The most important aspect of your application!

Universities abroad require you to submit your application with a statement that articulates your career path and goals. This helps them in ensuring the right candidate for the courses offered by them.

A statement of purpose (SOP), sometimes referred to as a personal statement, is a critical piece of a graduate school application that tells admissions committees who you are, what your academic and professional interests are, and how you’ll add value to the graduate program you’re applying to.

What is a statement of purpose (SOP)?

When applying to specific programs, you may wonder, ‘What is a statement of purpose?’, and why you would write one. An SOP, also known as a research statement or a letter of intent, describes the applicant’s career goals, interests, professional contributions and motivations for applying to a particular program. You can submit this as an essay and it may be a crucial component of your admissions application.

Why is SOP important?

A well-written SOP is essential for admission and is often carefully scrutinized prior to final approval. In contrast to the academic record, other exam transcripts and backlog certificates, an SOP is the only subjective aspect of your application. You can only prove that you stand out from the crowd with this document, which is the only one in your application. Thus, your application docket can have a significant impact on your admissions chances.

Statement of purpose rules to follow

Here are the main two rules to follow when writing your SOP:

• Avoid plagiarism: This means avoiding copying sections from external websites, general templates or written by others, as plagiarism is a serious academic offence in postgraduate education and even the simplest of these shortcuts is plagiarism. Make sure you highlight your ambitions and goals that are unique to you to write an SOP that’s not generic or plagiarised.
• Follow the instructions: In most cases, colleges and universities provide guidelines for their length, so following these guidelines is critical to your success. There may also be guidelines for word count, spacing and structure, which often differ from school to school.

What to include in an SOP?

Consider including these items in your statement of purpose to impress members of an admissions committee:

• Reason for attending: Admissions committees want to know why you are interested in attending graduate school. Therefore, consider including a paragraph to describe the experiences that have led you to choose the particular graduate school and program as your next academic step.
• Job history: You may want to mention in your statement of purpose any employment you have held during your college education and after you earned your undergraduate degree, including internships and assistantships. When listing your employment history, don’t list every job you’ve been a part of, but rather those that contributed to your educational and career goals.
• Notable accomplishments: Share your achievements from your undergraduate courses, jobs or internships, and describe how you contributed to the organisation where you interned or worked. Additionally, you may wish to mention any speaking engagements you’ve given, exhibitions you hosted, grants you won, or published works.
• Postgraduate plans: Explain to the admissions committee what you hope to achieve after graduating, even if you don’t have precise plans. By doing so, you demonstrate to a committee that you are dedicated, aware of the program’s demands and committed to securing your desired future.
• Fit for the program: Admissions committees decide whether to admit you to graduate school, so it’s important they know why to select you over others. Concentrate on your accomplishments, experience and passion for the program, including traits like dedication, determination and self-motivation that are important for graduate school.

Tips for writing an SOP

Here are some general tips to follow when writing an SOP:

• Keep to the word limit: When writing your SOP keep to the minimum and maximum word limit set by the institution.
• Set personal word limits: Think about how many words you intend to devote to each section. Keeping your statement balanced by setting rough word limits for each part is essential.
• Be selective: With a word limit, it is impossible to mention everything. Choosing what to include and what to exclude is a valuable academic skill and can demonstrate your ability to make decisions.
• Use appropriate language: Demonstrate your proficiency in the English language. This means avoiding slang, using high-level vocabulary appropriate to your field and showing you can compose a complete sentence more than five words long.
• Edit thoroughly: Go over your first draft and see if any of your phrases are wordy or clumsy. Then, clarify and succinctly re-state them.