As someone who has very little intention of attending any graduate school program, I chose to read the selected articles as more of an analysis of a specific genre of writing. The idea of a Statement of Purpose is a familiar one because the title itself is just a fancier way to say admissions essay, cover letter, or any other range of similarly introductory compositions.
Approaching the articles I had no idea what a Statement of Purpose was supposed to be, but reading about them and all of the standards they have to meet and the requirements of what you have to say within them, the idea just began to seem more and more preposterous. I say this as a writer who has at least the physical ability and presumably the mental competency to write well and who honestly thinks that a Masters degree might be more appropriate for the sciences. If a writer wishes to teach I understand the desire for a Masters, but if one wishes only to write for the sake of writing and not write on the writings of others, then why not begin? Why not start (or more likely continue) down the path of steady progress instead of staggering yourself with more education that could threaten to bog down the mind with useless and trivial tasks.
Desgined to make the individual a better scholar or writer, the programs are simply just more education. Students today, myself included, have very little idea of what life outside of a school system is like, and graduate school is just a means to perpetuate the system, delay what comes after, and in some regards ensure that what does come after is teaching at a school.
My own personal aspiration is to find something resembling a job and work on my writing simultaneously, perfecting my craft through my own work, not the assignments of a class. Masters applicants can work on having their Statements of Purpose remembered, I'll stick to trying to get my screenplays immortalized.
Approaching the articles I had no idea what a Statement of Purpose was supposed to be, but reading about them and all of the standards they have to meet and the requirements of what you have to say within them, the idea just began to seem more and more preposterous. I say this as a writer who has at least the physical ability and presumably the mental competency to write well and who honestly thinks that a Masters degree might be more appropriate for the sciences. If a writer wishes to teach I understand the desire for a Masters, but if one wishes only to write for the sake of writing and not write on the writings of others, then why not begin? Why not start (or more likely continue) down the path of steady progress instead of staggering yourself with more education that could threaten to bog down the mind with useless and trivial tasks.
Desgined to make the individual a better scholar or writer, the programs are simply just more education. Students today, myself included, have very little idea of what life outside of a school system is like, and graduate school is just a means to perpetuate the system, delay what comes after, and in some regards ensure that what does come after is teaching at a school.
My own personal aspiration is to find something resembling a job and work on my writing simultaneously, perfecting my craft through my own work, not the assignments of a class. Masters applicants can work on having their Statements of Purpose remembered, I'll stick to trying to get my screenplays immortalized.
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