excessively personal issues such as an illness or major life changes. You can briefly touch upon these topics or weave them into your professional narrative, if it makes sense. For example, if your grades took a serious dip in a specific period due to personal circumstances, you could choose to briefly address that. But don’t make such incidents the central thesis of your statement of intent. Focus on skills, abilities and contributions, and your inspiration and motivation to pursue research. Rather than expanding on irrelevant childhood details, expand on your professional, academic, and personal connections to the program and school you’re applying to.
How to Structure Your Statement of Intent
The structure of your statement of intent is very important as it serves to build a coherent progression of experiences. In this type of essay, you need to provide specific, technical details related to your research interests and experiences, while also telling an engaging narrative that logically builds to the conclusion of you applying to grad school. The key to achieving this balance is creating an effective essay structure.
Start by creating an outline of your essay that is centered around your basic thesis or main point. Return to this thesis periodically to ensure you’re not straying from it as you structure your essay.
Add the following paragraphs:
The first paragraph should immediately grab the reader’s attention and set up a clear framework for the rest of the statement. Unlike, say, a medical school personal statement, or college essays, we don’t recommend starting with an “anchor” story or incident. Since this is a more functional document, including dramatic personal details or childhood memories would only end up clouding the key message of your statement. It’s better to go with a more straightforward introduction that succinctly sets up the main thesis. You can opt to make your introduction more engaging by adding a quote or referencing a specific book or mentor who inspired you; having said that, make sure any external references are always relevant to your actual research interest and further your central argument. Critically, make sure you don’t forget to introduce your research topic, the name of the school you’re applying to, as well as the name of the specific program/department in the very first paragraph.
Next, you can add 1 to 5 main body paragraphs (depending on your word count) where you build a foundation of your research work, interests, experiences, and goals. Each paragraph should be clear, concise and informative. There are certain critical content targets you should keep in mind as you write these paragraphs:
Your conclusion should include a concise statement of your key qualifications and unique suitability for the program. Touch upon how you’ll make use of your time at this school, and how that will help you in your long-term career goals. Reiterate your interest in their specific program.
The word count for a statement of intent can vary from school to school, but it generally ranges between 250 to 1000 words. You should tailor your statement as per your specific word count requirements.
HOW TO WRITE YOUR GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATION STATEMENT OF PURPOSE | THE FIVE PARAGRAPH S.O.P.
Do I need a statement of intent?
You are required to submit a statement of intent when applying to study a Master of Research at Western Sydney University. These guidelines are designed to help you prepare your statement of intent. What is a statement of intent? A statement of intent is an outline of a potential research area for a project you would like to undertake that:
How do I write a statement of intent?
Here are some of the important tips when writing a statement of intent: Usually, the person in charge of reading the statements of intent assesses multiple essays, so it’s important that your essay is straight to the point.
What is an example of a statement of intent?
Here’s a condensed example of a statement of intent that you can use as a guide when writing your own: My name is Emily Garcia, and I’m applying for the Human Resources Management graduate program at Coastal State University.
How do you start a statement of intent with a salutation?
Starting your statement of intent with a personal salutation helps to make it more personal. To make the statement of intent more personal, you can reach out to the institution to learn to whom to address the letter. Nevertheless, if you’re unable to determine the name, you can address it vaguely.
