Writing Sample for Pursuing a Ph. D at UPenn

Writing Sample for Pursuing a Ph. D at UPenn

Dear Mike,

I have finished my writing sample, soon I will submit my application materials to UPenn Graduate School. It's 17 pages, including 4 pages references. Obviously, it violates your rule for Ph. D writing sample. I wonder to know whether the "writing sample should not be longer than 10 pages" is a strict rule or not, could you frankly tell me the truth? I have tried my best to cut some words and sentences, however, I think it is hard for me to go on deleting them. I know I should follow your application requirement, and if you ask me to strictly obey the rule, I will try to cut something again. Here is my writing sample attached, you can also give me some advice, and I think that will be very, very helpful.

I have revised it several times, but as you know, I am not a native English speaker, sometimes I am still not sure what kind of expressions and phrases are much better. Anyway, I have tried my best.

Right now, I have read several news about American Election, and know that Obama has been selected as a new American president, congratulation to Barack Obama and America! As far as I am concerned, Obama's success is incredible, I never imagined that he could be succeed ultimately. Comparing with McCain, Obama is much clever, not only in collecting money, but also in political strategies. But the real factor for his success perhaps lies in Americans' disliking Bush government or Republican Party, I think. Politics is a very complicated area, but Obama's great success tells me that everything is possible (although American politics has been criticized for its elite rule for a long time). Obama is young and energetic, and I am sure American politics will be reinvigorated in the near future. I don't know to what degree race and gender are still influencing American politics, but I am sure an era for changing American politics is coming.

About 150 years ago, Lincoln became the American president, and he finally abolished the slavery system and promoted the reconstruction of southern America. Today, we are expecting Obama's great deeds in the near future.

By the way, do I need to change my title to In the King's shadow: Benjamin Franklin on Population in Early America? I am not sure about it, although I know that historians prefer to use peopling rather than population.