Tips to Write a Powerful SOP (Statement of Purpose) with Videos

For students applying abroad, the Statement of Purpose (SOP) is extremely important. Most students find it a daunting task to write an SOP that projects their candidature perfectly. The SOP must reflect your personality, strengths, who you are, your career choices and aspirations, and whether you are a fit for the program and the university that you are applying to. Therefore, here we discuss some tips on writing statement of purpose.

One of the most important SOP tips is using anecdotes that may allow you to narrate your academic journey. This will not only engage the reader but also showcase your background. They also allow you to maintain a chronology of events, mention exactly what you went through, and make you sound more relatable.

Another SOP tip is to keep it concise, focused, and logical. Keeping it authentic, truthful, and original are other important SOP tips. Let the admissions committee (Ad Com) learn about your aspirations, goals, and passions that motivate you to pursue a particular program. The student should also share any relevant experience and learning from the past that has motivated or inspired him to join a particular course. Furthermore, the student must discuss how this program will help him attain his future career goals and what he plans to do with the knowledge and skills gained through the program.

So far you have learned:

• What is SOP?
• Common Mistakes to Avoid in an SOP
• How do the SOP Samples look?

Tips for Writing an Effective Statement of Purpose

This video includes strategies and techniques for creating an impeccable Statement of Purpose. These tips to write SOP can also be utilized to understand and write your College Essays.

The above tips for writing SOP will help you draft an impactful and winning SOP for your university applications. You must also conclude the SOP by reinforcing your passion for the program, how it will benefit you, and how you may contribute to your future class and university. So, the conclusion should also be strong but concise. You can also state how your academic background, experiences, and passion for the subject make you an ideal candidate.

Furthermore, you must remember that the SOP is your opportunity to project yourself directly to the Ad Com. Therefore, you must follow the tips for writing SOP diligently and prepare the draft ahead of the deadline. Do not wait till the last moment. Having worked hard to attain high scores on the standardized tests, such as: GRE, GMAT, IELTS, and TOEFL, you would also want to submit a winning SOP so that your chances of getting admission in your chosen program and university are brighter.

In case you have further queries or need any more tips for writing SOP, you may take our free-of-cost counselling services, as part of which you can receive proper guidance in drafting your application documents, such as Academic CV, Letters of Recommendation, Scholarship Essays, MBA Essays, and UG Essays.

This video includes strategies and techniques for creating an impeccable Statement of Purpose. These tips for writing SOP  can also be utilized to understand and write your College Essays.

source: University of Washington official website

Dos and Don’ts of writing an SOP

Common Mistakes to Avoid in the SOP

In your SOP, you must avoid the following mistakes:

• Plagiarism: Never copy content from the internet or SOP samples.
• Use of quotes: Avoid using quotes in your SOP as they do not add any value.
• Unclear goals: Your post program goals should have clarity and should not be vague or unrelated to the program that you have chosen.
• Not adhering to the word limits: Stick to the university’s guidelines or 800–1000 words.
• Grammatical Errors: Proofread thoroughly to ensure that there are no grammatical or typo errors.

Difference between an MS SOP and an MBA SOP

Essentially, the structure for both the MS and MBA SOP remains the same. The rules of formatting are also the same. However, the difference lies in the qualities that you would project as an MS applicant and as an MBA applicant. Let us look at the differences closely:

• While an MS applicant will focus more on research capabilities, analytical skills, and technical skills, the student applying for MBA must highlight his ability to work in a team environment, leadership, ability to work under pressure, effective communication, and initiative in his MBA SOP.
• Extracurricular activities may or may not be discussed in an MS SOP, but for an MBA aspirant it is important to discuss his extracurricular activities that reflect his strengths other than academics.
• An MS applicant can be a fresher, but an MBA applicant must have some work experience to discuss in his SOP.
• In an MS SOP, an applicant while discussing his project work can focus mainly on his knowledge, analytic skills, and technical aspects, the MBA SOP should focus on the management and team skills that the student displayed while working on a project.

Should you have further queries, or need any other tips for writing SOP you may take our free-of-cost counselling services as part of which you can receive proper guidance in drafting your application documents such as Academic CV, Letters of Recommendation, Scholarship Essays, MBA Essays, and UG Essays.