SOP Samples - Course & Country wise SOP Format

SOP Samples: Referring to a sample statement of purpose samples before writing your own would help you understand the relevance of the content to be included in each paragraph. It is better to understand: What is an SOP or Statement of Purpose before you begin your search on SOP samples. In this article, we will cover an SOP template, and SOP format, along with SOP samples.

What is SOP (Statement of Purpose)?

Statement of Purpose or SOP refers to an essay that states your purpose for applying to a particular course and university and is a document that is required by universities abroad. It is needed to justify your intention behind studying abroad.

In order to understand better how to write a statement of purpose, let us first learn the SOP Format and Template and then check out some Study Abroad Statement of Purpose samples.

SOP Format and SOP Template

To begin with, there are a few simple points to remember. Ensure to keep them on your SOP Review Checklist:

• Statement of Purpose follows a paragraph format and abides by the general rules that are associated with essay writing. While using bullets is accepted, they are to be avoided and kept only to the bare minimum.
• Unless otherwise stated, a standard statement of purpose should be no more than two pages long, single-spaced, and utilize a font size no larger than 12. Consequently, a conventional SOP would be between 800 and 1000 words, depending on the font type.
• There should be no use of colourful text or images anywhere. The text should be plain black (not even grey).

Apart from the obvious, there are simple templates as to how you can present your statement of purpose. Ideally, a Statement of Purpose should have about 5-7 paragraphs of about 150 to 250 words each. Given below is a simple SOP template with a paragraph-wise explanation of the SOP Format.

Simple SOP Template

A simple SOP template can assist you in drafting your SOP, consisting of different pieces of information attached in a flow. An SOP comprises paragraphs that can be divided into headings for our understanding. These headings would help you identify what comes in which paragraph. Once your SOP is complete you just need to make sure that all the paragraphs are going in a flow covering all the essential information. A simple SOP template would go like this:

Structure for SOP (Statement of Purpose Format)

While framing an SOP structure, students must:

• Introduce yourself and your objectives.
• Explain why you are interested in the field for which you are applying and what drives you. Summarize your undergraduate and graduate education. Include any pertinent academic accomplishments, research experience, honours, or publications.
• Describe your long-term and short-term academic and professional objectives. What do you want to gain from this programme, and how does it fit into your long-term career goals?
• Explain why you chose this programme in particular.
• What are your motivations for choosing this university, and how will the programme assist you in achieving your objectives?
• Emphasize your accomplishments and strengths and how they relate to the programme you're applying to. Describe any abilities or experiences that distinguish you as a unique and valuable candidate.
• Summarize your mission statement.

Let us discuss each point of the statement of purpose format in detail.

1) SOP Paragraph 1: INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF GOALS

Use this space to talk about your goals in life. Make it more intriguing by using comparisons or anecdotes, where appropriate. However, do not spend a lot of time outlining your objective. The earlier you set it out, the better. The motivation to pursue the course you are applying for should be clearly highlighted in this paragraph. It is not very unlike a goals essay asked from MBA aspirants.

2) SOP Paragraphs 2 & 3: CAREER PROGRESSION

This is the section where you typically introduce yourself. You may begin by giving a brief introduction to yourself and outlining how your career has developed from school to college. Usually, this paragraph is devoted to your academic endeavours. Focus more on your college in the second paragraph before switching to work experience in the third. If you are applying right away after graduating or leaving school, you can separate paragraph 2 for academics and paragraph 3 for extracurricular activities. You can take a hint on how to write about your career progression.

3) SOP Paragraph 4: WHY?

This is the most crucial section of your Statement of Purpose since it contains the justification for your desired course of action. Telling the story of an event that prompted your choice or marked a significant turning point in your life will add intrigue. The better your essay will be, the more impassioned and expressive this paragraph should be. For instance, if we are talking about an SOP for a Master's in Economics, you must be clear about your motivations for pursuing the field and your goals for graduating with the degree.

4) SOP Paragraph 5: HOW DO YOU PLAN TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL?

Your essay is now at its conclusion. You have so far discussed what you want to do, how you came to that decision, and why you are taking this particular course. Describe now how you intend to reach your objectives. Write it if you want to engage in research. Put it in writing if you intend to work for a particular company. This further demonstrates how carefully you have considered your life. Give it time limits as well. For instance, before I begin my research program, I want to work in the sector for two years.

Check out the Common Mistakes to Avoid in an SOP.

NOTE: It is not mandatory to present the information in the manner suggested in this sample SOP format. This is only one of many possible ways in which you can present your statement of purpose. No matter how you wish to narrate the story, just remember, it should come together and be cohesive.

Sample of Statement of Purpose for MS, UG, MBA, PhD, and Countries

SOP Format for MS, MBA, UG, and PhD: Understanding what to include and what not to include is all very well. What is of utmost importance is getting the format right. Like all professional documents, SOP also has a standard format that is followed by general universities. It is important to note that irrespective of whether you are writing the statement of purpose for an MBA program, an MS program, or even for any of the UG Courses, the format essentially would remain the same. This article takes note of the same.

We have a few statements of purpose examples based on various study abroad programmes such as MS, MBA, UG, and PhD. While it is important to read the SOP Samples for undergraduate courses and other courses, it is advised that students treat them only as a point of reference.

SOP Sample for MS

Given below are some Sample SOPs for MS (Master's degree), which were accepted in popular schools abroad. See how an MS SOP is written and also refer to various samples for different engineering courses:

SOP Sample for MBA

Writing a Statement of Purpose for MBA is slightly different than writing an MS SOP. Rather than sounding a geek, you would need to sound more of an all-rounder. Check out the writing style for MBA SOP and SOP Sample for MBA. You may also want to refer to SOP writing for Master in Management (MIM).

SOP Sample for UG

A UG SOP differs from a Master’s SOP as it has little to no work experience and no information on a Bachelor’s degree with project information. Here, students need to mention more about their extracurricular activities. Their participation in quizzes, science competitions, and sports carries a lot of weight. Check out how to go about a bachelor’s SOP and a UG SOP Sample.

SOP Sample for PhD

A PhD SOP is a lot different than the rest of the programmes. Understand the importance of and how to write a PhD SOP here.

SOP Sample for USA, Canada, UK, and Australia

You might be wondering what differs in the SOPs with the change in the country. It is important to note that the format of SOP remains the same for every country unless there is some specific requirement given by any university. If you still wonder what the Sample SOPs for different look like you may refer to the sample SOPs in popular countries:

Statement of Purpose Format Important Points

The most important points that you often end up missing in SOPs are as follows:

• Career Goals: Writing just that you have a childhood inclination toward a certain field would not make your SOP any stronger. You should always be able to explain what you aim to do in life by gaining knowledge in that field.
• How the University would help in achieving them: Why do you want to join a particular university and how it would help in obtaining your career goals both are equally important. Writing that you are interested in joining a university abroad due to its location or infrastructure would not help.
• Logic & Reason: Make sure that your academic background, professional experience, reasons to pursue a course, reasons to opt for a particular university and career goals are tied by logic and reason. Do not mention random events that do not fit the context. The admissions Committee should not get confused while reading your SOP.
• Flow: There needs to be coherence and flow in your writing. One idea must be connected to another one seamlessly.
• Research the University: Make sure to research the university, its faculties, the faculty and course you are applying for, any ongoing research, vision and mission statement, etc. This exercise will provide you with excellent points that can be mentioned vis-à-vis your reasons to pursue a particular course at a particular university.­­

Do's and Don'ts of a Statement of Purpose

Your SOP should undoubtedly seem compelling and fascinating, but it is unacceptable to lie in order to do so. Similar to how you would undoubtedly want to use the online samples, you must make sure that your SOP is unique and does not borrow any ideas from other sources. The quality of your drafts would suffer if you placed little to no focus on data and figures, but supplying excessive information is also not a smart idea.

We tend to make some mistakes that should be avoided while writing SOPs that are going abroad for review. Check out the Common Mistakes to Avoid in an SOP.

If you seek guidance related to abroad university application process, you may register with Shiksha Study Abroad and avail of our expert counselling services. As a bonus, we offer editorial services ranging from SOPs and University Essays to Academic CVs and Academic and Professional LORs editing.