How to write an almost perfect statement of purpose? [Revamped]

How to write a Statement of Purpose that stands out among other applicants, but simultaneously, is unique and completely original? Easy. You’re at the right place as we’re going the extra mile to help you create a unique SOP. First and most important, what is an SOP? As the name suggests, it is an application essay that states the intent and motivation when one wishes to pursue graduation from a particular foreign college or university for Bachelors, Masters, Ph.D., etc. Being one of the important determiners of a student’s admission, the essay is scrutinized by the admission committee keeping in mind certain thresholds when it comes to achievements, goals, aspirations, experiences, and qualifications.

Here are a few significant pointers to include in your SOP:

• Brief Introduction
• The name of the course and University
• What intrigues you to pursue the particular course?
• What efforts you’ve put to gain knowledge/expertise in the past?
• How does your existing skillset explain your resonance to the course?
• How much academic knowledge/work experience you have in this field?
• Why are you the ideal candidate?
• How would you add value to the university?
• Co-curricular activities to express your versatile personality
• Concluding Statement

Great! Now that you know What to write, we’ll explain How to write. Here are some tips you must know to secure admission to your dream university.

1. Reflect upon your story

When you begin writing your motivation letter or statement of purpose or personal statement, you must retrospect and jot down all the points from your past experiences that have propelled you to pursue this course. Start with introspecting all the important events of your life that played a major role in influencing and shaping your personality, thought process, behavior, interests, and action. The story based on these pointers will come out as the most original content and will help the admission committee comprehend the incidents and your motivation behind them.

2. Research the course to demonstrate your goal

Admission to the university will be an upgrade in your qualifications academically in a particular spectrum and domain. It’s not just a degree from abroad but also serves a bigger purpose be it applying for a post-work visa after the studies to gain professional exposure or contributing to the country employing research, volunteer work, etc. Mention your short-term and long-term goals explicitly in the essay in a manner that resonates with the underlying curriculum of the course and perceivable opportunities of the university. It is important to establish a link between your course and the intention of your pursuit. The college and universities are always looking for future motivation and that is the prime topic of an SOP. Thus, this must be articulated well through the SOP

3. Inculcate the theme on passion and potential

Your SOP should be based on a particular theme and the most appropriate of which should be the one where it profoundly focuses on your colossal intrigue and perpetual thirst to learn more about the subject. Try to converge your thought process parallel to this theme. Decide upon the trajectory of your SOP and don’t just state but demonstrate your passion and potential. The reader should realize how excited you are to study this subject, that it is not just a degree for you but a fun activity for you, and how you enjoy every second while concocting derivations or building technology or any other relevant detail of your course. Highlight particular incidents with moments of self-realization and a sudden awareness that showed you, your curiosity and your potential to excel in this field. There is a dire need to understand that there are thousands of students applying for a course and the university shall scan each application. In the end, the ones that have a calling within them, only those would be selected for further progressing with the procedure. Thus, there is a huge chance of not being selected if the SOP does not define passion or potential for the study in future.

4. Be extremely specific

Don’t sway away with writing everything that seems consequential for you but instead, make sure to see your SOP from the point of view of the admission committee. Don’t just go on complimenting yourself but portray the incidents that instilled certain personality traits in you. Explain with clarity why you love this field, what made you decide to select this and how you are going to go about it in near future. Don’t use any ideal sentences like, “I want to make the world a better place to live” instead be straightforward and state a concrete idea in a concise manner that could bring about a substantial change in the industry. After reading your motivation, ask why. The “why” will help you gain more answers. An SOP is not to narrate one’s life history but to explain how the course shall make a difference in their life. Thus, there is the need to fill up the details without beating around the bush. A long drawn vague SOP will be shrugged of by any committee and the scholar would lose the chance to study.

5. Customize essay according to the university and country

One of the biggest mistakes an applicant could make is to stick strictly to a basic template for every university that one is applying to. Just changing the name of the university and country in the SOP and keeping the rest the same could be an impediment in securing an admit. When applying to different countries, you need to keep in mind that every country has separate cultures, exposure, strengths, weaknesses, etc. so subtle changes would not be adequate. You are required to make significant changes so that the reader is convinced that you’ve done your thorough research and you’ll be the most suitable candidate for their college. Sometimes not just countries have different cultures, but even in the same country, different colleges have different communities and strengths. So, before you commence with formulating your letter, try to find out the general culture of your dream university and gain as much information as possible. Now that you have the basic foundation of the student community of your target university you can go ahead and build your essay.. Each country and university must have a different SOP altogether. We cannot use one single format for each college as each of them shall be unique, definitely if they are in different countries. The student must briefly explain why they choose that specific country for pursuing that course and why not other countries.

6. Mention your problems and complimenting strengths

This is a great opportunity for you to address some of the bottlenecks coming in your growth. If you have had any problems in academics, or a gap year, or any work-related issue, don’t worry; mention them in your essay in a reassuring manner. Highlight blatantly the actual reasons and how these circumstances have improved you when it comes to maturity and perseverance. Followed by this, you can mention how the comprehensive curriculum and rich community of the students can help you turn your goals into reality. State “how” you moved ahead of the situation and how the experience invigorated you to move towards building your career and education. And if there is not much to state in the problems, then mention how your innate strengths can help you in overcoming any barricades that might come in the future and you’re not afraid to take on anything that comes your way of pursuing your subject of interest.

Lastly, don’t take much stress as you can always reach out for professional help who have been writing essays and know everything about writing a perfect SOP. Write, read, re-write as SOP is one of the crucial determiners for your academic career and further, career progression.