Identity Politics and the Grad School “Statement of Purpose”

I could never post this on Twitter, because I know it would land me in hot water, but I think it might help people to be told that you can’t let social media brainrot influence what you write about yourself in the Statement of Purpose that you submit with your application to a graduate program.

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So your Statement of Purpose should be about, in this order: (a) your academic history and background, (b) your research interests and projected thesis project, (c) your rationale for applying to that specific program, and (d) your concrete career goals.

It’s actually 100% okay to discuss your positionality and your commitment to social justice, but that disclosure needs to fit within a professional framework. Your goal is to present yourself as a ready-made success for the program, not a liability.

You might be asking yourself why I’m posting this on Dreamwidth where no one will read it. It’s not that I don’t have confidence in what I’ve written, but rather that I’m a coward. I dearly wish I were the person making the rules, but I’m not, so all I can do is explain what the rules are so that the process of graduate admissions isn’t so opaque. That’s never stopped anyone from shooting the messenger, unfortunately.

Legend of Haiku Zine, Part 7

THAT BEAUTIFUL BITCH IS AT THE PRINTER. IT WILL BE IN MY HANDS ON MONDAY.

Damn I am excited. Goddamn. Everyone's work is amazing.

I can't believe I literally said to myself "Finishing up this project will only take three to five hours ho ho ho" like some sort of anime debutante. It took significantly longer.

I think I got a handle on the workflow, thankfully. I usually do actual work in the morning, late afternoon, and evening, so I was able to set aside an hour or two every day after noon to work on this project. I would make some tea, turn on a lofi internet radio station, and sit on the couch with my dog and Photoshop. Honestly? Best part of my day.

I'm not sure I'm cut out to be an editor, but looking closely at other people's work and figuring out how to make it shine on the page while sending short emails with good news is rather nice actually.