I have come across an interesting phenomenon: it seems that whenever I find a 'perfect place' to do something, and I set out to my parents what the pros of that place are (I happily ignore the cons), somehow it ends up being assumed that that is the place I will go to; never mind that I a) first need to be accepted and b) need to then be accepted for a funded place in this case of me looking for a PhD place.
Perhaps a sample size of three isn't the best, but it seems a recurring pattern.
Who cares about pragmatics when you have a dream?
The first sample is for when I applied to Cambridge - somehow, it was assumed that I'd be spending the current academic year at Cambridge, which frankly I was assuming too but only sort of/half/something...
The second sample is for when I was in the process of applying to Leicester; though a little more careful this time around, asking me first how I thought my chances were, there was still the underlying assumption that I would go to Leicester, and all the B&B-googling that went with that (just so you know, my mum and step-dad are really into B&Bs).
I see the same happening, now, too; I've found a place where I'd love to do a PhD, where there's a professor whose interests line up almost eerily perfect with mine, where I stand a decent chance to be funded and where I'd have the advantage of knowing at least one person with whom I could perhaps share a flat. First thing my step-dad asked me after I told my mum about this place: "So, you're going to X?". I catch myself assuming this too - "ooh, I do hope I'll live close to a decent pub next year" etc.
The problem is, I do it too. My dear friend Kristy is now also applying, for Master's programmes, and I find myself assuming that she'll go to Oxford, while really I should know better than to make assumptions no matter how good someone's application is. My other dear friend Ma-ike has been talking about doing a History master's in Leiden in a few years and I'm assuming she will actually be in Leiden in a few years.
Applying
This all also means that I'm now being sent personal statements and research proposals by friends asking me whether I'd please go over it for them (and to be nice - I guess I do tend to be a little harsh and strict when looking written things over), like I did myself last year.
I wish I had the key, though, to a good personal statement or research proposal, but once again I can only draw on a small sample size, of one this time - I still think I wrote a really good application for Leicester, and that one was only good because I'd written it with genuine enthusiasm and interest.
If that's the case, however - Leicester being my only good application ever - I have no idea of how I got into Roosevelt Academy, so perhaps I should see whether that one's any good and if so, what makes it good.
First of all, what's bad is that my RA letter of motivation is very long - I just waffled on. Furthermore, my word choice was definitely not as good as it could have been, almost cringe-worthy in places, and I have no idea where I left my structure. My paragraphs are too short, there's too much white space on the pages. I should've gone with the Times New Roman 12-font. Signing with 'Yours Faithfully' is so antiquated even I would be hesitant to use it nowadays. I didn't date the letter.
However, what is good about it, is that it shows dedication to my choice (much like the enthusiasm I showed for Leicester), and what exactly it was about Roosevelt Academy that made me so dedicated to my choice (and what about Leicester and Criminology made me so enthusiastic about both). Some life history of how my ambitions developed with age, that blah-blah.
About my experience in my chosen fields, and how my lack of experience should not matter because I really do love the fields (for Leicester, I harked on about my experience at the court... also perhaps not the greatest type of experience, but I squeezed it for all it was worth). Something about what I wish to do with my time at RA, something about my hobbies - I was frank enough to state that I'd once written a bad screenplay for a planned but never made movie, perhaps this touch of personal honesty was another plus (though it shouldn't be a selling point that I wrote bad screenplays and was part of a group that didn't carry out its plans). Some more experience, this time on being editor-in-chief of the school paper, on my hobby of writing, and another bit of honesty in that "I am not that good an author".
About my (workable, realistic) plans for the future, with the rather ambitious line of "I am willing to keep on studying until I have learned everything I wish to know" - again, honest. More honesty on that I failed a test here and there, but then insistence on me always trying my best, with a bit of mother's wisdom thrown in (my mum's favourite statement it that you can't do better than your best).
There are in it some lines about something that I now care deeply about; "In the fourth year of high school, I had a great Economics teacher. It was a difficult subject but I liked it so much that I became quite all right in it". Not the best wording, perhaps, but I find this line interesting because over my time at RA I became even more convinced of the idea that good teachers are what's necessary in making a course great - the subject matter is almost entirely secondary. Not something that's needed in a letter of motivation, I think, however.
In short then, what seems to work for me in letters of motivation/personal statements/application, is almost painful honesty (up to the point where it becomes almost a symptom of lack of self-esteem), ambition, realistic plans, and enthusiasm or dedication to the choice I've made, with the inclusion of why I'm so dedicated/enthusiastic.
What should be left out are things such as my bad screenplay example; instead I could've included that I really like to cook, or something. I remember now that I left cooking out back then because I didn't consider myself good enough at it; as if you need to be good at cooking to enjoy it. Oh well.
So that's it, then, the stages of applying (to anything)*:
- Discover your interests.
- Find a place where the interests line up with yours.
- Check whether you're eligible for funding if you need it.
- Find out whether that place is in an environment that you could live in for the time that the programme takes.
- Find out whether the teaching's any good.
- Inform about further possibilities.
- Establish informal contact with someone there.
- Write your application:
- Consider why you are making that choice and show your dedication.
- Include some experience (both work and academic), and be honest.
- Don't be painfully honest, that's just detrimental.
- Describe your (realistic) future plans.
- Toss in some ambition.
- Send your stuff in.
- Wait.
- Wait.
- Cry in frustration.
- Wait.
- Rejoice/Cry some more.
- If necessary, start over again (though to be safe you'd better apply to more places at the same time).
- If accepted, start your other arrangements (see just about any other post that I've written for this blog).
*Disclaimer: has only worked for me for 2/3 application so far, no guarantees.
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