Some people know their career early in life.  The image in their mind
is clear, unscrambled.  Some people have a harder time finding a
field that fits their skills and abilities.   Like pieces of a jigsaw
puzzle, many careers make a close match but none of them fit quite
right.

 
When I entered the University of Oklahoma, I had four years of
experience in computer programming and an interest in learning
algorithms and intelligent systems.  There is an artistry to
understanding and modeling learning processes.   But what looked like
a good fit was rough around the edges.  The beauty I saw in
programming wasn't reflected in computer science coursework, the joy
of algorithm design was subsumed in repetition and memorization.   I
looked into neurobiology, but its restrictively mechanistic view of
intelligence didn't match up with my interests.  Psychology was next,
but I still felt out of place.   My undergrad courses didn't show
many of the applied dimensions I craved.  Finally, I settled into
statistics, and yet even there my curiosity settled on Bayesian
decision analysis, where prior probabilities influence the outcome.  
But with each step, I could see the shape of my interests coming into
focus.  Always I turned toward problems of cognitive processing, to
the ways intelligent systems learn and make choices.
 
In my final undergraduate year, I began researching in IO psychology
with Dr. Eric Day.  As I worked with Dr. Day, I noticed that his
research on skill acquisition dovetailed with my own interests.   I
looked deeper into IO, and I found that the questions being asked
there were the same ones I wanted to address in my own work: applied
questions of learning and decision-making in a meaningful context,
the workplace.   Talking to graduate students, I also discovered the
high demand for computer and statistical skills in IO programs.  The
pieces fell into place.   In the year I worked with Dr. Day, my
jumbled pile of interests and abilities started to resolve itself
into a clear career path.
 
But I wasn't done with my puzzle yet.  In 2004 I was given the unique
opportunity to join the prestigious JET Programme, which hires people
from around the world to teach in the Japanese public school system.
  Working in a school as the only native English speaker has at times
tested my resourcefulness and my patience, but it has also matured
me.  Living in a country where English is largely unspoken had
required me to become more independent and focused.   Something as
simple as signing up for internet access can require hours of
preparation and organization, without which the problems encountered
are insurmountable.
 
Three years away from university have given me perspective on how
much I love doing research in an academic environment.  Working in
Japan has increased my sensitivity to details of organizational
structure and expectations, and made me interested in questions of
culture as it relates to organizational behavior, specifically how
differing cultural expectations can affect job performance in
intercultural and international work environments.   The
intercultural dimensions of IO psychology seem largely unexplored,
and I hope that my experience can help me fill a void in the research
and make a mark on the field.   Finally, I have found a direction
that squares up with all my interests and abilities.
 
I'm confident I have what it takes to succeed in your program.  My
academic record in psychology is a strong indicator of my ability to
follow advanced concepts in the field.   My background with
statistics, computers, and higher-level math gives me unique
perspectives on psychological problems as well as a wide range of
tools to apply to my own research.   My professors have been very
encouraging, recommending that I apply to top-level graduate programs
around the country.  My GRE scores and my record with national
standardized tests (ACT 36, SAT 1550, National Merit Scholar)
demonstrate that I have the intellectual capacity to digest large
volumes of diverse information.   I am confident in my ability to
express my ideas clearly and concisely, having worked for a year as a
columnist at my college newspaper and having developed communicative
competence in two foreign languages.
 
Japan has taught me solutions for problems I may face in graduate
school and professional life.  In the past when I have focused on a
project, it has sometimes made me neglect other duties.   This was
evident from my last semesters as an undergraduate, when my focus on
researching with Dr. Day made me neglect my mathematical analysis
courses.   I've had to juggle many different responsibilities in
Japan as well, and I have learned to divide my time better between
areas where I want to focus and less interesting duties that need to
be fulfilled.   I can also become bored when I am not given
intellectually challenging work.  I have learned to seek out
opportunities on my own to keep myself engaged with my work when it
becomes uninteresting.   Lastly, my friends tell me I don't suffer
fools gladly.  I can have a hard time relating to people who lack a
reasoned approach to their life and work.   Japan has required
changes of me here as well; I've learned to bite my tongue to keep
good relations with coworkers whose actions don't always agree with
their stated intentions.
 
Japan has helped me move beyond these weaknesses.  It has renewed my
enthusiasm for research and learning, and it has sharpened my ideas
about the topics I want to study.   [right here, talk about why I'm
going for THIS school]  With strong academic skills, enthusiasm for
my studies, a drive to succeed at what I do, and a unique
international perspective on IO psychology, I believe I am one of the
best candidates you will find for your program.   I hope that you
will do me the honor of allowing me to study at [your school].