Occasionally referred to has the ‘soft’ sciences, social sciences combing qualitative and quantitative methodologies.  As such, a social science Statement of Purpose falls somewhere between the no-nonsense science Statement of Purpose and the more creative humanities Statement of Purpose.  Social science Statement of Purpose essays tend to have more or less narrative qualities depending on the type of research the applicant is proposing.  If you are applying with the intention of doing neurolinguistics, your social science Statement of Purpose needs to leave no doubt that you are trained and qualified to undertake such a program.  If you are applying with the intention of doing ethnographic anthropological work, you need to worry less about qualifications and more about making a case for your area of interest.

Additionally, because most fields in the social sciences span such a wide variety of approaches, you need to do your homework when researching programs.  Do not propose to do sociolinguistics at a school that is known for its reputation in cognitive linguistics.  Although both areas technically fall under linguistics, the methodological approaches are completely different.  Make sure you know which way the program you are applying to leans, and reflect that in your Statement of Purpose.  To help you get started we have a collection of social science Statement of Purpose essays from a variety of fields.

Social Science Statement of Purpose Examples:

1. A Love of Language (Applied Linguistics)

2. Words and Their Origins (Comparative Linguistics)

3. An Unlikely Candidate (General Linguistics)

4. At Work (Organizational Psychology)

{Need more help? Check out our ebook Hacking Your Statement of Purpose for a concise guide to writing and revising your Statement of Purpose.}