INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Make sure your oven is completely preheated before putting the chicken in the oven. It's a good idea to use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is at the right temperature. Usually, it takes around 30 to 40 minutes to bake chicken breast. You should start using a meat thermometer to check the temperature about 20 minutes in. Some chicken breasts may cook slightly faster, so you want to make sure it does not burn. Check the chicken every 10 minutes or so after the first 20 minutes. Chicken breasts should be 160 degrees Fahrenheit (about 71 degrees Celsius) at the center. Keep the chicken in the oven until it reaches this temperature.  Insert your meat thermometer in the center of your meat.  Once the chicken is heated to the right temperature, remove it from the oven. Once the chicken reaches the right temperature, you can let it cool for a few minutes and eat it immediately. You can also store the chicken in an airtight container, like a Tupperware container, and eat it later.

SUMMARY: Cook your chicken breasts at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 degrees Celsius). Check the chicken's temperature regularly. Cook the chicken until it reaches the right temperature. Serve the chicken immediately or store it for later.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Abusers often resort to name-calling and put downs. Hearing this once or twice is horrible, but it won’t necessarily change the way you feel about yourself. Listening to it repeatedly, however, often has terrible effects on a person’s self-esteem and can leave you thinking you are what you’ve been called.  Victims often feel like their spirit has been broken. They usually become fearful, anxious, and attempt to stay on “good behavior” so as not to elicit an argument. If you find yourself acting in any of these ways, chances are, you are the victim of abuse.  Another sign of a dwindling self-esteem is feeling worthless without your spouse's approval. You may beat yourself up when they disapprove, but be on cloud nine when they applaud you. You might also feel like no one else will ever love you, which makes you more likely to stay in an abusive relationship. Reflect on the thoughts that you have about yourself, or things that you say out loud about yourself to others. If you often think or say self-loathing things, then this is a cause for concern. Victims are often blamed for everything their abuser is upset about it. Most often, however, the abused is just a victim of circumstance. The abuser will skew their minds to make themselves believe that the blame is always on someone else and never on themselves. After a while, the victim begins to believe that they are, in fact, at fault for everything, even though they really aren’t.  When your spouse becomes irritated, do you automatically assume it is something you did? Do you take the blame for things just to avoid a huge blowup, even though you know you had nothing to do with them? If these sound like behaviors you exhibit, you could be the victim of abuse.  You might feel anxious or guilty regularly, making your spouse's mood your top priority. You might feel like you walk around on eggshells trying to please them. When they’re being honest with themselves, victims rarely say that they are happy in their relationships. Sure, every relationship has its ups and downs, but no one should ever be fearful in their marriage or feel like it is one-sided. If you are happy more often than not and do not live in fear, chances are, your fights are just a typical part of marriage and not abuse.  For example, do you feel miserable more days than not or have trouble recalling any positive interactions with your spouse? This can be a sign of unhappiness. Try keeping a journal for a while to determine if you are having good or happy days.

SUMMARY: Look at the state of your self-esteem. Decide if you feel like everything is your fault. Examine your overall happiness.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You should have at least one substantial paragraph devoted to the specific topics that interest you. Describe the contemporary theories, books, scholars, or topics that excite and inspire you.  You can pose interests as a question. This makes your writing engaging, and shows your ability to formulate research questions. For instance, you might write something like “the question I keep turning to in my research is: How did gender-based concerns shape the epistolary novel and related genres in eighteenth-century France?” Let the details speak in your statement. This will excite the admissions committee, and make your personal statement stand apart from boring, stale, and vague essays.  For instance, write something more than “I gained significant experience as an intern in a chemical engineering lab that I will apply to my graduate study.” Instead, try something like “While interning at the UC Berkeley Chemical Engineering Lab, I discovered a new method for crystallizing citric acid. In my article published in the New England Journal of Chemistry, I explained how this can potentially transform the industrial production of this compound. I intend to pursue research on these applications during my graduate study.” Don’t be afraid to use the technical lingo of your field. Remember you are writing to your peers who want to know you are knowledgeable. A statement of purpose is no time to be modest. Don't boast, but be forward about your accomplishments. Remember you want to impress admissions committees!  This means don't settle for something like “As an undergraduate, I excelled academically.” Instead, show specific evidence of your accomplishments: “A $2000 grant from the Louisiana Historical Society to fund my research on material culture in Antebellum African American daily life. The senior thesis I wrote reporting my findings earned the LSU Library Undergraduate Research Award.” If there are specific professors you want to work with in graduate school, mention them in your statement of purpose. This will need to be tailored to each individual school you apply to. For instance, you could say something like “I’m interested in taking one of Professor Mueller’s courses on contemporary theories of the novel,” or “As a student in your program, I would further my research by participating in Dr. Cortez’ genomics lab group.”  If you don’t yet have anyone specific in mind, that’s ok. Instead, you can mention the department’s or university’s strengths and how you would benefit from them: “As a practicing translator, I would enthusiastically contribute to UD’s Center for Intercultural Communications.” Be honest in talking about your interests, and don’t feel as though you can only discuss working with big names. Keep in mind that sometimes the most famous professors in a department might not work with many graduate students. It’s perfectly fine if you’ve taken some time off between your undergraduate years and entering graduate school, but you should briefly address this. Likewise, having an academic setback (like a failing grade one semester or a lowish test score), won’t get you automatically rejected if your application is otherwise strong--but you should explain yourself.  For instance, you might say “After completing my undergraduate degree, I spent two years as an assistant to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, an experience that will inform my graduate studies in public administration.” If you have an academic issue to address, try something like “After selecting my senior research topic, my sense of focus was heightened. My GPA increased significantly, and I received a High Pass on my senior thesis.” Most statements of purpose are about 500 to 1000 words (1-2 pages). If the length is not specifically stated, keep them within this range. Make your statement too short, and admissions committees will be underwhelmed. Make it too long, and they’ll be annoyed. If the application specifically asks you to write a statement that is less than 500 words or more than 1000, however, follow the directions.

SUMMARY:
Wow them with your knowledge of the field. Focus on showing, not telling. Toot your own horn. Name who you want to work with. Explain any gaps or academic issues. Be concise.