Tis the season for grad school applications! When I remember the process of gathering my application materials, nothing seemed quite as daunting and mysterious to me as the cover letter. What was I supposed to write? Were personal details important or did they just want to know what my career goals were? What about experience I was lacking? I wish I could tell my past self the things that I have learned over the past few years of reviewing applications. Instead, I will share them here in hopes that it can benefit you! There is a very specific set of information that your cover letter should convey to prospective graduate programs in order for admissions committees to determine whether or not you're a good fit. Like any review committee, this is just one small part of their entire job and they may not spend a great deal of time on your materials. So, you need to make these things crystal clear:
This all seems pretty straightforward in a cute list like this, but frequently grad programs will complicate this by asking for a personal statement and a cover letter, or other supporting materials. Maybe they just ask for a cover letter but don't specify the length (looking at my own program here). In these cases, you just need to be comfortable iterating and re-iterating the above, with lots of supporting information from your life and work experience.
What makes you think living in poverty for years is a good idea? Mostly kidding - only go to a program that provides adequate funding - but you need to show that you've put some thought into this application. Most obviously, tell the committee how your career/life goals will be met by getting into their program. What professional and discipline-specific experiences have you had that led you to be interested in graduate school? How will graduate school help you to get where you want to go? This might require a little soul searching, and that's good. You can include personal experiences too, especially if asked to submit a personal statement. Maybe you have had a fascination with material history since you were two. Maybe you have always wondered why conservationists ignore local people in planning for the animals. Maybe your first field experience opened your eyes to ways things relate to people. Whatever hooked you can hook the reviewers! What makes you curious? The graduate committee will want to know: what kind of stuff will you work on once you get here? This is partially to make sure that they can provide you with advice on those topics. You don't want to apply to work on shipwreck archaeology in Wyoming, for example, because we don't have many shipwrecks i this landlocked state. You also want to show that you're curious, interested, and good at asking questions. This can help you to show what motivated you to start this application in the first place, and should relate to your goals in some way. Think big and dig deep. What makes you excited? Tailor your letter to the program Make clear connections between the Institution's people, resources, and interests that you have. Why are you applying to this program? You should have some idea and it's nice to spell it out for the graduate committee. You can include this towards the end of your letter so that you can change it for each program you're applying for. If you are applying to multiple programs, make sure that you change the name of the institution in your letter. Sounds silly, but 1-2 prospective students end up with cover letters with the wrong University each year. It won't knock you out of the applicant pool by itself but it doesn't make a great impression. What should I leave out of a cover letter? Don't focus too much on experience you don't have. Instead, say experience you're hoping to gain at the institution you're applying for. If you have professional experience outside the field, that's great! Show how those skills can be used in grad school. Any job experience gives you skills you can use to demonstrate why you would do well in graduate school, even if it's just things like determination, working with people, and attention to detail. What's the difference between an MA and a PhD cover letter? Not much. When applying to a PhD program with your MA in hand (or soon to be in hand), you will have more experience than you did when you applied to MA programs. Your letter may be longer or may shift to focus more on achievements rather than goals. In this case, you really truly need to list faculty you want to work with. You should also try to meet with them 1-2 months before the application deadline to make sure they're accepting students because typically faculty will only take on a PhD student every other year. This is good for you too - you don't want to apply to work with someone who won't respond to your emails, or who gives a weird vibe when you talk to them. You should also be very specific about what kind of research you want to do: place, time, and form of analysis. Show how your experience in the classroom, lab, field, etc. has led you to that interest. Remember that you can change this! Also remember to discuss anything you might have talked about with potential mentors. You be you In all of this, there's no formula for success and no template that can get you into (or not get you into) a program. Try to weave your interests, experiences, and goals together in a way that rings true for you. Focus on your strengths. Don't be afraid to repeat yourself to get major points across. Just remember to be explicit: who are you, what do you want to do, and why is this program a good place for you to do it? Comments are closed.
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AuthorBree is an Alaskan Archaeologist originally from Fairbanks. Today, she's an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming. Archives
February 2024
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