mrw142 wrote:
Thanks, Hobbit.
This is what I suspected. It's more about the professor than the program. I know you've had some pretty substantial success in this process yourself, so when you speak, I listen.
So are you saying I need to define a very specific area that I want to research, such that I almost have a working title for my future dissertation in hand by the time I start the application process--if I do--next fall?
i'm not sure i can be considered "successful" - but thanks anyway... here is what i think:
not necessarily a tentative title (although i had one in mind...) but a balance between broad understanding of the wider area of research and a specific interest or research question(s).
you need some broad understanding and knowledge in the area to be able to formulate your interests in relation to what already exists: relating it to existing concepts, methodologies, common classifications and some "jargon". you don't need to be expert, but if you don't know the key topics related to your interests, if you haven't at least skimmed through a relevant advanced level textbook it might look bad.
on the other hand you need to be able to show some ability to "run deep" - taking a more focused question define a methodology, raise hypotheses, or critique it in an intelligen way using concepts from the broader area...
it is difficult to say exactly where the balance is, but it is important to be flexible and shift it a bit from application to application, depending on schools/department.
you should also remember that probably the interest you describe in the SOP isn't likely to be your actual PhD. you'd probably change your mind more than once through your studies... you need to be somewhat specific about your interest mainly to show that you have interests, and that when you are interested in something academic you know how to develop it and communicate it. nobody expects you be expert just show passion, interest, a balance between focus and flexibility and of course intellectual ability....and you'll do just fine.