This is my second attempt at a letter of intent. I am having so much trouble writing it this is about the 4th time I write it. I know what I want to study. I just don't know how to convince the graduate admissions board that they need to pick me. Please help!
First I would like to say that I have wanted to be an archaeologist since I was a little girl. I want to teach and do field work, for which I need both an MA and a PhD and this is why I am pursuing graduate studies in Archaeology.
My earliest recollection of knowing I wanted to be an archaeologist is from when I was about 12 years old. I remember digging through the very tough ground in our back yard trying to find bones and/or other artifacts. I did find a cow bone once. I am a curious person by nature. I love knowing the little details of everything but if there is one thing that I would like to know in real detail it is the past. I admit to having limited experience in the field but this does not mean I do not have the potential to do something great. I have a certainty for archaeology that I do not have for many things in my life and I do not want to have to settle for anything else simply because I do not have a shining resume.
When I was an undergraduate, the University of Texas Pan American (UTPA) only offered a BA in Anthropology. I chose this as my major when I realized that archaeology was one of its subfields. (I had no knowledge of this before.) I did not hesitate when I chose my classes, nor did I regret my decision to have that as my major, ever. Since I have always been interested in foreign languages I decided to pursue a minor in French. This minor allowed me the opportunity to travel abroad. This is also a reason I would like to study at the graduate level. Being in Europe afforded me the opportunity to meet a part of the world I had always been interested in visiting. I was able to fulfill my goal of seeing the Coliseum in person, as well as many other enchanting sites in Rome which until that point I had only seen in movies.
Within archaeology I am interested in environmental archaeology. With classes in paleoethnobotany, geoarchaeology, human paleonutrition, human paleopathology, etc., along with doing my own research I am confident Texas A&M University is the perfect place for me to pursue a degree in this field. I am particularly interested in the types of diseases and injuries we can find in the human skeleton and if these can determine the amount of pain which could have been experienced by an individual and what methods they would have used against it. It would also be interesting to find out if the methods used by ancient people could be used today or if they continue being used by their descendants.
Apart from doing field work I am also interested in teaching archaeology. The area where I live does not know archaeology, or anthropology for that matter, as well as it should. I fee that more professors are needed in this region in order to broaden the knowledge of current students so that they may have the opportunity of knowing early on in life what it is they want to study as adults. If anything, I will at least have less people asking me if I am going to be digging up dinosaurs every time I tell them I am going to be an archaeologist.
I do not want treasure, I want knowledge. I do not want adventure, I want experience. I do not want to sit behind a desk for the rest of my life. I have seen what archaeologists do and I know I am in the right place. I would like to be given the opportunity to prove myself because even if you are not, I am sure I am ready for graduate school and everything that comes with it.
Hello Kim,
This LOI is much stronger than your first. You are moving in the right direction. Now you need to strengthen this by talking more about your research desires. Try to talk about any exciting projects you completed as an undergrad or an inspiration professors or books. Admissions officers want to know that you have real passion for the field. This is especially true on the graduate level as normally most departments only accept 1-9 students per year. -Essaypolisher.com
Hope This helps
