1) PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
This section is intended to give you, as the applicant, the opportunity to discuss how your lived experiences, including those outside of your academic experiences, resulted in a positive outcome that helped prepare you for this stage in your life. This section is not intended to compel the applicant to share traumatic experiences. This section is intended to encourage the applicant to share positive outcomes from lived experience(s).Recommended Length: 100 – 300 words
Instructions: How has your personal experience(s) listed below positively impacted your ability to succeed in the academic program you are applying for?
– Community involvement and/or service Choose
– Engagement in leadership roles, facilitating change, or mentoring others
2) STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The goal of this essay is to get to know you as an individual and as a potential graduate student. The pursuit of a graduate degree requires hours of concentrated work, independent research, and original writing, all of which takes time, patience, focus, and discipline. As described in detail below, your essay should describe your preparation and motivation for graduate work, as well as how your background and goals align with the program of interest. We encourage applicants with a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences to apply. The University of Maryland, a public institution, is committed to supporting the diversity of the graduate student body and promoting equal opportunity in higher education. Our UMD graduate students contribute to the global pool of future scholars and professionals across every sector of society, thus high value is placed on admitting and supporting both an exceptional and diverse graduate student body to contribute to solving society’s grand challenges.
The admissions committee is interested in your academic, professional, and personal background and goals. In your essay, please address the following points as appropriate.
Your preparation and motivation for graduate study, including the academic, work, and/or research experiences that prepare you for this graduate program (for example: coursework, employment, exhibitions, fieldwork, foreign language proficiency, independent study, internships, laboratory activities, presentations, publications, studio projects, teaching, and travel or study abroad) and motivation or passion for graduate study.
Your research interests, disciplinary subfields, area/s of specialization, and professional objectives.
Your fit with the graduate program at Maryland, including how your preparation, experiences, and interests match the specific resources and characteristics of the graduate program at UMD. Please identify specific faculty within your desired graduate program with whom you would like to work and how their interests match your own.
