SOP

Simply put, your SOP is a substantial essay written as part of your application package to universities abroad. The word limit is usually set by the university itself, but it’s typically between 500 to 1000 words. A well-written SOP must be an all-encompassing snapshot of who you are as a person and an academic, and should provide a detailed glimpse at your past achievements, your skills, aspirations, and goals for the future. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of students every year who apply to universities abroad for higher studies, all of whom may not be really invested in their discipline and want to get an MS just for the sake of it. The SOP, by demonstrating your long-term commitment to your discipline and your passion for the subject, sets you apart as a serious, dedicated student who is intellectually invested in his discipline. A good SOP must be both forward-looking and introspective: it must outline your past achievements and accolades, be they your senior year thesis, R&D work, paper presentation and work experiences. At the same time, it must also briefly touch upon your plans for the future: do you want to perhaps do a Ph.D. and then teach at university-level? Or do you have plans to undertake research work to help advance development in your discipline? Talk about your plans briefly yet succinctly: you must prove that your interest in the subject is not merely arbitrary, but something you intend to pursue throughout your life.

Contrary to popular belief, your SOP is not supposed to be merely academic in nature, although of course, that will take centerstage. Remember, universities abroad are looking for a well-rounded individual who excels both inside and outside the classroom. Keeping this in mind, be sure to also include details of your extracurricular activities, especially if you’ve won awards and recognition in them. Perhaps you’re a state-level tennis player, or maybe you are ardent quizzer. Your academic achievements and goals must be balanced out with a mention of how you spend your time outside the classroom. It is through these activities that you can showcase your other, ‘soft’ skills, such as leadership abilities, time management, passion and perseverance, to name a few: all of which are held in high regard by universities in the US.

In short, your SOP needs to tell a story of you.

Let’s now move on to a question that frequently plagues students: why exactly is an SOP needed?

Top universities abroad are, every year, typically inundated with thousands of applications from dreamers just like you. Now, here’s the catch: all of these applicants have credentials and achievements similar to yours. So, how do they go about picking the successful applicants, when all they have is, say, a hundred seats in a particular program? They certainly can’t accept everyone, stellar though their application may be. Sounds daunting, right? Well, this is where the Statement of Purpose comes in. A brief, yet thorough encapsulation of your goals, aspirations and past achievements, the SOP is one of the key elements used in filtering out the promising candidates from a pool of similarly qualified ones. As such, the SOP is the linchpin to your grad school dreams, and it is absolutely crucial to get it right.

The SOP, in many ways, is the closest thing you get to a personal interview with the admissions officers at your dream university. But luckily, unlike the interview where you have to come up with convincing, satisfying answers on the spot, with your SOP, you get to take sufficient time to craft it to perfection so it reflects the best possible version of you, and portrays you as someone who is passionate and deeply committed to their dreams and aspirations.

More than just that, the SOP is a great way to stand out from a sea of people with the same GRE^® scores and GPAs as you. While your GPA, GRE^® scores, CV etc are a merely mechanical iteration of your skills and abilities, your SOP is a personal story, and talks about your skills, dreams, goals and achievements in a manner that the other components of your application package cannot.

What do we mean by this?
Say, for instance, your GPA suffered a setback in the sixth semester due to some unavoidable personal circumstances. While your academic transcript will merely reflect the low GPA for that semester, your SOP could be used to talk about how, despite an illness or injury or other personal issues, you managed to study and get a modest grade. This will portray you as someone who’s determined and dedicated to his studies, and also as someone who’s undeterred by personal setbacks.

In other words, your CV, GPA and GRE^® scores relate facts; your SOP tells a personal story.

Your SOP is also the perfect opportunity to showcase your research experiences, internships, paper publications, conference participations, and other such academic achievements that your peers may not normally have access to.

Because of these reasons, the SOP is very often used as a tool to determine the bestowal of financial aid and much coveted Teaching/Research Assistantship opportunities.

Now that we’ve seen what exactly makes the SOP such an important document, let’s take a quick look at how to write a winning SOP, as well as some tips and tricks.

What are the ingredients that go into making a top-notch SOP? Let’s take a look, shall we?

1. Word limit: Sticking to the word-limit assigned by the university is of paramount importance. No-one wants to read page upon page of info, no matter how interesting or inspiring. Moreover, not adhering to the word limit is often grounds for on the spot rejections. Ideally, your SOP should be between 500 to 1000 words, although the word limit is often specified by the university. If you can’t find any information on the website, you can contact the relevant staff and have it clarified. Under no circumstances should it exceed 1200 words.

2. Keep it sweet and simple: while it is tempting to use different coloured fonts, highlights and underlines, be sure to use a consistent font and font size. We highly recommend Times New Roman in size 12, double spaced for your SOP. Doing so ensures greater readability and prevents your reader from being distracted by other unnecessary elements.

Begin with a memorable paragraph: It’s important to hook your reader with your story and keep them wanting to know more. What do great novels like Anna Karenina, Great Gatsby and Pride and Prejudice have in common? A memorable opening paragraph, of course! You can choose to either begin with a quote that’s pertinent to your goals or a personal story about how you discovered your passion for your discipline: either way, you are sure to keep your readers intrigued.

3. Don’t overshare: Though the SOP is a comprehensive essay, you need to be prudent about the kind of details you choose to share. Every single fact you weave into your SOP should have some pertinence to your grad school dreams and your goals for the future. While you may be proud of your ability to marathon a TV show for 12 hours straight, it’s not necessarily something you should be writing in your SOP.

4. Co-curricular activities: Internships, paper publications and presentations, participation in conferences and research experiences should all find a place of pride in your SOP. These not only add a special edge to your SOP but also set you apart from your peers with similar qualifications.

5. Extracurricular activities: As we mentioned previously, universities in the US are not simply looking for students with high GPAs, so be sure to highlight your achievements outside the classroom too. Whether it is your passion in the football field or your prowess for music, it merits a mention in your SOP.

6. Avoid excessive flattery: While it’s great to gush over the repute of the university and the professors who work there, avoid gushing too much: the universities are well aware of their prestige, and are likely to be put off by too much flattery.

We hope you found this article helpful, and wish you all the best for your future! Want the lowdown on how to draft SOPs according to various countries and university departments? Be sure to click here!