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1. Introduction
• A statement of who you are and where you are going.
– This is where you should foreground qualities that make you stand out
from other applicants such as unusual experiences, member of an
underrepresented population, first generation to attend college, etc.)
• Name the degree program, department, and school to which you are applying.
– I want to enter the Ph.D. Program in Chemical Engineering at UC
Irvine….
• Discuss the genesis and evolution of your research (scholarly) interests:
– What do you intend to study in graduate school and why?
– How did you become interested in your field?
– What is the tie-in between your inspiration and your current research
interest?
– What is it about your field of study that motivates you to pursue a
graduate degree?
– Why is the Ph.D. your next (and only) logical step?