Statement of Purpose (SOP) for University Applications: A Comprehensive Guide | Exercises Management Theory

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Universities abroad require you to submit your application with a statement that articulates your career path

and goals. This helps them in ensuring the right candidate for the courses offered by them.

What is SOP?

A Statement of Purpose (SOP), also known as a research statement or a letter of intent, is written to the

admission panel and talks about your career path, interest, professional contributions, goals and the

driving force behind pursuing a particular program. This is usually submitted in the form of an essay,

however, certain universities may also keep it question-based. It is the most integral part of your application

that decides your admission in your preferred institution.

Purpose of a SOP

The SOP is the decision maker of your application. It helps the admission committee assess your take on

life, your career goals, beliefs, subject knowledge, and your vision. In short, a well-written SOP paints your

overall personality for the universities. It is an opportunity to pitch your purpose to the committee and

reasons why they should choose you over other applicants. A good SOP works great for weak academic

profiles where in you can compensate by highlighting your future goals and ambitions. A well-written SOP

also reflects how well you can express your thoughts using your writing skills.

The statement of purpose reflects not only who you are as a candidate, but your writing abilities

as well. In college and graduate school, you’re going to be doing a ton of writing. Seriously a

ton. It was not unusual for me to write papers 10-20 pages or longer. With that in mind, it is

really important to show that you are a truly competent writer. Some quick tips are:

Your statement of purpose shouldn’t have any spelling or grammatical errors

Use strong, clear, and concise writing

Avoid clichés and repetitive language

Stay away from overly informal language

Keep a positive and confident tone

How long is a statement of purpose supposed to be?

A statement of purpose should really be one-page and only one-page. You could write up to one

and half pages if needed, but nothing longer than this. The reason is that you need to be

economical with your writing. Admissions officers read dozens of applications a day so you are

going to need to be able to concisely and clearly state what you want to say. Writing longer than

1 – 1.5 pages will make you seem like you lack focus and clarity in your purpose for

school/institutions.

It can be hard to know what to include in each section of your writing. The following statement

of purpose format is a simple five paragraph essay that will help you address all the points

admissions officers expect you to cover.

In the first paragraph, you should introduce yourself by briefly giving your background and

stating your current career goal or objective. Your introduction should be relevant to the specific

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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Universities abroad require you to submit your application with a statement that articulates your career path and goals. This helps them in ensuring the right candidate for the courses offered by them. What is SOP? A Statement of Purpose (SOP), also known as a research statement or a letter of intent, is written to the admission panel and talks about your career path, interest, professional contributions , goals and the driving force behind pursuing a particular program. This is usually submitted in the form of an essay , however, certain universities may also keep it question-based. It is the most integral part of your application that decides your admission in your preferred institution. Purpose of a SOP The SOP is the decision maker of your application. It helps the admission committee assess your take on life, your career goals, beliefs, subject knowledge, and your vision. In short, a well-written SOP paints your overall personality for the universities. It is an opportunity to pitch your purpose to the committee and reasons why they should choose you over other applicants. A good SOP works great for weak academic profiles where in you can compensate by highlighting your future goals and ambitions. A well-written SOP also reflects how well you can express your thoughts using your writing skills. The statement of purpose reflects not only who you are as a candidate, but your writing abilities as well. In college and graduate school, you’re going to be doing a ton of writing. Seriously a ton. It was not unusual for me to write papers 10-20 pages or longer. With that in mind, it is really important to show that you are a truly competent writer. Some quick tips are:  Your statement of purpose shouldn’t have any spelling or grammatical errors  Use strong, clear, and concise writing  Avoid clichés and repetitive language  Stay away from overly informal language  Keep a positive and confident tone How long is a statement of purpose supposed to be? A statement of purpose should really be one-page and only one-page. You could write up to one and half pages if needed, but nothing longer than this. The reason is that you need to be economical with your writing. Admissions officers read dozens of applications a day so you are going to need to be able to concisely and clearly state what you want to say. Writing longer than 1 – 1.5 pages will make you seem like you lack focus and clarity in your purpose for school/institutions. It can be hard to know what to include in each section of your writing. The following statement of purpose format is a simple five paragraph essay that will help you address all the points admissions officers expect you to cover. In the first paragraph , you should introduce yourself by briefly giving your background and stating your current career goal or objective. Your introduction should be relevant to the specific

program you’re applying to. Talking about your love of cooking when you’re applying to medical school won’t really help you by itself. Any information you include in your introduction needs to be relatable back to specific aspects of the program. The second paragraph , should explain how you came to be interested in your specific area of study. Now that you’ve made it clear that you have a background and goal related to the program, explain your interest in it. Your statement of purpose tells admissions officers why you’re applying, and fast! Don’t give really general reasons like, “I like helping people.” General reasons don’t help admissions officers understand you as an individual. This is because so many people give these reasons. You probably do like helping people and that’s great, now look deeper. Why do you like helping people? How do did you come to like helping people? Why do you want to learn in this specific program to help people? The more completely you understand your reasons, the better you’ll be able to convince admissions officers you’re the right choice. In the third paragraph , briefly describe any experience you may already have in your area of study. Think of any jobs, internships, projects and so on that you have done. It can be difficult for some people to think of any applicable experience they may have. If this is you, try talking to some friends or family that know you well. They may be able to help you think of some relevant experience. Look back to the background and career goal from the first paragraph. This should be your point of reference when talking about your experience. Using the school’s program description as a guide, talk about any related experience you have. The more direct the experience the better. If you don’t have direct experience, choose the most closely related experience as possible. Be sure to reference how your experience relates to the program. This will show that you have a clear understanding of what the program is and how you fit into it. Next up is the fourth paragraph where you can describe any other experiences you’ve had that helped you decide on your specific area of study or has helped you prepare for graduate studies in general. Do this briefly though. Your statement of purpose is not the place to give long narratives. If there is any other information you really think the admissions officer should know about you, include it here. It is important to emphasize that the admissions officer really should know this information. Ask yourself if you can clearly articulate the specific value these experiences add to your story. This is another chance to stand out and be unique, but it still needs to be tightly focused on explaining why you are the best person for the program. In the final closing paragraph you should very briefly describe your long-term career goals. Be very clear and specific when you write this. Also, notice how this is a bit different than the current goal from the first paragraph. In the first paragraph you talk about what you want to do right now, in other words the next goal you want to achieve. The closing paragraph discusses where you want to be years from now. For example, your next step may be to become a manager in your field, but your long-term goal may be to be a director or CEO or whatever the applicable title for your field is. Note: Although brief note and samples are given in the grammar text books, this above notes/reference will help for answers.

Jyoti Nivas College Autonomous B.A/B.Sc/BCA/B.Com/TM/BBA/BVOC Semester II (June 2018 Onwards) General English-II Model Question Paper Time: 3 Hours Max. Marks: 70 +30= Section-A Grammar I. A. Correct the errors in the following sentences: (1x5=5)

She is resembling her sister.
All our luggage are safe.
I am not remembering the song.
All the machinery have to be replaced.
Everyone are aware of the fee structure. B. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the verb given in brackets: (1x10=10)
We ______________ (go) for a film on Saturday.
I _____________ (wait) for her since 9 o’ clock.
I ______________ (complete) the work already.
Rahul ___________ (believe) in God.
The train _____________ (left) by the time we reached the station.
Fifty pounds ____________ (be) lost.
A part of the office ________ (have) been closed.
Each of them __________ (have) literary ambitions.
Either of the boys ___________ (be) eligible for selection.
The recommendation of the three-member committee ____________ (deserve) serious consideration. Section-B Prose and Poetry II. Write short notes on any three of the following: (3x5=15)
Identity in “This is My Handwriting”.
Imagery in “Hiroshima”.
Violence in “Ultima Ratio Regum”.
The establishment in “As Usual”. III. Answer any two of the following in detail: (2x10=20)
Bring out the idea of conflict and refugee crisis as seen in ‘My Tibetanness’ and ‘As the War Worsens’.
What reflections of society and culture do you see in ‘Mapping Bangalore’ and ‘An Incomplete Woman’?

Discuss the themes of displacement and discrimination in ‘Bal Kak and Nono’ and ‘Mammie’s Form at the Post Office’? Section-C Writing Skills IV. You are applying to the University of Sydney for a Master’s course in Computer Science. Write an appropriate Statement of Purpose. (10) V. A. With a suitable title, write a précis of the following passage: (10) Machines have, in fact, become the salves of modern life. They do more and more work that human beings do not want to do themselves. Think for a moment of the extent to which machines do work for you. You wake, perhaps, to the hoot of a siren by a machine in a neighboring factory. You wash in water brought to you by the aid of machinery, heated by machinery and placed in basins for your convenience by a machine. You eat your breakfast quickly cooked for you by machinery, go to school in machines made for saving leg labour. And if you are lucky to be in a very modern school, you enjoy cinema where a machine teaches you or you listen to lessons broadcast by one of the most wonderful machines. So dependent has man become on machines that a certain writer imagines a time when machines will have acquired a will of their own and become the master of men, doomed once more to slavery. (168 words) OR B. Your college had recently organized a study tour to north India. Write a report on it to the college magazine in not more than 250 words: (10)

Statement of Purpose (SOP) for University Applications: A Comprehensive Guide, Exercises of Management Theory

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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE