In addition to the letters of recommendation, the statement of purpose or personal statement is required by all programs.

The statement is your opportunity to "sell" yourself to the admissions committee. When composing your statement, familiarize yourself with each program’s requirements. At a minimum, you should include: a brief biographical description, a description of your academic achievements, a statement of your research interests, a statement of your previous research, a statement of the research you seek to perform in the future and a mention of those professors in that program who can guide and advise your research. Your writing must be clear and concise. If there is a restrictive page or word limitation, brevity must be observed. Your statement must be compelling and must convince the reader that you are the ideal candidate for admission. Let those professors and peers whom you trust review drafts of your statement. You will have completed several drafts before you finally have a document that is fit for submission. The statement of purpose is perhaps the most important element of your application.

Your statement should be written in a fashion that will make your application stand out from the countless others that the program will receive. When composing the biographical portion, select experiences in your life that make you unique.

It might be a good idea to mention that you are a first generation college student and/or a student of color. When discussing your previous research, focus on some of the research you performed for course papers.

If you have been fortunate enough to have a publication as an undergraduate, mention the substance of the research and the professor with whom you worked. If you performed research at an internship, mention that as well. With regard to your description of future research, you may focus on expanding upon previous research, or adding a new area of study to your academic repertoire. Remember, your description of future research should ideally match the interests of professors in the program. You may find that you are interested in applying to a particular program primarily because of the university and not the program itself. As a result, there may be no professors with whom you share interests. In such a situation you might try to word your interests in such a manner that makes you attractive to the admissions committee. You should choose your language carefully.