理工科Statement of Purpose和Personal Statement的区别

一般来说，如果学校没有区分SOP和PS，在研究生申请过程中，可以忽略SOP和PS的区别。但对于有些理工科专业，如Computer Science, Electrical Engineering或者Civil Engineering，SOP和PS还是有一定区别的。以UC-Berkeley的题目为例：
 
Statement of Purpose
Why are you applying for this program? What will you do during this degree program? What do you want to do after and how will this help you?
 
Instructions
Please describe your aptitude and motivation for graduate study in your area of specialization, including your preparation for this field of study, your academic plans or research interests in your chosen area of study, and your future career goals. Please be specific about why UC Berkeley would be a good intellectual fit for you.
 
Personal History Statement
What from your past made you decide to go into this field? And how will your personal history help you succeed in this program and your future goals?
 
Instructions
Please describe how your personal background and experiences inform your decision to pursue a graduate degree. In this section, you may also include any relevant information on how you have overcome barriers to access higher education, evidence of how you have come to understand the barriers faced by others, evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, evidence of your research focusing on underserved populations or related issues of inequality, or evidence of your leadership among such groups.
The Personal History Statement is required for all applicants. Please note that the Personal History Statement should not duplicate the Statement of Purpose.
 
从题目分析中我们就能看出二者的区别。从SOP中，学校需要知道你的申请动机、学业计划、职业目标和与申请项目的匹配度。具体来说，你为什么想申请这个项目？你的学习计划和目标是什么？你的职业发展方向是什么？你认为你的专业和申请的项目有多少匹配度？这个项目为什么吸引你？从SOP中，你大概需要回答这些问题。毫无以为，这些问题基本和学术相关。也就是说，是什么样的教育背景和经历使你做出今天申请这个项目的决定？
 
而PS，从题目要求看，重点是个人经历中所有的非学术经历。也可以理解为把重点放在职业经历。在这个专业领域，你之前做过什么？这个对你进入这个行业有多大帮助？对你将来从事这个行业有多深远的影响？UC-Berkeley的这个题目重点需要看到这些内容。有些学校还需要从PS中看到申请人的性格特点，即personal attributes。学校希望通过个人陈述的描述，看到申请人有没有继续在这个领域深造的可能性。这一点也是在非学术领域。总之，可以看出，PS是描述个人性格和职业经历的。
 
从字数看，SOP和PS有稍有区别。通常SOP要比PS字数多一些。PS最好控制在一页范围之内。在准备SOP和PS之前，可以先捋一下学术和非学术经历的重点内容，然后大概有个思路，哪些写到SOP，哪些写到PS。SOP和PS内容不要重复。