How to Edit and Review your Statement of Purpose

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably written your graduate or undergraduate statement of purpose and you’re probably editing and reviewing it before you click submit.

If that’s not the case and you’re still struggling with how to start, let’s start by getting that out the way.

If you’re writing a Ph. D statement of purpose for nursing, psychology or any other field, then these 3 steps and samples will help you a great deal.

If you’re writing a statement of purpose for a subject other than you studied for your bachelor’s degree, for instance public health from education background or MBA with engineering background, then this handy guide is for you.

If you’re writing an undergraduate statement of purpose for nursing, computer science, cognitive science, mathematics, business management or any other area, read this article.

Now that we’ve everyone on board, let’s dive in, shall we?

We’re now offering one-on-one expert guidance on how to write a statement of purpose. This is in addition to our reviewing, editing, and standardizing services. Check out our ordering page, fill out the required details and let us help you craft a statement of purpose that will flood your email with admission offers.
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Editing and Reviewing Statement of Purpose

Editing is defined as the process of revising a written piece for the content, language/grammar, organization, and presentation. To edit a statement of purpose therefore means to revise it for content, grammar, organization, and presentation.

The purpose of editing any piece of writing is to ensure that the intended ideas are communicated and presented as clearly as possible. Imagine you’ve met the requirements for MBA admission at Harvard, where the admission rate is very low, and then you present a poorly written and organized statement of purpose. You’re likely to be overlooked in favor of candidates who’ve impressive and impeccable statements of purpose, signifying that editing your statement of purpose is vitally important.

A closely related concept to editing your statement of purpose is proofreading, which is defined as the process of checking for accuracy in a statement of purpose. In proofreading, we seek to ensure that a piece of writing is free of small errors such as grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors.

The fine distinction between editing and proofreading is encapsulated in the following quote: “Proofreading is a part of editing, but editing is much more than proofreading.”

On the other hand, to review a piece of writing is to judge it for quality. In reviewing a statement of purpose therefore, we look at it critically and lay bare the strengths and weaknesses. An objective review is therefore a brutal analysis that doesn’t shy from stating the bad and good things about a statement of purpose.

If you’ve written or planning to write a statement of purpose, it’s therefore vitally important to edit and review it. But this is easier said than done. Sometimes it’s difficult to see the flaw in your own writing. That’s is why it’s important to take some time away from your statement of purpose, even a week, before having a second look.

But it’s also important to speak with someone who has experience in the field of editing and reviewing statements of purpose at a general level. Additionally, it’s important to speak with someone who’s in the field of study that you’re applying to. If you’re applying for a place in a nursing graduate school, speak with someone who has expertise in the field to look at your statement of purpose. The reason for this will become clear shortly.

But before you can get someone to edit or review your statement of purpose, these are the areas you should focus on:

Edit the Content and Organization

In writing your statement of purpose, content (and how you organize it) is king. Make sure you check the following:

Have you stated the field and specialization you’re applying to, how you became interested in it, and what you intend to do with it?

Ideally, this should come in the first paragraph. After reading the first paragraph, the admission committee should have a clear idea of what you want to study.

Have you done anything about your interest in this field and what are your research, teaching, and professional experience relating to this field?

If you’ve stated that you’re interested in nursing, specialized in mental health of the elderly and vulnerable, what in your previous study have you done to give you firm grounding in the field of study?

What’s your research interest?
- In other words, having described your journey so far, what skill are you lacking and hence your decision to apply to this program?
Why this program, why this school and why this time?

If you’ve identified the skills that you want to acquire, it’s easy to describe how the program and university will help you. The timing may be justified by the realization that the skill is important for your next career stage.

Edit the Grammar and Presentation

If your content is great, you don’t want poor grammar or presentation to ruin your statement of purpose. Go over your work again and ensure that it has flow.

Ensure that you each paragraph addresses one topic.
Use transitional phrases to enhance connection of ideas.
Use active voice.
Use formal grammar without being too technical or casual.

For proofreading, you may use grammar check applications to ensure that the statement of purpose doesn’t have any grammatical mistakes.

Review your Statement of Purpose

The process of reviewing a statement of purpose entails appraising and judging the admission document critically. A reviewer for instance will look at your research interests and examine how they align with the program and educational institution.

A reviewer will also examine your academic and professional background and advise on the skills and expertise you need to emphasize more. Imagine for instance that you’re coming from engineering or computing background and do not have the foundational business courses for an MBA. A process of review will improve your statement of purpose enough to underline transferable experience while diminishing your lack of prior education in business and management.

That’s why it is very important to have your statement of purpose edited and reviewed by an expert. Luckily, we’ve professional editors who are also experts in their respective fields. To get in touch with one CLICK HERE.

Our Review and Editing Process

In reviewing your Statement of Purpose, we judge it for quality against very high standards. Specifically, we review for the following:

Is the introductory narrative authentic, relevant, credible, and how well is it linked to your research interests?
How well have you covered your background/qualifications? Have you used quantifiable and concrete experiences?
In describing your experiences, have you employed a simple but effective formula typical of well written SOPs that get acceptance to top programs?
Have you anticipated potential deficiencies in your background and how well have you addressed them?
Have you explained ‘why this program’ and have you made any of the common mistakes we see a lot in this section?
Are your career goals described using the SMART model?
Does your conclusion cover the big problem you’re going to help solve and how the program will help you?

We use a Six Trait Editing/Standardizing System to transform your Statement of Purpose.

IDEAS-From fuzzy, disjointed, and sketchy to clear, focused and rich in detail
ORGANIZATION-From incoherent with no lead to great lead, logical, coherent, and powerful end.
VOICE-From boring, bland, and cliched to enthusiastic and gripping
WORD CHOICE-From tired and overused words to strong verbs, clear nouns, and well chosen modifiers.
CONVENTIONS-From numerous distracting errors to editorial correctness.
SENTENCE FLUENCY-From bumpy, hard to read to easy to read.

To see some of the impressive samples edited and reviewed by our team, click on the relevant link below.