The statement of purpose (SOP) is an important component for students to get an admission into a graduate or a postgraduate program. The write up for an SOP should be of around 500 words and should emphasise on the student’s personal background, academic history, relevant employment history and future goals. A personal statement is an important part of the application process as it allows the University to assess the suitability of the applicant to the programme applied for.

Before starting on a personal statement, students should think about the knowledge and skills they have acquired, their future career goals and how the degree at the University applied to, will help them achieve this goal.  

The key to producing a well-written SOP is for students to be organised in their thoughts before starting the process of writing. Prior to penning down different thoughts as to why the student wants to join the particular course and what their intended future plans are, the most important thing is to arrange these thoughts in a well-mannered sequence. The first step would be to start thinking of and making a list of all the skills and achievements that they have gathered over the years, their subject knowledge and their interests. This will help them reason on how the course they intend to pursue will help them achieve their goals. The personal statement should highlight the evidence of the students’ achievements through awards, scholarships, or research internships.

The following is a recommended format that students can follow. This format will ensure that all points are presented in an organised manner, and that the statement of purpose shines through.

• Introduction: This section introduces the academic field that sparks the student’s interest. It makes a mention of what has inspired the students and why the chosen course is a right fit for the student. This section should also include a small mention of future plans and how the course fits into the student’s career goals.
• Background: This is where students discuss their academic and personal background. This would include schooling experience, hobbies, the different experiences with industry internships, professional experience if any and extracurricular activities.
• Why this course: In this section students can elaborate on why they think this course is for them. They can talk about the curriculum and modules, and how the course can harness the skills that they already possess.
• Career Goals: Here students can discuss their long-term career goals. They can also elaborate on what they plan to do immediately after the course is over and how this short term goal can help them work towards achieving their long-term goals.

Why this University: In this section, students can list out the reasons why the particular university strikes their interest and how they think its exposure can get them to where they want to be in their career field. They can also talk about the system of teaching and the infrastructure.

• Conclusion: Finally, students can end the statement of purpose by summing up everything that they have mentioned. They should try to make sure that their passion and purpose shines through the document. 

Now that we have covered the basic information of what a statement of purpose is and how to go about writing it, here are a few tips that would add depth to any SOP and make it stand out even further:

• Discuss plans with others. This is a great way for students to gather ideas about the SOP, which in turn will help them decide on how they would like to approach it.
• Writing a Statement of Purpose with limited word count can be intimidating. The way to go is to pen down all the ideas that come to mind, then pick out the points that are the most important and arrange them in an organised format. The good news is that students can edit the document as many times as they want till they reach a level of satisfaction!
• Sharing the SOP with someone trustworthy. Having a second opinion is a good way of determining whether the ideas thought about are well presented and come through in the SOP.
• The SOP should not talk about staying in a foreign country for too long.

Students should not mention anything about financial assistantship in the SOP.

Although writing a Statement of Purpose can be daunting, breaking the task at hand by planning it well and writing it down little by little will get the task done. This will not make it seem like a big hurdle. The few tips and tricks mentioned above will help carry students through the process and make sure that they have a presentable SOP to deliver. 

The Role of AdmissionIndia:

AdmissionIndia is a consultancy service that aims to provide free, reliable, efficient and stress-free service to our students in the field of higher education admissions worldwide. Our philosophy encourages students to keep their passion, creativity and capabilities at the core of their academic and career decisions. Our professionally trained and experienced staff are determined to ensure that our philosophy and “student first” approach is at the core of our association with all stakeholders.  

AdmissionIndia works closely with the student right from counselling them with a choice of course, country, and University, filling in the admission form, proofreading the Statement of Purpose and preparing them with tips and guidelines for the interview process. We are happy to help students with checking their Statement of Purpose and suggest any changes if required. Once completed, we do a final proofreading. We strive hard on ensuring that our students write a SOP that shines through thereby helping them get into the University of their dreams.