Day 157- "One phase gets over" (Monthstone reading: 7 months)
A long gap again...but I had decided to be back only after finishing the application work.
So here's my progress for this duration:
Road-Map
GRE (done)
TOEFL (done)
University Selections (done)
Transcripts ( done)
SOP (done)
LOR's (all recommender's intimated)
University Applications (done)
- Financial Documents
- Visa Interview
Time-line
- 12th Oct - 17th Oct- A visit to Kashmir. Srinagar, Gulamarg and Pehalgam were the major stops.
- 26th Oct- 30th Oct- A short visit to Mumbai to meet my professors and collect transcripts.
- 31st Oct- 1st Nov- Delhi- Chandigarh- Delhi....phew*
- 2nd Nov- 27th Nov- Approaching the statement of purpose iteratively
- 27th Nov - 4th Dec- Trip to Lucknow
- 5th Dec- 15th Dec- Approaching the statement , continued
Time passed unusually slowly over the past month. Many times I hit the writer's block and receded into my shell. However, during this shell-period I reverted to Two books that really helped me clearly put down my thoughts. I would highly recommend "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk, jr. and "How to write a sentence and how to read one" by Stanley Fish. The latter especially gave me the much needed push to evolve my prolix to something deliciously succinct. At least I was in love with my new approach to writing my thoughts. Also, my SOP reviews were going smoother with lesser criticism.
I think this post would be a good time to talk about the essentials one needs to start writing the SOP.
First and foremost, the Logical Connect. It should be made clear that no one (not even you) would like to read an essay that lacks connect. So each paragraph in your essay should lead the reader to the next one in a smooth manner. Without connectivity, even with a hundred achievements, the SOP would pull down your profile. So make sure you lure the reader. Tell him who you are and this is why you want to do this!
Structure is the 2nd most important thing about your essay. The impact of a sentence comes out best when it is brief and precise. So for instance if I were to tell you that 'The most important thing to consider while writing your essay should be to make sure that you write short and precise sentences which convey your essential thought in the shortest possible way', I'm sure you would loose me even before the sentence finishes. However, if I were to rephrase it as 'Brevity and precision forms the core of a compelling essay', you would get the idea in fewer words without losing interest. The redundant gap is tossed away and the reader is left to sip only the concentrate. So make sure your essay has short sentences, and each word in the sentence is hand-picked. Just like a general picks the strongest men to prepare his regiment, its your task to carefully pick the words that line up your armada. Each sentence should have at least one warrior-word, placed in a way that delivers a vital punch.
Simplicity is the most undervalued asset after one goes through the elaborate GRE-word list. Putting big words which are not a part of your regular speaking makes your writing shallow. So strictly avoid searching for GRE translations for simple words to put in your essay. The best essays are those that clearly convey the writer's thought. So avoid any kind of pretense; it's a deadly trap.
These three things should be good enough to get you started. Otherwise there is always the option of turning to the books that I mentioned. It would tremendously purify your writing.
I would be back here by mid-January after another spell of extensive travelling. However, I would keep checking my blog once in a while. So feel free to reach out, discuss or add more.
