The hardest part of any piece of writing is just getting started. Having a format can help quickly give structure to not only what you should write, but what the finished piece should look like. The following statement of purpose Points and Tips offers some general direction so you can start getting ideas and get to writing.
Think about it, do you really want to waste your time trying to figure out everything you need to know about your statement of purpose? Of course not. That’s why we wrote this quick guide to tell you everything you need to know to go from staring a blank screen to writing your first draft of a successful statement of purpose.
What is a statement of purpose?
A statement of purpose (SOP), in the context of applying for graduate school, is an essay that’s one of the most important aspects of your application because it tells the admission committee who you are, why you’re applying, why you’re a good candidate, and what you want to do in the future. It’s sometimes called an SOP letter, application essay, personal background, objectives for graduate study, cover letter, or something similar to one of these.
The statement of purpose reflects not only who you are as a candidate, but your writing abilities as well. In college and graduate school, you’re going to be doing a ton of writing. Seriously a ton. It was not unusual for me to write papers 10-20 pages or longer. With that in mind, it is important to show that you are a truly competent writer. Some quick tips are:
- Your statement of purpose shouldn’t have any spelling or grammatical errors
- Use strong, clear, and concise writing
- Avoid clichés and repetitive language
- Stay away from overly informal language
- Keep a positive and confident tone
How Can Your Statement of Purpose Stand Out From The Crowd?
How do you write a great statement of purpose that sounds original, but at the same time gives the admissions committee what they are looking for? Simple. Basically, every university expects a student to answer some basic questions that the admissions committee has. They may not ask you openly, but these are generally what they expect you to answer:
- What you want to study at graduate school?
- Why you want to study only this degree?
- Why do you want to study at this college?
- What do you like in us?
- Why did you choose to study in this country?
- What do you like about it?
- How much and what kind of experience you have in your field?
- Is your experience related to your choice of degree?
- If you are already experienced, what additional skills are you planning to gain from the degree? What you plan to do with your degree after graduation?
- Would you choose to end up with a job or take up research?
- What are your expectations from both the graduate program, and the university?
- Would you like to study or do research under any professor? If yes, why only them? How can you contribute to our university and our program?
- What specific skills do you bring to the table?
- Apart from work and education, what are your hobbies, interests, and habits?
- What are you like, as a person?
- What do you understand about our student community and culture?
- Why do you think you will fit in?
- What is that one unique aspect/characteristic about you that we should know?
- Why does it matter to us or to the fellow students of your class?
For Successful Statement of purpose you will have to consider all these above points and merge them in your concrete writing. I tried my best to cover in short, all the basics and Important points for Successful Statement of Purpose with the help of some Internet data.
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