Any esteemed university or college seeks to evaluate any student on a set of evolutionary parameters. One of the most important factors out of all the parameters like previous qualifications, interviews, Letter of Recommendations is the Statement of Purpose. Your Statement of Purpose is your true reflection for the university, and an impressive and comprehensive SOP can act as your gateway to entering your dream university.
Some of the standard requirements under SOPs of all universities is that they should be comprehensive and crisp. As a new school pass out or a new undergraduate student applying for masters or even for PhD courses and diploma courses, your SOP is the key to creating a constructive and positive impact on the college or university’s hiring committee.
You may be applying to a technical or non-technical course, but keeping these tips and tricks in mind will be beneficial while you proofread or optimize your final SOP. As the SOP is your only chance to convince the college’s hiring committee that you are not only the appropriate but the best fit for that particular course seat and the varsity as a whole.
Here is a list of 6 pragmatic and practical tips that you can use to make your SOP ( Statement of Purpose) better –
- Follow the guidelines creatively
All college application processes are laid out in a detailed manner of what they expect any prospective student to write in their SOP and what points are a must to include while writing in the SOP. The most intelligent move here is to carefully understand the varsity’s requirement and then shape an SOP structure that enumerates all of those points coherently.
Never miss out on binding all the points in the SOP through an engaging personal story, as the evaluator might have been bored reading all format based SOPs, so adding a hint of personal touch will make your SOP much more appealing than those of other applicants.
- Unveil your true journey through words
The SOP is the real-time reflection of your journey as a student, the struggles and challenges you faced in that journey and what action you took to overcome those challenges. So your SOP should always be based on facts and stories and a piece of fiction that is quite distant from reality.
Using flowery words and made-up incidents may initially look like an intelligent thing to do, but it’s not a smart move on the ground. The hiring team is well-versed in classifying facts from fiction regarding the application process, so any piece of wrong or fictitious information can increase the odds of not getting selected.
Enroll in a certificate program in your field of interest.
Enrolling in a certificate course in the relevant sector is a good way to highlight your skills and talent during the admissions process. Make use of online learning services such as Coursera or Skillshare to enroll in a reputable course. There are both free and paid courses available in the relevant field.
Take, for instance, taking a course in the relevant field. Let’s say you wish to apply for a master’s degree in Computer Science in another country. In this situation, you could enroll in an Artificial Intelligence certificate program. Such a course will not only assist you throughout the selection process, but it will also keep you up to date on a variety of topics. It’s never a bad idea to brush up on your skills.
- Avoid making your SOP look like a personal argument.
One of the most common and silly mistakes many students make is elaborating their SOP more than required. All colleges and universities value quality over quality, so if someone in a word limit can adequately showcase that how he or she is the right student for that course, they stand a better chance than a person who exceeds the word limit by mentioning all his or her qualifications and accolades as a student.
Being to the point, an essential tip that all of the students must follow while approaching their SOP. You must set the premise as to what your Statement’s purpose is focusing on. While the orientation of your SOP could be focused on being descriptive, assertive, optimistic or narrative. You got to decide what tone will best suit the content inside your SOP.
- Thoroughly outline before you write.
Having creative energy outburst is normal while hustling with your SOP writing, but since getting accepted by your dream varsity is a once in a lifetime opportunity, don’t miss the chance due to minimal errors. Each sentence in your SOP must be very impactful as it takes you a step closer to your dream, so before getting started, always make a plan. Writing down the key points, doing adequate research about the college and the course. Talk to your friends and family from the same field or studying in a similar college etc.
All these personal experiences will help you come out with the best structure for your SOP. Though planning is a time-intensive process, you use all the time to plan out your SOP, and its details will be worth the investment as a student.
- Get the SOP corrected: by a critical personality
While many of you think that letting someone look at your SOP from a critical perspective can be a demoralizing activity. In reality, it is not that all you need to focus on the points that the person mentions after reading the SOP. All grammar nazis and critical people may be harsh on the feedback, but it’s the only way to gain honest insights about where your SOP might be lacking or insufficient. Always seek positive criticism from seniors and teachers while getting your SOP to be proofread. This activity will help you filter out the irrelevant content from the Statement and add more catchy and impressive points to it.
- Your first draft will be the worst one.
As a newbie, writing out a perfect and mind-blowing first draft is next to impossible. Because all first drafts, even if exceptional writers, are a mess of incomplete thoughts and facts. Simultaneously, a bad first draft ensures that you will put great hard work into the subsequent drafts. All good SOP’s require tons of editing, proofreading and last-minute optimizations, and it’s quite normal to get burned out during the process.
The only magical solution to this problem is to stay on track and be open to valid inputs from people around. While the final draft and the first draft of your SOP can be polar opposites, there was no way you would have reached the destination until you blurted it out all in the very first draft.
Overall enjoy the SOP writing process because it’s an essential path to self-discovery as a student and enhances your writing and storytelling skills.
When applying for admission to a prestigious university, it’s common to be concerned about a low GPA. While we recognize that not everyone has a stellar GPA and that academic results do not determine your abilities or personal qualities, it is critical to remember that the admissions committee will assess you based on your official documentation. These officials have no idea who you are or what you can do. A well-crafted SOP (Statement of Purpose) should be submitted to demonstrate to them what kind of person you are. This remark is meant to serve as a gentle reminder of the necessity of a well-written standard operating procedure. The grammar must be flawless, and the writing style must be mature, courteous, and respectful. A customized SOP not only recounts your life narrative and showcases your qualifications, but also demonstrates that you are a worthwhile applicant, increasing your chances of being chosen. Your strengths are highlighted in a good SOP. A strong SOP will persuade the committee that you are not only a strong applicant but also a valuable alumnus who can contribute to the university.
