UT—Austin: Required
The statement of purpose will provide an opportunity to explain any extenuating circumstances that you feel could add value to your application. You may also want to explain unique aspects of your academic background or valued experiences you may have had that relate to your academic discipline. The statement of purpose is not meant to be a listing of accomplishments in high school or a record of your participation in school-related activities. Rather, this is your opportunity to address the admission committee directly and to let us know more about you as an individual, in a manner that your transcripts and the other application information cannot convey.

 

930-word version: Mathematics – UT—Austin
It was July, 2012, after finalizing all the procedures for leaving the company. I was asked what I would do by my boss. I answered that I was planning to study mathematics and that I was aiming to enter an undergraduate program in the College of Natural Science of the University of Texas at Austin. Then he asked again why I chose an undergraduate degree rather than a graduate one. He was concerned about my future, because I was leaving an outstanding company to embark on a long journey to study an unfamiliar subject, one not related to my first bachelor’s degree. I answered him with a question...