what is a Statement Of Purpose (SOP) ?

Statement of Purpose (SOP) is one of the most important parts of the application package through which you can convince the admission committee by explaining in short about your academic success and achievements, which fields of study you are good at, what has influenced your career path so far, your professional interests, what you are able to do, what contribution you will make through the study and where you plan to go from here. It is a required document when applying for admission to most of the graduate and professional programs in the United States and other countries of the world too. So it is very important to write a good Statement of Purpose (SOP) to get the admission at the desired university.

EducationUSA arranged a seminar in American Center in Dhaka, Bangladesh on how to apply ‘Universities in USA and selecting Universities’. There they provided some important information about writing a SOP. Sometimes it becomes more important than the scores of GRE, TOEFL and other being unchanged. At times in some cases it becomes a key factor of getting admission. For this, more attention and time should be paid while writing a Statement of Purpose (SOP).

Tips and Tricks which are provided by EducationUSA for writing a Statement of Purpose for university admission-

Firstly,  A SOP must NOT be copied from any source. Sometimes it is seen that students are trying to copy other senior student’s statements or those which are available on internet. It is strongly suggested not to copy statements. SOP is checked by a machine while student’s application package is opened in front of the committee. The machine checks your SOP with all existing SOP’s on internet. So if any student copies any SOP then his/her application will be rejected. Just think, “You appeared GRE, TOEFL with lots of pain. You score is enough to get admitted but due to plagiarism your application goes to their dustbin.”

Secondly,  While writing SOP one thing should be kept in mind, which program and discipline have been chosen to be applying for, what qualities they are asking from a prospective student for their graduate (MSc/PHD) programs, what are their additional requirements, how many of the requirements are fulfilled by? If any requirement is missing please explain them the actual reason behind it in a acceptable way. “Don’t hide.”

 Thirdly, If a student has any journal or any conference paper then mention where it was published, publication name, number accordingly with the small description about the published paper or journal (the abstract of the journal or paper might be written here).

Forthly, It is suggested not to tell them “I am very good in this subject” or “I have a dream to do my post grad in this subject” or something which does not suit the student at all.

Moreover,  A summary about the purpose for doing M.Sc/PhD in their university, the expected future plan after completing post graduation must be included in the Statement of Purpose (SOP).

Finally, The extracurricular activities during university or college life must be mentioned in it. If the student had been an organizer of any program or connected with some organization like IEEE during university life, s/he should write it accordingly. If the student had been a good player in the field or had good performances on stage like debate, should be told in the SOP. It can be informed through the SOP that the student is not only interested about their educational program but also in their extracurricular activities and besides studies s/he wants to be active participant in those actions.

N.B. Statement of Purpose (SOP), in the eyes of Admission Committee members, is the most important document in the application. Other parts of your graduate school application that are test scores, transcripts, letters of recommendation or writing samples do not say as much about a student as a person as the statement of purpose can. So take your time to write a good Statement of Purpose (SOP).

How to write a Statement of Purpose?

According to wikihow: 

1. This is the easy part. If you've written a thorough and thoughtful outline, this will just be a process of refining what you've already written. Let's review and expand on the steps here: 

2. Introduction: State your goals. The first sentence is the most important one. You want grab the reader's attention, and not let it go until you are finished.

3. The body of the paper. Flesh out the details of who you are and what you've accomplished.

4. Explain your background. Show that you are academically prepared for your chosen program. Include the following:

Where and what you've studied:

Past research or diploma projects you've participated in.

If applying to a program in a different field of study, explain how the skills you learned in earning your degree can be applied to the new field.

Sample of Statement of Purpose are given below.

5. Describe your professional goals: Why you find your particular field of study interesting. What influenced you to choose that field?

Include any related experience or research you've had or been involved in to date.

Describe your future plans after receiving your degree. Will you be continuing in your education, or will you be working in your field?

6. Explain your reasoning: Describe what and why have you chosen to study in graduate school.

Where your specific interests lie in your field.

Why this program is needed for your professional development, and how great is the need.

Describe what led you to your choice of university—courses, faculty, research projects, facilities, etc.

7. Write your conclusion: Sum up the main points, and describe what you can contribute to the program.

8. List all the enclosures you will include in your application and give a very brief description of your portfolio.

9. Thank the admissions committee for their time. Chances are they are reviewing hundreds of applications along with yours.

10. Provide your contact information.