Statement of Purpose (SOP): All you need to know!
Statement of Purpose is a long essay that is often asked by universities abroad. The essay, usually about 1000 words, seeks to understand the candidate’s life, the motivations for the chosen career path and his/her goals.
There are many elements to a Statement of Purpose or a SOP as it is famously referred to. The Universities could ask question-based essays or simply to present your statement of purpose. Until and unless categorically asked, a SOP must include your goals, the career path you have taken up so far as well as your academic progress. Other elements that are further important to the SOP are also the personal motivations that lead you to choose the university/course you have applied to as well as how you intend to use that experience to achieve that goal.
Your SOP must have the answers of these questions.
1. Why me?
2. How are you going to pay your tution fee and who is sponsoring you
3. What are your leadership and activities
4. How passionate are you towards the subject that you are choosing
5. Why that University?
6. Why that country?
7. Don't go beyond the word limits
First of all write a strong introductory paragraph. Don't start with quotes as this is the old method. First paragraph always has a huge impact on your SOP. Don't mention all the things in same paragraph resume is must in first paragraph . Similarly on body paragraph write about your experiences, achievements, chalanges that you have faced. Your SOP must reflect how you are as a person, passionate are you, how are your goals and how are you going to achieve them. Likewise, your last paragraph is summary of first and second paragraphs. It must have very strong final statement and shorter the paragraph better will be the SOP.
Separation of paragraph is must. Always use active voice while writing SOP. Don't use negative statements. Using (I) in each sentence doesn't sounds good. Don't make extraordinary using though vocabulary. Write more specific sentences. I was in top 5 students in my class and my grades were good this doesn't sound good. You must write " I was in top 5 students among 200 students ". Don't write the things like ( I hope to, I seem to) instead use strong sentence like ( I want, I have to do this).
What they are looking for
1. They look at the clarity of your thought.
2. How focused you are towards your goal?
3. What you have done so far to achieve it?
4. They will will look at your passion, how passionate you are towards your subject?
5. What sets your application different than thousands application that they get daily
6. Honestly, simplicity and straight forwardness of your SOP
7. They check correct reflection of who you are
8. They are looking for reason to admit you and reason to deny you
So just write a SOP without thinking much like what's gonna happen, or what it gonna be like. Just start writing SOP, reflect yourself on it. Keep it in some place for 2 days and different thoughts will come to your mind like what were good and what should be removed. Then rewrite against, edit again repeat until it will be a perfect one. Best of luck 😊😊
