Carnegie Mellon University

Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement for Grad School, Law School, Med School

(Recommended) Interactive Learning Module: Writing your Statement of Purpose

When prompted, enter course key SOP20-21 to access the module.

Download PDF Handout: Writing Your Graduate School Application Essay

Download PDF Handout: Writing Your Personal Statement for Law School

Download PDF Handout: Writing Your Personal Statement for Medical School

Download PDF Worksheet: Personal Statement Brainstorming

Watch Recorded Workshop: Writing a Graduate School Application Essay

When you apply to graduate school or for a research fellowship, you will probably be asked to write a statement of purpose (also known as a personal statement) as part of your application packet. The interactive learning module and handouts will give you advice on writing your SOP while also teaching you generalizable writing skills that you can apply to future situations.

These materials will familiarize you with the following topics:

  1. Writing for your audience’s values and priorities

  2. Using compelling and credible detail to persuade your audience

  3. Organizing so your audience will find the information that is important to them using their preferred reading strategies

BACK TO ALPHABETICAL LIST BACK TO TOPIC SEARCH