Education

How to Write a Good Statement of Purpose

Statement of Purpose (SOP) is an important part of one’s documentation work while applying for overseas education. One has to take utmost care while writing their SOP since it is a platform where you express yourself and tell what you want to achieve in your life. Here are a few pointers you have to keep in mind while writing a good SOP.

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Be Original

Students generally have the tendency to just copy paste the content from online and make minor changes. This is the worst thing one can do with an SOP. Copying someone else’s essay content or style is not a great way to represent yourself. So be original, in case in the worst scenario even if you have not managed to impress them, you will go down as an original!

Research Well

Research about the course, faculty, university, and facilities. Even if you are talking about the future scope of your course please do research and tell them what scope this course has and how the college or the faculty is well equipped to help you make the most of the opportunities.

Use Correct Language

Use proper and grammatically correct language. This is an obvious point but many people make some silly errors. Since this document is reviewed, even a small error can get highlighted so one needs to take utmost care to avoid errors in grammar and tone. When I say tone, I mean a formal tone; one needs to write in a formal but conversational tone. So, do not use language as if you are talking to a childhood friend.

Be precise and comprehensive

Don’t waste too many words describing your entire family history and all your extracurricular activities. A lengthy SOP with unnecessary details is often rejected by the Universities. You need to have a clear idea as to what the purpose of this essay and don’t go on and on explaining unnecessary details. Understand the requirements and write accordingly. For example, if you are applying for an MS in Computer Science then make sure the essay is focused on all your experiences, strengths, future plans regarding the field. Do not stray on unnecessary personal stories and anecdotes.

Customise

If you are applying for many universities, do not send the same SOP just changing the name of the university and the country. Learn about the particular course, university, country. Learn about their focus, strengths, their vision and expectations to create a unique essay for each of the universities you are applying to.

Let them know what you are

When you are letting them know who you are it is not essential to tell them A to Z about yourself and your weaknesses. Make sure you understand the requirement of the course and the college and accordingly divulge information about yourself. Let them know how you fit into the course, university applied for and the preferred country.

Be Honest

Whatever information you give to them, make sure it is accurate. Do not give false information and do not make exaggerated claims about yourself. Be true to who you are at the same time know what is necessary to mention and what not.

Explain the problems in your academics if any

If you have any backlogs or a gap year in your academics, do mention them in your SOP and provide a proper reason for the same. Don’t try to brush them under the carpet and think they will not notice.

Reason for selecting the course and university

The admission committee generally looks for the reason why the applicant has chosen the specific courses and University. They would surely wonder as to, when there are so many universities offering a similar course, what made you choose this particular course or university. Tell them why did you choose their course. The faculty, modules, flexibility, facilities in the college, location, ranking, alumni, and industry tie-ups are some of the reasons you can mention. Explain how it will help you realize your aim in life. Do not hesitate to tell them exactly how the course is going to benefit you in terms of knowledge, experience, exposure, industry contact or networking. It will give them a great idea as to what they can offer you.

Take Advice and Suggestions

Writing an SOP is not an easy task for most and it needs time and effort. So, it is always better to take guidance from people in our life like parents, professors, friends or the students or the representatives of the universities you are focusing on.

If you keep all these points in mind while preparing your SOP, I am sure you should be in a great position to gain acceptance in the University of your Choice and your dream of studying abroad will surely come true. Happy applying and wish you success.

Contributed by http://www.global-opportunities.net/

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