What makes an SOP so vital for your application? What is it about this document that makes it an inseparable part of your admission process? It is the fact that it acts as an interface between you and the selection panel of your desired university. It is through an SOP that the selection panel gets to know who you are and why you are the best fit for their university. This means you have to pay an extremely careful attention while drafting this out and make sure that you have put your best foot forward in writing your SOP. To help you achieve the same, we are going to talk about the most critical elements of an SOP and what takes to come up with a winning SOP. Let’s go!
1. The Starting of Your Winning SOP
It is always a great idea to be to the point right from the beginning of your SOP. The admission panel have got thousands of SOPs to read and thus would prefer to go through an SOP which is to the point rather than one that beats around the bush. We would suggest you to start your SOP with an anecdote which means describing an instance that motivated you to take up this course. You can talk about any incident, person, family member or an inherent interest in the field that made you choose the field you have chosen. Steer clear of sounding vague while quoting an anecdote. Be very specific about how your interest in your chosen field germinated and grew.
2. Your Academic and Professional Background
Next comes your academic and professional background. This section will talk about the subjects you took up, your projects, internships, workshops and the likes. You have to talk about how your interest progressed through the assignments you took up and the ones you related to the most and why. This section will explain to the selection panel how genuine your interest is and whether you have taken a wise decision of opting for this course and university.
3. ExtraCurricular Activities and Achievements
This section will talk about your extracurricular engagements and achievements. You must talk about the most prominent ones and say how it helped develop and enhance your personality.
4. Career Goal and Why This Course Section of Your SOP!
Now comes the most important part of your SOP, which is the career goal. Here in this section, you have to talk about what you aspire to become in the future. Your career goals have to be divided into two categories, i.e. the short term and long term career goals. Short term career goals refer to what you want to do right after completing the course and as the name suggests, long term career goals mean how you wish to see yourself placed in the industry in the long run. The Why This Course section has to talk about why you have chosen to pursue this course and how it is an important step in your academic journey. Here, you must talk about the gaps in your academic or professional career until now and how you think pursuing this course can help you fill this gap. You also have to talk about how pursuing this course will help you achieve your career goals.
5. Why This University Section of Your Winning SOP
This again is an extremely critical aspect of your SOP. This section should clearly show how well researched you are about the university, courses offered and faculty members. You also have to write how you can be an asset for the university and why you are the best fit. Talking about how you can add value to the class in terms of knowledge, experience and diversity is a superb way to go about your SOP.
So these were the 5 critical elements of your winning SOP. Paying careful attention to each of these elements will take the winning quotient of your SOP to an altogether new level. Following all the above mentioned points while writing your SOP will surely cast a positive impression on the selection panel paving way for a good chance for your selection at your aspired institution. All the best to you!
