A Statement of Purpose
Your statement of purpose is, perhaps, the second most important part of your application. Please do not write about your profound love of writing, which is not only universal among applicants, but irrelevant to your success as a graduate student. Be sure to get help—the best statements go through many revisions.
In your statement, you want to communicate that you’re an excellent writer and that you can follow directions (by which we mean that you stick to the word count and answer the questions, somehow). Above all else, the statement is a writing sample. Make it a good one. This statement is a chance for you to show off your skills in a different genre than the one in which you are applying. They’re looking for how well you understand metaphor, the relationship of the writer to what is written and what is read. Take a risk with this statement—you’ve got nothing to lose. The best statements are surprising, gutsy, and honest. They answer the requisite questions through image, experience, allusion. They are often indirect, implicit, and gorgeously crafted.
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