Hey Ellen! :) I wondered if you have any advice for what to include in the CV and personal statement for a Masters application? Thanks! x
For a statement of purpose:
Throughout your degree, you’ll have done lots of research, and it’s important to frame your work in the best way possible. Here are some tips to get you started:
Universities generally put up guidelines as to what they expect from your personal statement - check these first! There you’ll find particular guidelines regarding length and formatting, and suggestions for what to include. Different universities and different courses will want various things.
The more you tailor your writing to each particular university the better: think about how your work relates to other academics working in your field. Can you name a potential supervisor? If so, even better!
Explicitly refer to books you’ve read and work you have written - you can use footnotes if you’re going to be submitting a PDF or word document, but don’t worry about these if you have to fill out an online form instead.
Do look at secondary criticism on your proposed topic if you can - it will help you contextualise your ideas and help the admissions people see why the academic work you want to carry out is important.
Try to be concise: don’t be afraid to be blunt and say ‘This is what I’d like to do and why!’
Detail is important: make sure you’re not being vague or making general statements about your topic.
Describe how your previous (academic) experience makes you suitable for the course you’re applying for - have you been to summer schools or conferences? Have you discovered through your previous work that there is still so much more to study? If so, say so!
You can also write about things you haven’t done yet, like a dissertation, as long as you can give a decent outline of what you intend to do. Useful phrases include: ‘I intend to conduct a study of…’ or ‘Initial research suggests that…’
You might want to mention where you see the course leading you: to further study? Or a job in a certain profession?
You might find it useful to look at examples of statements of purpose online: the University of Cambridge have uploaded examples of English masters research proposals, for example, which is useful for seeing how one might go about it!
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/research_prop.htm
You can take a look at these and see what you like about them, and use those methods in your own statement.
Generally, the more detailed you can be in your statement of purpose, the better, but don’t be afraid about not knowing everything - after all, that’s why you’re applying to continue your studies!
And for your academic CV, here are some tips I got from the Oxford careers service:
it’s less important than your personal statement, so don’t stress too much
a page is enough, especially at masters level
focus on your academic experience
and maybe include other relevant experience if you’re not too far into an academic career - I worked for a publishing house, for example, which relates to the book trade
provide evidence that you have research skills - list classes or modules
include your dissertation/extended essays - that kind of extended writing counts as ‘academic experience’: write about your current projects if they’re not yet complete (”For my 8000 word dissertation, I intend to research…”)
publications, presentations (if any - slightly less relevant for us)
scholarships, awards, prizes - list these
you can also list internships if relevant, voluntary work, and extra-curricular activities
The headings on my academic CV: Education, Funding and Awards, Academic Research and Experience, Employment and Other Relevant Experience. This is basically a stripped down version of what a post-doc might have.
Having done a year of my DPhil (nearly!), I might also have the headings ‘Public Engagement’ and ‘Publications’, perhaps to replaces the ‘Other Experience’ heading - what you pick is up to you!
Studygram: for a look at my life at Oxford Uni, see https://www.instagram.com/_ellenbrewster/
