About Writing Samples

Spring 2008 is now in full swing and the Office of Admission is busy! The TC Blog is busy, too, with the addition of our new Graduate Assistant, Nick. While we will miss having Megan in the Office of Admission, she will continue to contribute to the blog as she completes her program part-time while starting her brand new job at the UN!

It’s a busy day for a Friday, but I thought I would take a minute to discuss WRITING SAMPLES. Some programs, most doctoral, require writing samples as a supplement to the application. A couple of things to keep in mind:

 1. These are not the same as the personal statement. Writing Samples are pieces of academic writing and/or research, possibly pertaining to the field to which you are applying. While a personal statement is typically 1-3 pages in length, most writing samples are a minimum of 12 pages and can go up to 20 pages…

2. But be wary of sending in anything longer than that. Our programs are competitive. The review committees are looking over sometimes hundreds of applications in a short period of time. The more you send in, the less they will be able to focus on the “meat” of your work. You want to be able to get your point across in a short amount of time. If you have a 100 page thesis, try giving the committee a chapter, or highlighting the “must-read” section. I would recommend that you only send one “must-read” writing sample in most cases (see #6 for the exception).

3. Writing Samples must be physically mailed in. Unless the Admission Liaison to your department has specifically requested that you email your writing sample to them, you are expected to mail your writing sample to us along with your other application materials. It cannot be attached to your online application, and it is required to arrive in our office by the deadline.

4. Make sure your name is on the writing sample. If you have gotten your “T-” TC ID, then please feel free to include that, too. But the name is essential. 

5. If required, you are expected to submit a writing sample, no matter how long it has been since you were last in school. Many people applying to our programs have not been in a classroom in a number of years. Some people do not think their college writing would give the admission committee an accurate picture of what their graduate school potential is. That may be the case, but you are still expected to submit a sample. We have had cases where students conducted new research and wrote brand new papers to fulfill this requirement. If you have a library of papers that you would be proud to share with us, please don’t feel the need to write something brand new. But it is important to know that when a program requires this for admission, there are no exceptions or excuses accepted.

6. The topic of your writing sample does not need to match your program of interest, but it can help. I realize that many of our applicants are applying to a program as their way of entering a particular field. We welcome that. We understand that you may not have a writing sample that is directly related to the program to which you’re applying. But keep in mind, you are in the same applicant pool as those who did major in this field in college and do have a writing sample pertinent to their research interests. I do believe you should submit the strongest paper you have, even if it is not in the subject area. But if you are choosing between two papers of equal quality and one is in the field and one is not, i would suggest you choose the paper closest to your program interest.

7. Try to submit at least one piece of individual work. Most published articles are co-authored by a number of people. If you are one, you may want to submit it to demonstrate your ability to produce relevant research. But I suggest you also submit something that is authored only by you. That way, the department can get a true sense of what your individual writing and research skills are.

Writing samples are just one example of Supplemental Application materials. Please be sure to check the Guide to Admission, The TC Catalog or your Admission Liaison to see what is required with your application.

I hope this helps. Best of luck on your applications and please keep the blog questions coming!