Hi, I’m Olivia!

Higher education
Seattle, Washington
Studying abroad: Grenoble, France - Spring 2016
5th semester of university
My major: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Double major:

Minor:
Graduation from Seattle University, June 2017
Work experience: Teaching English
2017 - 2018
Becas de posgrado, bilingüismo e investigación
English Teaching Assistant, 2018 - 2019
My Social Project
English Conversation Clubs - Centro de Recursos

Click here for the complete schedule

My club
Thursdays, 8am-9am
Topic: Book Club - Chicano Literature

What we are reading:

“The House On Mango Street” ( ← free English
audiobook on Youtube)
by Sandra Cisneros
Contact information

Email: olmejiam@unal.edu.co
Ice breakers!
 1. 2 truths & a lie
2. Guess who?
3. Snowball fight
4. The perfect match
 Academic Writing
Statement of Purpose (SOP)
Thursday, April 4, 2019
6:00-8:00pm
What is a Statement of Purpose (SOP)?
★ Essentially, a SOP is a formal essay or letter
that reflects WHO you are and WHY you are an
asset to particular program or opportunity you
are seeking. It also demonstrates your writing
abilities.
★ The SOP should make you stand out from
other applicants, while following the traditional
SOP format.
What is a Statement of Purpose?

What is the difference between a

Cover Letter (CL) and a
Statement of Purpose (SOP)?
What is the purpose of a SOP?

➔ Tells the admissions committee…

◆ Who you are
◆ Why you are applying
◆ Why you are an excellent candidate
◆ What you want to do in the future
Important: Answer the question!
The following are some questions that admissions offices
ask themselves when they read a SOP:
1. What is it about you that is special?
2. Do you add diversity to the program?
3. What will you contribute/offer to the program?
I saw Esau sitting on a seesaw. I saw
Esau; he saw me.
Statement of Purpose Format
★ Part 1: Introduction: The hook
★ Part 2: Who you are, what do you want to study
and why
★ Part 3: EVIDENCE
★ Part 4: Future plans/career goals
★ Part 5: Closing paragraph
= ADMISSION TO YOUR 1ST CHOICE
UNIVERSITY OR PROGRAM!!!
What to avoid...

1. Giving an entire summary of your

resume
2. Being overly informal
3. Do not include irrelevant information
(humor, cliches, famous quotes, etc.)
4. Do not write your life story
I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish,
but if you wish the wish the witch wishes,
I won't wish the wish you wish to wish
Part 1: Introduction - What is a “hook”?
★ The hook is the very first sentence in the essay,
and a good one creates a lasting impression with
the reader.

★ Often times, a well-written hook determines

whether the reader will enjoy reading your SOP.
Six sleek swans swam swiftly
southwards.
Part 2: Who am I? What do I want to do?
★ Provide brief background information about yourself and
state current career goal/objective.
★ Write content relevant to the program/opportunity you’re
applying for.
○ For instance, don’t talk about your love of cooking if
you’re applying to medical school.
○ Research the program you are applying!
Part 2 (continued) - Why do you want to do it?
★ Should explain how you became interested in specific area
of study, discipline, subject, etc.
○ Could be through a story or personal experience.
★ Should provide MORE THAN general reasons like “I like
helping people.”
○ General reasons do not help reader understand you as
an individual.
○ Look more deeply. Why do you like helping people?
How did you come to like helping people? What do you
want to learn in this specific program in order to help
people?
Part 2: Example
“Health Sciences & Technology students learn to carry their
engineering and scientific expertise from the laboratory bench
to the patient’s bedside and to bring clinical insights from the
bedside to the bench.” (Harvard-MIT Health, Sciences & Technology)

○ Talk about your background in research or patient

experience.
○ Your career objective should show that this is the kind
of work you want to do & that you’re passionate about it!
How much pot, could a pot roast roast, if
a pot roast could roast pot?
Part 3: Evidence
● Answer the question: Why are you the right candidate for
the program?
● Describe experiences you have in area of study
○ Jobs, internships, projects, research, relevant
coursework
● Relate the previous professional or academic experiences
to the program and your career goals.
● Use programs description as guide to talk about related
experience you have
○ To show you understand the program and how you fit
into it.
Part 3 continued - Extra evidence
● Include any other relevant information the reader should
know.
○ This is your chance to stand out, but should be
tightly focused on explaining why you are best
choice.
● Mention/describe any additional experiences that have
prepared you for graduate study
○ Time management, academic rigor, extracurricular
activities, volunteering, etc.
● Why are you the right candidate for the program?
Mr. Tongue Twister tried to train his
tongue to twist and turn, and twit an twat,
to learn the letter ""T"".
Part 4: Future plans/career goals
★ Discuss your long-term career goals.
○ The first paragraph talks about short-term career goals, recent
history and what you want to do right now.
○ However, this paragraph is where you picture yourself in 5+
years. Be as clear and specific as possible.
★ Programs want to admit students that have long-term career goals
related to the program.
○ They want students that will use the skills they learn in the
program in their careers.
○ Example: If your current career goal may be to become a
manager in your field, but your long-term goal may be to be a
director/CEO/whatever the applicable title for your field.
General writing tips: a well-written SOP should...

★ NOT have spelling or grammatical errors

★ Use strong, clear, and concise writing
★ Avoid cliches and repetitive language
★ Stay away from overly informal language
★ Keep a positive and confident tone
Homework: Writing Activity & SOP Workshop
● Write a 2 paragraph statement of purpose (120 words).
● Search online for a graduate program you might be
interested in applying to someday (anywhere in the world).
● Read the goals and objectives on the program’s website
and write your statement of purpose based off of these.
○ Which of the programs that you have in mind would be
the best based on their required coursework,
professors in the fields, teaching opportunities, and so
on?
Statement of Purpose Peer Workshop
Tuesday, April 16th - 6pm to 8pm
★ Please bring a printed copy of your Statement of Purpose
draft.
★ Remember, there is a minimum of 120 words (about 2
paragraphs), but you can write up to 1 page.
★ Please follow the following formatting instructions: Times New
Roman or Arial, 14 pt. font, double spaced, 2cm margins.
★ Please include your full name and the programs description
you are applying for.
Helpful Online Resources
Seattle University - Writing Center Resources (from my alma mater)

University of Washington - SOP General Advice

UC Berkeley - SOP Guidelines

(from the best public research/university institution in the U.S.A.)

MIT - Statement of Purpose Guidelines

(top university for science/engineering in the U.S.A.)
By the end of class today, you should have
selected a graduate studies program or
academic opportunity abroad...
1. Olivia Mejia-Martinez - International Master in Sociology of Law, Spain
2. Juan Jose G. - Civil Engineering, Undergraduate Program, France
3. Saul - will send an email
4. Jorge E. - PhD, Chemical Catalyst, Delaware, U.S.
5. Lorena - Internal Med Residency Program, Dept. of Medicine at Cornell Hospital, U.S.
6. Ronald - (1) Energy Engineering, Masters NYU OR 2. Renewable Energy, Germany
7. Alejandra Avendano - will me an email (possibly Biotech/Food Security, France)
8. Daniela Mendoza - Masters in Nursing (Mental Health), TX, U.S.A.
9. Anderson Ibarra - Master in Theoretical Physics - Germany
10. Andres - ETM, Masters in Robotics Systems & Control, Zurich, Switzerland
11. Tatiana - Masters in Risk Management - Barcelona, Spain
12. Tania - Masters in Financial Engineering - Poland
Programs
1. Richard Ortega - will send me an email
2. Camilo T. - Masters in Electrical engineering, Milan, Italy
3. Nataly - Masters in Natural Products Science, Korea
4. Laura Sofia Lopez - Specialization in Periodontology - North Carolina, U.S.A.
5. David - Masters in Pharma. Assist. Med., Brazil
6. Alexander - Masters in Music (Bass), Germany
7. Santiago - Masters in Political Studies, Univ. Paris 1, France
8. Nicolas - Masters in in Mechanical Engineering, MIT, U.S.A

Please send me an email with your program of choice if you

don’t see your name here! Thanks :)
1.