Tips to Write an SOP for Course Change

When a student applies for a course that is different from his or her academic and professional background, the biggest concern becomes how to justify the reason for shifting course? We often get queries on how to draft an SOP in such cases. For instance, some candidates wish to switch from engineering background to build a career in business or finance. Honestly, course change is absolutely possible, and it is not at all difficult to prepare an SOP for the same, if you have valid reasons.

While preparing an SOP for course switch:

The most important thing to keep in mind is to give instances on how you started to develop your inclination towards the other field. This needs to be supported by logical actions that you took to explore the field and what all you have learnt about it. Further, associate the field with your future plans. Let us explore it step-by-step.

1) Initial Attack in SOP

In the beginning of the SOP itself, share your reason for shifting the course strongly. Elaborate on how you got influenced by a certain field or domain and what about that particular field excited you to pursue it. This is not supposed to be the general scope of the field; rather focus on your personal experiences within the same. You should talk about the emerging prospects that the industry has to offer you and how you wish to utilise the knowledge of the same in realising your ultimate goal. Write good reasons to change majors by stating the skills that you lack and may develop through further studies. Then, relate the same with your future plans of contributing to that field.

2) Describing your Encounters and Drive in SOP

Give a clear, logical and convincing explanation of how and when you encountered your new field of interest. This may include:

• Workshops or seminars that you would have attended that helped you identify your interest in that field
• Books or articles you read or exposure you got in your academic or professional life that captivated your interest

These need to be mentioned precisely and very specifically to justify how you got interested in something absolutely different from your current field. Avoid showing your interest in that field since childhood or your hobby that you could not pursue due to family pressure. Such phrases portray indecisiveness or inability to take initiatives. Always give strong reasoning of why and how you feel that you are capable of pursuing the new chosen field. Your reason for shifting the course has to be recent and logical.

3) Discussing your Efforts and Initiatives in SOP

After explaining your introduction to a particular field that motivated you to pursue it, the next step is to give details about the initiatives that you took to learn about the field of your interest. You should describe what you learnt from relevant workshops and seminars, the books you would have read to explore, or the training you underwent to gain some experience in the domain. Discussing such elements ensures that you are a genuine pursuant of the chosen field and that you are making efforts to gain an in-depth understanding of the scope and applications of that field. Also, by applying to this course now, you are taking another big step towards your chosen field.

4) Explaining Background in SOP

While you are giving good reasons to change majors, you cannot ignore your background in your SOP. Do not wait for too long to mention your background. You need to accept and highlight your academic and professional endeavours as the admission committee will understand your strengths and weaknesses. Mention the reasons behind your decisions: why you pursued a certain course and why did you join a certain job. Always highlight your learning and positive attitude. It will show that you will be a worthy addition to the classroom. Your background includes your academic and professional projects, along with the internships you have pursued. Besides the field-related knowledge, including them shows your social skills, such as your ability to settle down in an unknown environment or work in groups to achieve a common objective.

5) Writing Extracurricular Activities in SOP

Besides your academic and professional life, your participation and active contribution to the extracurricular activities will support your candidature. They will showcase your organisations skills, managerial abilities, presentation and communication skills, team and leadership qualities, which are essential for a lot of courses. These factors will give you an edge over others. If you include some volunteer work in your profile, the admission committee can figure out your desire of giving back to society and it is always appreciated. Most importantly, if your extracurricular work is directly or indirectly related to the course you are applying to, then the chances of your selection automatically increase to an extent.

To put it simply, irrespective of your background, you can always prepare an SOP by justifying your inclination towards a new field. For professional assistance regarding applying to a different course or preparing your SOP for the same, you can always connect with our experts.

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