How to write a MFA application’s Statement of Purpose (SOP)-with a little on the writing sample.
Working on figuring out the MFA programs you’ll be applying to, very very soon? There are a few things that should take a little more of your attention than others. One of them is your writing sample. Across the board on MFA selection committees the word is that hands down, a good writing sample is the number one greatest asset your application can have. Spend a lot of time on that. You want to show that you’re versatile, but not sporadic, that you know your craft, but are not limited by it (depending on the school), and that you are surprising. You want your writing sample to stand out, and what better way to stand out than to have a couple great poems that take risks that work(or in fiction, perhaps a flash fiction or a short short to prove your versatility?). Anyway, after that, the major thing that the selection committee concerns themselves with is the Statement of Purpose (or Goal statement or whatever the particular school chooses to label the said piece of writing.) This is how you introduce yourself to the committee, now that they’ve seen your writing sample, and know what you can do with words. Most applications require round a 300 word Statement of Purpose, some much more, but those are rare. What you want to avoid is blending in with the other 500 or so applications that these committees are reading, but also avoid going too far and being thought of as “too much.” In your research into the teachers you’ll be able to decide what’s too much for each school.
I read an article the other day about writing a good SOP, and it was really interesting, basically their guidelines were:
(1) passionate hook; (2) segué to your background in the field; (3) specific classes by title and professors you have had (especially if well-known in the field); (4) related extracurricular activities (especially if they hint at some personal quality you want to convey); (5) any publications or other professional accomplishments in the field (perhaps conference presentations or public readings); (6) explanations about problems in your background (if needed); and (7) why you have chosen this grad school (name one or two professors and what you know of their specific areas or some feature of the program which specifically attracts you).
If that makes sense to you, or has any relevance, you can spend the ten minutes it takes to read this wonderfully informative article by Vince Gotara from Northern Iowa University, home of the North American Review.