Those with a desire of pursuing their higher
education abroad may have had heard of a mandatory requisite called Statement
of Purpose (SOP). Failing to adhere to the right format and structure of a sop could
culminate your dream in the onset itself. To write an effective sop, you must
firstly understand what an SOP is, what purpose it holds and why is it
important.This
article will help you to understand the importance of this document and
effective steps on how to write a sop.
We all are conversant in writing essays right
from our school days. Long or short, formal or informal, each and every essay
follows a general format with an Introduction, Main Body and a Conclusion. When
someone is asked to introduce about himself, it will not be in a well organised
form, though they would have incorporatedsignificant points.
To put in a simple way, statement of purpose
or sop can be seen as a long essay comprising of about 1000 words, which is a
comprehensive life story of a candidate with his/her motivation and genuine
interest for the applied post and the future prospects presented to an
admission committee.
There are however certain standard guidelines
and rules, the vital idea to succeed in writing a good sop is that, irrespective
of the general format, customise your statement for each of the university you apply.
Universities are not all alike as on a broader sense. Go an extra mile to know
about the university in terms of its vision, mission and system of education.
Also have a detailed glance on the research areas of your desired department
and try to get a neat perk from the data.
An ideal format
of sop is divided into utmost 5 paragraphs of 250 words each. So be wise enough
in making use of your language skills. To present your entire story in just
1000 words seems to be tough, but if you are certain with what to include and
exclude in a winning sop, it’s not painstaking.
Uniqueness is the
major constraint of a good SOP; and so has to be void of plagiarism. Write your
SOP in a diverse and elite manner.
Even though a
document has a well-defined format, there is always a room for customisation.
So the general format for sop has to be looked upon only as a map to the
destination. You can choose the best possible route as you wish.
Here’s brief list
of important aspects encompassed in the sop format, in a broader perspective.
CLARIFY YOUR GOALS
Align your goals
with the current world prospect and elucidate your goals in the very first
paragraph itself. Yet, don’t make it too elaborative with unnecessary nuances.
It’s always fine to use quotes or your creative skill to throw light directly
on your goals here, but be to the point. As auxiliary documents are submitted
along with, an SOP omits a self-introducing part.
ACCOUNT ON YOUR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS AND WORK
EXPERIENCES
Opting to keep
both of them parted in paragraphs is always a better choice. Someone with work
experience can emphasise his career achievements, limiting the academic
pursuits. In the very manner, a person applying for his masters soon after
graduation, can mention about his curricular and extra-curricular activities as
separate paragraphs.
MOTIVATION
Now here’s the vital part of sop writing method. Instead of merely
saying what your goal is, explain the reason as to why you want to achieve it
and what is the driving force. What is your motivation and how strong is it, so
as to lead you to the current decision. More expressive you are, more
impressive they can be. Comprise your curiosity and zeal, as far as possible to
convince the committee members as to make them feel that you are a promising
candidate.
FUTURE PLANS
Last but not the
least, present a future plan to convey an imprint of a person with anticipation.
This will also conclude as that you are an organised person with genuine
interest in the field.
Be optimistic all
along the draft. Use a formal communicative slang and present it so that the reader feels no boredom. Give yourself a second chance
to read and make the SOP afault-less document. Keep a continuity throughout the
story. Take your own time to end up in writing an appealing sop rather than
just stuffing it with common facts and figures.
Despite having
resemblance in the hard-core format, a sop for phd program cannot be similar to
a SOP for master’s program such as MBA or MS. No two SOPs can be the same even
if it holds the same purpose of describing a single person. Mould each of your sop
in the general format but accommodating particulars of the course and
institution to which you seek admission.
