Statement of Purpose (SOP)- The X-factor

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The Statement of Purpose probably known as the SOP is one of the most DREADED parts of the application f or any aspirant. Every other aspirant asks someone else to write it f or them. But come to think of it, your SOP is about you and no one else (trust me, not even your chuddy buddy who has seen you throughout your lif e) can do justice to it. The f unda is simple- Your lif e, Your application, Your SOP, Youre writing it Let us f irst understand the importance of an SOP in the Application. I am sure each one of us has heard about people getting into top schools with average scores. Havent heard of anyone? Let me show you a picture. One of my f riends studies at Stanf ord. And she had a GRE score of 1280 on a scale of 1600 which comes out to be around 313 on 340. Yes, you heard it right. 313 on the GRE and studies at Stanf ord!! So what did she have that the other 330+ scorers didnt? I would say she had the vision and she knew what she wanted and how will Stanf ord help her get it and most importantly she painted this picture on her SOP. Not convinced? Lets look at another example. How many of youll had WeChat on your phones bef ore, say, 3 months? And now, how many of youll have downloaded WeChat af ter seeing the Parineeti advertisement? I totally agree that WeChat had some additional f eatures but why didnt we use it bef ore. The answer is simple. We didnt know about it. On the same lines, you might have some qualities which are unique to you, some traits which are awesome, some f eatures which are extraordinary, but how will the university know the same unless you tell them. So basically, the point is that the SOP is your selling point. It is what you are, why you are what you are and how you became what you became (Complicated? Read along..). Now, let us understand what goes into a great SOP: 1. First and f oremost, your SOP has to be written by you. If you f eel you arent good at writing, start of f with a rough draf t and get it proof read and improved by your peers. But never ask anyone to make the f irst draf t of your SOP. 2. Narrate a story in the essay. There should be a personal touch in your SOP. 3. The story need not start with your childhood or there need not be a catchy line or a wise quote in the beginning. 4. This ones obvious. Never copy any one elses SOP(even if it is f rom some other year, some other university or some other branch). Universities can f ind that out very

easily. Dont trust me? Check this out: http://www.scanmyessay.com/universities.php 5. Usually, these things should be included in an SOP (though there is no hard and f ast rule): Your f ield of interest What have you done in your f ield of interest till date? Why do you want to do a Masters now? Why at the given university? How will you benef it f rom the program? And how will the university benef it f rom you? A gist of your career goals and how will the Masters degree help ou get there. 6. And most importantly, sell yourself . Check out our Sample SOP. Do you f eel we missed something, comment here and get your queries answered.