How to write a successful SOP-Part I

It is that time of the year when students who would like to pursue studies in foreign countries will soon be busy applying for colleges and universities abroad and the process is no less than an ordeal. Starting with the student taking up various tests such as TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, and GMAT, the task includes gathering your LORs and SOPs and finally making sure these reach the universities on time. Once your application makes in time to the admissions office, the applicant has to bide one's time until the results are out.

Among the many criteria involved in the selection of a suitable candidate is the applicant's statement of purpose. The Statement of Purpose is an application essay which tells more about the applicant rather than his or her professional and intellectual efficacy. No wonder it is called a personal statement since it is the only part of the application that lets the admissions committee to know more about you as an individual and decide whether you will succeed as a graduate student. 

 

"A good SOP helps applicants to highlight their strengths during admission. A good SOP stands out and attracts the admissions committee which wades through hundreds of applications."

A few days ago, I came across an article, "Eight Ps that make a statement of purpose special," authored by Prof. Albert P'Rayan, KCG College of Technology which I am sharing here on my blog and I am hoping that it would be of great help to anybody who is beginning with their SOP. The author writes about the flaws students commit while writing their SOPs and also about the key points, "the eight Ps" one needs to keep in mind to write a good and honest statement.

Before beginning to write an SOP, one needs to understand its importance in the application process.

One may ask as to why universities and colleges insist on submitting a statement of purpose along with other application materials. Well, the answer is here: your grades and test scores represent your professional and intellectual efficiency, but your personal statement speaks about yourself, that is, you as a person, about your passion, your career, and goals. You could look at it as a platform to showcase yourself, to express your interests, to speak about how passionate you are about your field of interest. 

The statement of purpose helps universities and colleges to decide whether the applicants are really interested in the program they have applied for, whether they are capable of pursuing the program and completing it successfully and whether they will be able to contribute significantly to the institute.

The following are some of the ice-breakers for you to get an idea on how to begin with your SOP:

• Why do you have to write an SOP? Like I said above, one must keep in mind why he or she is writing the Statement of Purpose and why it is an important part of the application.

 

• Why have you chosen a particular country? Now this question is very individualistic and differs from one person to another. There are various factors that you consider when choosing your study destination and these include cost factors such as the cost of living, the tuition expenses, for instance, one may choose Germany over UK and USA since the tuition fee is considerably low in Germany when compared with those in UK and USA.

Read here: Study in Germany 

• Why have you chosen a specific university? What was it about the university that intrigued you: the courses, the scope of research or is the department involved in some student exchange program?

 

• In which field do you want to specialize and why have you chosen it? Did you want to study medical genetics? what was it that intrigued you to take up medical genetics? Maybe you happened to attend seminars or lectures related to it or read a book that ignited in you a zeal to explore medical genetics.

• When did you develop an interest in the field you want to specialize in?

 

• How passionate are you about the field you are going to specialize in?

• What is your career goal?

 

 

After answering the above questions, write down your answers in a coherent manner. Remember that a good SOP is concise with 500 to 700 words in it. The admissions committee works its way through hundreds of applications in a day and if your SOP is two to three pages long, it wouldn't be of much help to them. The above questionnaire breaks the ice and prepares the applicant to write the SOP well.