Preparing Your Study-Abroad Application Documents

Besides all the test scores, the most important and most tedious part of a study-abroad application is the documents! Today I'll walk you through some common application documents and share some of my own experience

What documents do you need?

- CV

- SOP

- Recommendation letters

- Optional Essay

In Taiwan we're used to making application documents rich in images and colorful layouts, as if the more polished they look, the more capable we are. But in applications abroad, admissions committees and professors care far more about the content. A plain Word document, black text on white, is all you need.

1️⃣CV/Resume

A CV or resume is your personal profile. It briefly lists your education, research experience and anything else that strengthens your application.

📝A common CV outline

1. Education + grades in key courses

2. Research experience

3. Other extracurricular activities

💡Tips

- Look at professors' CVs: you can copy the format professors use for their own CVs. You'll find them on university websites and Google Scholar

- Lay it out with a Word table: use Word's built-in tables and hide the gridlines once you're done. The whole CV is one table, so the formatting doesn't easily break and it's easy to edit.

- Make a habit of recording things: get into the habit of keeping records and use tools, like snapping photos, IG, Notion and so on. Leave as much of a trail as you can, so your mind doesn't go blank when you sit down to put it together

2️⃣SOP

Some people call the Statement of purpose a study plan or a statement of motivation. Personally, I think the SOP is the most important document of all, and the one that shows who you are most directly.

👀An SOP that stands out

An SOP is like a love letter to the school. To write a moving love letter, figure out what kind of student the school wants, then play to that and work it skillfully into your essay

- Clear motivation and goals: state your reasons for studying abroad and your goals clearly, so the school understands your determination and plans.

- Able to handle the coursework and research: show your abilities and academic strength, so the school believes you'll graduate and can handle the courses and research field you've chosen.

- Strong fit with the school and professors: stress where you fit with the school and its professors, so they feel you're the student they want.

- Future potential, worth investing in: most Ph.D. students don't pay tuition, which means the school is investing in you. So you need to show your future plans and potential, and make the school feel that investing in you is a smart move.

📝A common SOP outline

Motivation

- Why do you want to study abroad?

- Why this school?

- Why this department?

- Where do you fit?

Personal experience

- What have you done to prepare for the program?

- What hard and soft skills do you have?

Future plans

- What can the school give you?

- What can you give the school?

- What are your study/career plans?

💡Tips

- Keep only meaningful events: you don't need to go into your family background or your whole life story. Keep only the events that matter, and explain what you learned from them or what abilities they showed. (TIPS: Because of XXX experience, I was inspired to XXX. In XXX research, I learned XXX technique)

- Don't be too modest: for me, writing the SOP was also a way of getting to know myself again. I kept asking myself: am I a good fit for this field? What are my strengths? This isn't easy for Asian students, but Western culture is the opposite and values diversity and individuality. American students are better at selling (bragging about) themselves than you'd imagine, so don't hold back from showing yourself in your SOP.

- Convince yourself before you convince the school: the whole point of the SOP is to tell the school "Why me?" When you write it, try looking at it from another angle: first convince yourself how well you fit the school, and then you can convince the school to admit you.

3️⃣Recommendation letters

A letter written to the school by a recommender (a professor, an employer, etc.), mainly describing your performance at school or at work, your personality, your attitude toward work and so on. Some professors ask students to write a draft first. In that case, put some thought into writing a version and then let the professor take it from there.

How recommendation letters work: enter your recommender's name, email and other details on the application website ➡️ the school emails a link to the recommender ➡️ the recommender submits the letter ➡️ the school notifies you that it has received the letter

⚠️Waive my right to review recommendation letters: under federal law, the school will ask during the application whether you agree to "waive your right to review the recommendation letters". If you agree, you won't be able to see what the letters say. Normally you should agree, otherwise the school may have doubts about you or the letter

💡Tips

- Contact professors early: professors are busy, and each one has their own way of writing letters. Reach out early and prepare early

- Check that the letters were sent: if you're applying to many schools at once, some professors may miss one. Keep checking that your professors submit before the deadline.

- Write the draft in the third person: if your recommender asks you to draft the letter, remember to write it in the third person. No need to exaggerate, just write it truthfully. The professor will usually revise it.