research statement for computer science

Writing a research statement

By michael ernst, december, 2011 last updated: march 29, 2016.

A research statement lays out your vision of your research, including both your accomplishments to date and your plans for the future. It is a required part of many applications — for graduate school , for fellowships , for jobs (especially academic jobs ), for awards, etc.

This is a short collection of advice regarding some mistakes I have seen people make in their statements. It is incomplete at present, but still useful if it helps you avoid those common but important blunders.

Write your statement in the first person.

Your statement will likely discuss multiple research projects or results. Readers are unlikely to remember each of the projects in detail (though they may remember that you are broad, which is good). It will be easiest for readers to remember your work, and equally importantly to place it in context as they read your statement, if you can show how the projects are related. They might be in the same research subarea, or use related techniques, or stem from your own experiences, etc. Find a way to tie them together, which will make readers more likely to understand them. Furthermore, readers will be more likely to believe that you may continue to produce similar results in the future, if they see a pattern. After starting out with an overview (which might describe the general topic and its importance), tie the description of each result or project into that overview.

Somewhere — maybe at the beginning, though more likely at the end — you need to bring the statement to life and let your personality show through. Permit yourself to gush about how much you enjoy research: show that you really care about this and why. For example, you might state how important it is to you and how it has changed the way you think about your research area computing. Another way to address this (not incompatible with the others) is to say why you got involved in research at all; that might go at the beginning. If readers believe that you are enthusiastic about the topic, they will be more likely to believe that you are doing a great job and will be more favorably inclined toward you in general.

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="research statement for computer science"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Research statement, what is a research statement.

The research statement (or statement of research interests) is a common component of academic job applications. It is a summary of your research accomplishments, current work, and future direction and potential of your work.

The statement can discuss specific issues such as:

• funding history and potential
• requirements for laboratory equipment and space and other resources
• potential research and industrial collaborations
• how your research contributes to your field
• future direction of your research

The research statement should be technical, but should be intelligible to all members of the department, including those outside your subdiscipline. So keep the “big picture” in mind. The strongest research statements present a readable, compelling, and realistic research agenda that fits well with the needs, facilities, and goals of the department.

Research statements can be weakened by:

• overly ambitious proposals
• lack of clear direction
• lack of big-picture focus
• inadequate attention to the needs and facilities of the department or position

Why a Research Statement?

• It conveys to search committees the pieces of your professional identity and charts the course of your scholarly journey.
• It communicates a sense that your research will follow logically from what you have done and that it will be different, important, and innovative.
• It gives a context for your research interests—Why does your research matter? The so what?
• It combines your achievements and current work with the proposal for upcoming research.
• areas of specialty and expertise
• potential to get funding
• academic strengths and abilities
• compatibility with the department or school
• ability to think and communicate like a serious scholar and/or scientist

Formatting of Research Statements

The goal of the research statement is to introduce yourself to a search committee, which will probably contain scientists both in and outside your field, and get them excited about your research. To encourage people to read it:

• make it one or two pages, three at most
• use informative section headings and subheadings
• use bullets
• use an easily readable font size
• make the margins a reasonable size

Organization of Research Statements

Think of the overarching theme guiding your main research subject area. Write an essay that lays out:

• The main theme(s) and why it is important and what specific skills you use to attack the problem.
• A few specific examples of problems you have already solved with success to build credibility and inform people outside your field about what you do.
• A discussion of the future direction of your research. This section should be really exciting to people both in and outside your field. Don’t sell yourself short; if you think your research could lead to answers for big important questions, say so!
• A final paragraph that gives a good overall impression of your research.

Writing Research Statements

• Avoid jargon. Make sure that you describe your research in language that many people outside your specific subject area can understand. Ask people both in and outside your field to read it before you send your application. A search committee won’t get excited about something they can’t understand.
• Write as clearly, concisely, and concretely as you can.
• Keep it at a summary level; give more detail in the job talk.
• Ask others to proofread it. Be sure there are no spelling errors.
• Convince the search committee not only that you are knowledgeable, but that you are the right person to carry out the research.
• Include information that sets you apart (e.g., publication in  Science, Nature,  or a prestigious journal in your field).
• What excites you about your research? Sound fresh.
• Include preliminary results and how to build on results.
• Point out how current faculty may become future partners.
• Acknowledge the work of others.
• Use language that shows you are an independent researcher.
• BUT focus on your research work, not yourself.
• Include potential funding partners and industrial collaborations. Be creative!
• Provide a summary of your research.
• Put in background material to give the context/relevance/significance of your research.
• List major findings, outcomes, and implications.
• Describe both current and planned (future) research.
• Communicate a sense that your research will follow logically from what you have done and that it will be unique, significant, and innovative (and easy to fund).

Describe Your Future Goals or Research Plans

• Major problem(s) you want to focus on in your research.
• The problem’s relevance and significance to the field.
• Your specific goals for the next three to five years, including potential impact and outcomes.
• If you know what a particular agency funds, you can name the agency and briefly outline a proposal.
• Give broad enough goals so that if one area doesn’t get funded, you can pursue other research goals and funding.

Identify Potential Funding Sources

• Almost every institution wants to know whether you’ll be able to get external funding for research.
• Try to provide some possible sources of funding for the research, such as NIH, NSF, foundations, private agencies.
• Mention past funding, if appropriate.

Be Realistic

There is a delicate balance between a realistic research statement where you promise to work on problems you really think you can solve and over-reaching or dabbling in too many subject areas. Select an over-arching theme for your research statement and leave miscellaneous ideas or projects out. Everyone knows that you will work on more than what you mention in this statement.

Consider Also Preparing a Longer Version

• A longer version (five–15 pages) can be brought to your interview. (Check with your advisor to see if this is necessary.)
• You may be asked to describe research plans and budget in detail at the campus interview. Be prepared.
• Include laboratory needs (how much budget you need for equipment, how many grad assistants, etc.) to start up the research.

Samples of Research Statements

To find sample research statements with content specific to your discipline, search on the internet for your discipline + “Research Statement.”

• University of Pennsylvania Sample Research Statement
• Advice on writing a Research Statement (Plan) from the journal  Science

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Research statements for faculty job applications

The purpose of a research statement.

The main goal of a research statement is to walk the search committee through the evolution of your research, to highlight your research accomplishments, and to show where your research will be taking you next. To a certain extent, the next steps that you identify within your statement will also need to touch on how your research could benefit the institution to which you are applying. This might be in terms of grant money, faculty collaborations, involving students in your research, or developing new courses. Your CV will usually show a search committee where you have done your research, who your mentors have been, the titles of your various research projects, a list of your papers, and it may provide a very brief summary of what some of this research involves. However, there can be certain points of interest that a CV may not always address in enough detail.

• What got you interested in this research?
• What was the burning question that you set out to answer?
• What challenges did you encounter along the way, and how did you overcome these challenges?
• How can your research be applied?
• Why is your research important within your field?
• What direction will your research take you in next, and what new questions do you have?

While you may not have a good sense of where your research will ultimately lead you, you should have a sense of some of the possible destinations along the way. You want to be able to show a search committee that your research is moving forward and that you are moving forward along with it in terms of developing new skills and knowledge. Ultimately, your research statement should complement your cover letter, CV, and teaching philosophy to illustrate what makes you an ideal candidate for the job. The more clearly you can articulate the path your research has taken, and where it will take you in the future, the more convincing and interesting it will be to read.

Separate research statements are usually requested from researchers in engineering, social, physical, and life sciences, but can also be requested for researchers in the humanities. In many cases, however, the same information that is covered in the research statement is often integrated into the cover letter for many disciplines within the humanities and no separate research statement is requested within the job advertisement. Seek advice from current faculty and new hires about the conventions of your discipline if you are in doubt.

Timeline: Getting Started with Your Research Statement

You can think of a research statement as having three distinct parts. The first part will focus on your past research and can include the reasons you started your research, an explanation as to why the questions you originally asked are important in your field, and a summary some of the work you did to answer some of these early questions.

The middle part of the research statement focuses on your current research. How is this research different from previous work you have done, and what brought you to where you are today? You should still explain the questions you are trying to ask, and it is very important that you focus on some of the findings that you have (and cite some of the publications associated with these findings). In other words, do not talk about your research in abstract terms, make sure that you explain your actual results and findings (even if these may not be entirely complete when you are applying for faculty positions), and mention why these results are significant.

The final part of your research statement should build on the first two parts. Yes, you have asked good questions and used good methods to find some answers, but how will you now use this foundation to take you into your future? Since you are hoping that your future will be at one of the institutions to which you are applying, you should provide some convincing reasons why your future research will be possible at each institution, and why it will be beneficial to that institution and to their students.

While you are focusing on the past, present, and future or your research, and tailoring it to each institution, you should also think about the length of your statement and how detailed or specific you make the descriptions of your research. Think about who will be reading it. Will they all understand the jargon you are using? Are they experts in the subject, or experts in a range of related subjects? Can you go into very specific detail, or do you need to talk about your research in broader terms that make sense to people outside of your research field, focusing on the common ground that might exist? Additionally, you should make sure that your future research plans differ from those of your PI or advisor, as you need to be seen as an independent researcher. Identify 4-5 specific aims that can be divided into short-term and long-term goals. You can give some idea of a 5-year research plan that includes the studies you want to perform, but also mention your long-term plans so that the search committee knows that this is not a finite project.

Another important consideration when writing about your research is realizing that you do not perform research in a vacuum. When doing your research, you may have worked within a team environment at some point or sought out specific collaborations. You may have faced some serious challenges that required some creative problem-solving to overcome. While these aspects are not necessarily as important as your results and your papers or patents, they can help paint a picture of you as a well-rounded researcher who is likely to be successful in the future even if new problems arise, for example.

Follow these general steps to begin developing an effective research statement:

Step 1: Think about how and why you got started with your research. What motivated you to spend so much time on answering the questions you developed? If you can illustrate some of the enthusiasm you have for your subject, the search committee will likely assume that students and other faculty members will see this in you as well. People like to work with passionate and enthusiastic colleagues. Remember to focus on what you found, what questions you answered, and why your findings are significant. The research you completed in the past will have brought you to where you are today; also be sure to show how your research past and research present are connected. Explore some of the techniques and approaches you have successfully used in your research, and describe some of the challenges you overcame. What makes people interested in what you do, and how have you used your research as a tool for teaching or mentoring students? Integrating students into your research may be an important part of your future research at your target institutions. Conclude describing your current research by focusing on your findings, their importance, and what new questions they generate.

Step 2: Think about how you can tailor your research statement for each application. Familiarize yourself with the faculty at each institution, and explore the research that they have been performing. You should think about your future research in terms of the students at the institution. What opportunities can you imagine that would allow students to get involved in what you do to serve as a tool for teaching and training them, and to get them excited about your subject? Do not talk about your desire to work with graduate students if the institution only has undergraduates! You will also need to think about what equipment or resources that you might need to do your future research. Again, mention any resources that specific institutions have that you would be interested in utilizing (e.g., print materials, super electron microscopes, archived artwork). You can also mention what you hope to do with your current and future research in terms of publication (whether in journals or as a book); try to be as specific and honest as possible. Finally, be prepared to talk about how your future research can help bring in grants and other sources of funding, especially if you have a good track record of receiving awards and fellowships. Mention some grants that you know have been awarded to similar research, and state your intention to seek this type of funding.

Step 3: Ask faculty in your department if they are willing to share their own research statements with you. To a certain extent, there will be some subject-specific differences in what is expected from a research statement, and so it is always a good idea to see how others in your field have done it. You should try to draft your own research statement first before you review any statements shared with you. Your goal is to create a unique research statement that clearly highlights your abilities as a researcher.

Step 4: The research statement is typically a few (2-3) pages in length, depending on the number of images, illustrations, or graphs included.  Once you have completed the steps above, schedule an appointment with a career advisor to get feedback on your draft. You should also try to get faculty in your department to review your document if they are willing to do so.

Additional Resources

For further tips, tricks, and strategies for writing a research statement for faculty jobs, see the resources below:

• The PhD Career Training Platform is an eLearning platform with on-demand, self-paced modules that allow PhDs and postdocs to make informed decisions about their career path and learn successful job search strategies from other PhDs. Select the University of Pennsylvania from the drop-down menu, log in using your University ID, and click the “Faculty Careers” tab to learn more about application documents for a faculty job search.
• Writing an Effective Research Statement
• Research Statements for Humanities PhDs
• Tips to Get Started on Your Research Statement (video)

Explore other application documents:

My PhD Application Research Statement

I am committed to making the PhD application process more open and clearer to new students, since it is my view that the unnecessary opaqueness of the status quo mostly serves to discourage minorities from applying and to preserve power in the hands of elites. Therefore, I share below the personal statement I used when applying to graduate school in 2018, in hopes it may help someone down the road. I added some comments in square brackets to explain my intended purpose for each section.

Of course, it must come with a big disclaimer: I am not in any way claiming that this is a good statement, let alone a model for others’ statements, nor making any promises about your success if you follow this advice. Also, note that the fact that I am posting this online means that this text will appear in an online search, so you probably don’t want to copy specific words or phrases ;)

Personal Statement

To whom it may concern,

[This first paragraph is a very brief summary which answers the questions “who am I?”, “what am I applying for?”, “why should you hire me?” The rest of the statement serves as a justification for the pitch made in this paragraph.]

My name is Silvia González Sellán and I am a Mathematics and Physics undergraduate student with experience in Computer Graphics research at a high level. I am writing to apply to the direct entry PhD program, to hopefully begin in Fall 2019. I believe my previous achievements can vouch for my ability to proficiently participate in a world-renowned institution like University of Toronto, and I hope my interdisciplinary training can bring to it an innovative perspective.

[The next three paragraphs are “background”, and they are not specific to which University I am applying to. Their purpose is to show that I have the experience you’re looking for as a recruiter and I am confortable describing and discussing the details of my research. Also, detailing the specific responsabilities I took on with each project.]

By this summer I will be granted two individual Bachelor of Science degrees in both Mathematics and Physics. However, for the past two years I have been dedicating myself mostly to my Computer Graphics research, supervised by professor Alec Jacobson (University of Toronto) and partially funded by several Fields Institute of Mathematics programs. Specifically, I have focused on the subfield of Geometry Processing, working with two or three-dimensional shapes in the form of meshes and using mathematical tools to analyze and manipulate them.

In our latest finished project, we circumvented the problem of achieving solid meshes of complex domains by presenting a new way to define discrete differential operators on simpler meshes that make up the final domain via set operations. The applications of our method are manifold, from shape deformations to data smoothing to the computation of solid geodesic distances in a complicated shape. Our work has so far resulted in one high-level publication of which I am the first author, “Solid Geometry Processing on Deconstructed Domains”, which has been accepted with major revisions in the journal Computer Graphics Forum. I have also presented our results in poster format in several venues, like the 2018 Eurographics Symposium on Geometry Processing or the Graphics Interface 2018 conference. Lately, I have begun working on a new project, also supervised by professor Jacobson, involving morphological operations and geometric flows on surfaces, which is still on its early stages but the results of which we intend to submit for publication in Spring 2019.

[This ended up happening in Spring 2020!]

As the first author and the only student working on these projects for most of their duration, I took on the main responsibilities associated with them: with my supervisor’s assistance, we produced the necessary code and mathematical results and presented them in the most polished way possible, both in poster and paper form. I also worked on satisfying the reviewers’ comments during our first peer-review phase and submitted an improved version of our paper which complied with the major revisions required and is currently under review.

[This is the vision section. My intention was to tell the reader “You won’t need to worry about figuring out what to do with me, I have a very clear plan that you should be excited about”.]

If given the opportunity of working towards my PhD at University of Toronto, my vision for the program would be two-fold. My most immediate intention is to complete my reading and formal studies in order to achieve a global grasp of Computer Graphics as a field. Attending lectures in different congresses such as SIGGRAPH 2018 has woken me up to the very different avenues one can follow within it, and I would very much love to have a better understanding of these so I can choose my future wisely. Secondly, I would like to continue with my work in Geometry Processing and Discrete Differential Geometry, making use of your laboratory’s resources to collaborate with other scientists in order to produce high-quality research and have the satisfaction that I am significantly contributing to such a young, fast-growing area of knowledge like Graphics is.

[Now begins the institution-specific section of the statement. I thought it important to add concrete facts that relate me to the institution, and start from the bottom up: beginning with the specific supervisor (it is important to name them), then the Department and ending with the University as a whole.]

During the past two years I have cultivated a great relationship with the University of Toronto Department of Computer Science and, more specifically, with the Computer Graphics area of the Dynamic Graphics Project laboratory. Not only have I been directed by professor Alec Jacobson in two Fields Institute of Mathematics research programs, but this has also meant that I have spent a combined time of four months working in the DGP laboratory, directed by professor David Levin. I have also given research-related talks at the Department of Computer Science Undergraduate Summer Research Program (UGSRP) in 2017 and 2018, and even travelled to Toronto in the winter to attend and speak at the Toronto-Montreal Area Graphics Workshop (TOMOGRAPH) in late 2017, which was hosted by the same Department. In the upcoming years, I would be interested in being supervised by professor Jacobson or professor Levin in order to continue with our research together.

My excitement about participating in this Department’s PhD program is only matched by my desire to belong to University of Toronto’s community as a whole. I first visited St. George’s campus as a tourist during my first trip to Canada in 2013 and was captivated by its beauty as much as by its welcoming climate of tolerance. During my academic visits to the University in the following years I was privileged to interact and collaborate with various U of T graduate and undergraduate students, and it was thanks to them that I became determined that I am a great fit for Toronto’s academic and cultural community. The institution’s commitment to tackle gender-based harassment and create a diverse and inclusive environment has convinced me even more that I should present myself as a candidate for this position.

[Closing, standard language.]

I kindly ask that you consider my application for the PhD program to begin Fall 2019. I am looking forward to knowing your decision and remain at your disposal for any additional information you may request, as well as for an interview if you were to deem it helpful.

Yours faithfully,

Silvia González Sellán

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How to formulate good problem statements in CS research

Short background: I started my PhD last November and now I am helping a master student writing his MSc thesis. I still have problems when I need to formulate a concise research question and even, at least in workshop papers, some publications fail in formulating clear research questions as well. The topic the CS student writes about is the following. There is this work by Bracha on pluggable / optional type systems, e.g. for scripting languages. The student wants to solve the same problem that these 'pluggable typesystem' solves. But he is using dependent-type theory, i.e., to check that values in the scripting language are valid according to a given type. This can solve (or better solve) problems related to scripting languages (e.g. security problems in web programming; because everything is basically a string in scripting languages).

I find it hard to come up with a concise research question. (And possibly also with a method to evaluate the approach).

So, my question is:

• Are there any references that can help me to formulate valid research questions?

The closest reference I have found is this mini-tutorial by Mary Shaw.

From Germany there is also a Memorandum that is interesting, but the focus is only on information systems research and not CS. (I can't find a link to the long version in either English or German yet.)

• research-process
• computer-science
• reference-request

• You mean something like this ? (What does your advisor have to say about that? I guess he shifted this supervision on you?) –  Raphael Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 20:51
• This paper is advice on how to properly referee/review a paper. In turn, it shows how to properly write a good research paper. –  Nicholas Mancuso Commented Aug 30, 2012 at 0:51
• This seems at least a little area-specific, especially between more "systems" and more "theory" oriented parts of CS. –  Suresh Commented Aug 30, 2012 at 8:33
• 1 Another thing: look at (important) paperes of the field. They usually contain "open questions" or "future research". Try to figure out what the big players thought interesting but have not done yet, and start from there. –  Raphael Commented Aug 30, 2012 at 21:27
• 6 Often the correct problem formulation only becomes clear after you have the solution in hand. It's relatively rare to actually solve the precise problem that you set out in advance to solve. (Or maybe that's just me.) –  JeffE Commented Sep 1, 2012 at 15:46

3 Answers 3

Have you tried the following:

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1987. Print.

It's a very nice book and is applicable to CS (unlike many other research methodology books).

• Formulating good research problems comes from experience. If you understand an area well, you will see the fundamental concepts. From there, your problem statement is simply an articulation of these concepts. For a beginner, this is very hard. Advice: try to cut down the problems into sub-problems. Some will be easy, and some will be 'hard', and solving them means the rests become easy or open new doors. So construct a work breakdown structure (WBS).
• Try to formalize the problem; i.e., derive a mathematical model for the problem at hand. This will help focus your mind on key concepts or variables. For example, for an optimization problem, you might decide on an objective function, and after that determine all relevant constraints. This will be an iterative process.
• Start with a toy example, with as many assumptions that you need to make it a toy example. Then slowly generalize and once you have enough intuition, then formulate the key problem to be solved.

Problem formulation is crucial phase in the research process. It start from; what is known at certain point of time and what is gape/defect/uncertainty/challenge/weakness in existing knowledge/system/model/solution or answer to a quest. Also Problem formulation starts from thrust/quest/hunger for new knowledge/knowing to unknown or need for exploration/extension/enhancement of the existing knowledge at a point of time. Finally Problem formulation precisely needs to define and draft the statement of the weakness in aforementioned knowledge using crystal clear words with preferably directional hypothesis. In statement it should cover 1)what is required?, 2) desired inputs and outputs with desired features and inter-linkage.

• 2 I reviewed this answer because someone raised a Low Quality Posts flag. I must admit I failed to see why it's bad. It's not a spam nor abusive. I could not find any source it came from, i.e. it might not be plagiarized from somewhere. Would the downvoters explain why it's bad? Thanks. –  Nobody Commented Dec 11, 2017 at 3:06
• @scaaahu I was the VLQ, but I didn't vote it down. I did it because I found it hard to understand. (Btw, the flag became "disputed".) Probably the downvoters had the same reason. Now I think maybe I was too eager to flag it, my habit is nicer in general. –  peterh Commented Dec 11, 2017 at 7:34
• @peterh Thanks for replying. I was afraid I was missing something so I asked the question. Now, I understand. Yes, I agree this post was hard to understand. But, please trust me, I have reviewed thousands of posts and many of them are much more incomprehensible than this one. Sorry about the disputed flag. –  Nobody Commented Dec 11, 2017 at 7:52

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Computer Science Personal Statement Examples

What is a computer science personal statement?

Your application form features your grades, but the UCAS personal statement is an opportunity to sell youself to the university.

This means you need to include your skills, goals and suitability for the course when drafting a computer science undergraduate or postgraduate personal statement.

Make sure you convey your talents for programming and why you are committed to this course. Read through some of our computer science personal statement examples to see what makes a good and successful statement.

How do I write a computer science personal statement?

When it comes down to how to start a personal statement, don’t tie yourself in knots. Why do you want to study computer science? Personal statements should answer this question, so open with your motivation during your introduction.

Your computer science personal statement should be easy to read, explaining why you have chosen this course and how you intend to work hard to achieve your goals. Give your computer science personal statemen to others to proofread, and ensure the language is concise, makes sense, and is grammatically correct. Don't just rely on a spellchecker for your final draft - read it through yourself, and check for errors thoroughly.

What should I include in my computer science personal statement?

• What subject areas do you enjoy that will support your application? For example, you might pick a topic from your mathematics A level that particularly interests and talk about why you find it fascinating.
• Remember that you can only write one personal statement, so it needs to be suitable for all the universities you are planning on applying to. 
• Talk about your hobbies and extracurricular activities, and how they are relevant - what have you learned from them? Have they inspired you to do anything else? For example, have you built a computer from scratch, or built a new app or website? Are you able to code? If so, what languages can you code in and how did you learn?
• If you’re applying for a postgraduate course, you may want to talk about higher level skills you possess such as innovation, and the results of your final year undergraduate project. 
• Think about your wider reading, e.g. newspapers, magazines, journals, etc. What recent developments interest you, and why are they exciting? Remember, your computer science personal statement needs to stand out from the crowd, so make it as relevant as possible, while giving it your own, unique voice.

How do I write my computer science personal statement introduction?

Try to start your computer science personal statement with a paragraph that will immediately grab the reader's attention. For example, you might relate a story about an experience with computer science when you were a child, such as a birthday present or a day trip with your family. You might also choose to open your statement by talking about one or two aspects of computer science that fascinate you, and why you find them interesting.

For example, this candidate talks about Linux and how they overcame the challenges of using this operating system:

"My views about computing changed considerably when I heard about Linux. In the late nineties it was a newer operating system and tasks like installing and configuring were considered to be quite challenging in India. However, I was intrigued by this challenge and without any formal training I was able to independently install this system. This was due to the sound knowledge I had acquired through reading a vast range of technical books. My fascination towards the evolving IT industry has been growing ever since. "

Not only does this pick out something specific from the world of computing, but shows the reader that the applicant had the persistence and ambition to figure out how to install and use the operating system using textbooks, which is the sort of student they are looking to engage on their course.

Another example is the following candidate, who chose to open their statement by recounting the time they built their first computer:

"Building my first computer was an experience I will never forget. Looking over what seemed to be a city of silicone, I marveled at how elegantly the components were arranged on the motherboard. Yet I did not feel fully satisfied, as I knew there was a whole other world of computing, which could only be explored by completing a degree in computer science.

Studying A Level mathematics has taught me that there are countless methods of approaching a problem and I have also found this to be true of programming."

Again, the student has picked out something specific and told a story, which helps to engage the reader straight away and tells them how interested they are in computing. They then go on to relate their current studies to the course, which is another strength of the opening of this statement.

Hopefully these two examples show how you might put together your own unique opening for your computer science statement, but if you're still struggling, take a look at the rest of our example personal statements .

How do I write a conclusion for my computer science personal statement?

We suggest rounding off your statement with a paragraph about your extracurricular activities and hobbies, and how they relate to your course. For example:

"I also participated at a first-aid national contest organized by the Red Cross Romania, which gave me the opportunity to be the leader of a rescue team. This helped me understand better how to face critical situations and improve my leadership skills.

I often think that computer science will give me the chance to reach higher peaks, and I really consider that it has already helped me see life in a different way. Programming gave me the chance to help many children with special needs, to meet interesting people, to discover a new world. That is exactly why I would like to study and follow a career in this field."

Further resources

For more help and advice on what to write in your computer science personal statement, please see:

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• The 15th January UCAS Deadline: 4 Ways To Avoid Missing It
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Expand your view of CS and customize your study to match your career goals

Situated within the McCormick School of Engineering, the Department of Computer Science (CS) at Northwestern University equips students with the technological expertise to build computer science solutions for a better future. Driven by the CS+X Initiative, the department broadens the scope of CS impact by actively fostering transformational relationships between computer science and intersecting fields at Northwestern’s top-ranked schools.

Earn your master’s degree in computer science in our supportive, inclusive, and enthusiastic community that enables you to personalize the program to fit your own research interests and career aspirations. You’ll study alongside our PhD students in our integrated classrooms and perform world-class research with faculty who have developed new ideas and achieved results in all areas of computer science. At the same time, you’ll broaden your definition of CS by working with CS+X faculty who create interdisciplinary connections between computer science and other disciplines ranging from economics to law to art.

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Playing technology games and making science fun helps young kids solve visual problems and grasp ideas better

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Dr Moleboheng Ramulumo is affiliated with the North West University, School of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education

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As I watched my sons, Wavhudi and Rivhavhudi, play games on my phone before bedtime, I was captivated by their enthusiasm and how deeply they were engaged – especially when the games involved maths or science. Both boys experienced speech delays and I hoped the games would help them develop their language skills. It worked.

What I saw at home has been repeatedly underscored by research: early engagement with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) concepts through interactive tools can profoundly enhance children’s visual literacy (reading, writing and creating images) and conceptual understanding (grasping ideas).

For my Master’s degree, I’d examined how molecular biology students’ lack of visual literacy made it harder for them to grasp complex scientific concepts. This academic foundation, combined with the newfound spark in my boys, inspired my PhD research : investigating the effects of early STEM education on young children’s visual literacy and ability to grasp scientific concepts.

In a recent, related study , I explored how different types of preschool education influence children’s understanding of science and their ability to interpret visual information. The study involved children aged 4 or 5 years who were in Grade R (the year of schooling before Grade 1) from various private schools in Bloemfontein, South Africa. I observed that those exposed to STEM education were better at spatial visualisation than their peers. These children excelled in tasks that required them to recall and manipulate visual details, such as accurately reproducing elements from images, while their non-STEM counterparts often struggled.

Some people may question why all children should be exposed to STEM concepts, given that not everyone will go on to further study or careers in science, technology, engineering or mathematics fields.

But teaching these skills at a young age is not just about preparing children for specific fields. My findings underscore the profound effects of early STEM education on cognitive development, such as fostering critical thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity, innovation, logical reasoning and adaptability. These qualities are beneficial in many facets of our lives, no matter our career paths.

Testing children’s skills

In South Africa, private schools often have more flexibility than government-run (public) schools to incorporate specialised STEM curricula and innovative teaching methods tailored to early childhood education. This might include hands-on experiments like mixing colours or observing plant growth, problem-solving tasks and interactive learning through, for example, counting games and shape recognition.

Public schools, meanwhile, follow a national curriculum set by the Department of Basic Education. While this includes foundational STEM concepts, not all schools have the necessary resources, so the extent and depth of STEM instruction can vary significantly from school to school.

Though they were private institutions, the non-STEM schools in my study followed the national Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement set by the Department of Basic Education for Grade R. This does not explicitly emphasise STEM subjects. The STEM schools involved in this study, which were also private institutions, had developed their own curricula that emphasised scientific and related learning.

Drawing from study methods used elsewhere in the world , I created a special test with two main parts to measure my participants’ skills.

One tested their content knowledge. This part assessed how well the children understood basic science concepts, such as distinguishing between living and non-living things. The second evaluated the children’s ability to interpret visual information, including understanding spatial relationships and solving visual problems.

The differences between those who were STEM-educated and those who weren’t were immediately clear.

For example, I showed the children a picture of some blocks and asked them how many blocks they saw. One STEM-educated child said there were nine blocks “because some are hiding behind the others in the picture”. A non-STEM child saw “six blocks because I counted them.”

The child with STEM knowledge used advanced thinking skills to imagine where the hidden blocks might be, while their peer only counted the blocks they could see directly.

In another exercise I showed the children a picture with a dog, ball, tree, desk, boy, school bag, book and chicken and asked them to identify which ones were living things.

STEM child: “The boy, the dog and the chicken are living because they can breathe and need water to grow.” The child understood what makes something alive, using ideas like breathing and needing water.

Non-STEM child: “Only the boy is living because the dog and chicken can’t talk.”

This is a more basic, less accurate concept of what constitutes a living thing.

Game-changing learning

Based on my findings, I encourage educators to integrate STEM activities into early childhood curricula to cultivate spatial thinking, visual literacy and scientific understanding. Digital educational games and interactive learning experiences can be incorporated into lessons.

Policymakers should prioritise early STEM education, recognising its long-term benefits in preparing children for academic and professional success. This involves investing in resources, training educators, and developing curricula that embed STEM principles from the start of formal education.

My PhD research was born out of my personal experience with my sons. This journey of love, learning and relentless determination reflects my deepest aspiration: to ignite the same passion and curiosity in others that I have witnessed in my own children.

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