Statement of Purpose (SoP), if put as an application requirement, is one of the most important components, and in some cases proven to be the deciding component, of the application documents. An SoP lets the admission committee become more acquainted with who you are; what you want to study and why; experiences you have in the field; and what you plan on doing post the program you are applying for.
An SoP also serves as a writing sample and monologue on an aspirant’s behalf. “Letter of intent” or “application essay” or “personal statement” can be termed as different variations of the SoP that usually address a more specific topic or question.
Four primary topics to cover in your SoP would be:
- Reason(s) for your interest in the program and university you are applying for
- Your preparation/ background/ attributes/competencies for further study in the desired field
- Your future goals and research interests (if any)
- Your suitability for the program and university
We, as an ace SoP writing service, give you 10 time-tested and proven successful tips on writing a killer or winning SoP.
1. Be Yourself
Remember that your SoP is your mouthpiece before the admission committee advocating for your candidature. Thus, while drafting an SoP be aware that you are seeking a program that is a good match for you. Do not disguise who you are or second-guess what the committee is looking for.
2. Write a Strong Opening
You want to stand out from the multitude of other applicants. One way of doing that is writing an opening that grabs the reader’s attention. Describe an important experience or reason that has got you interested in the program you are applying for, and/ or a problem you want to solve, and/or what trending technologies inspire and excite you. It is usually advised to place this portion towards the opening since it gives a relevant punch and backing to your candidature right at the start of the SoP.
3. Understand the requirements and guidelines
When writing an SoP, your thoughts and ideas can become quite overwhelming as you struggle to create an effective one that captures who you are and why you are applying. Follow the institution’s instructions on how they want the SoP to be written.
a) Word or Character Count
b) Number of Pages
c) Format (spacing, margins, font size, etc.)
Generally, 750 to 1000 words is a good count for a compelling, crisp, concise SoP.
4. Be Succinct
Avoid circumlocution, repetition, or beating around the bush. That just makes the SoP superfluous wasting the precious word count. Remember it’s an SoP and not an autobiography. You want to give the committee a sense of who you are but they do not want to hear about your entire life story. Providing details of your projects or achievements which should be given in the resume or elsewhere, is not a good idea at all. Instead, talk about your experiences and learnings. Thus, be specific and mindful of the information you are providing. Keep it crisp and pertinent.
5. Keep it Simple, Silly!
Avoid using uncommon phrases or idioms or flowery language or difficult words which don’t fit the context. Rather use befitting words and applicable quote(s) or proverb(s) or mantra or motto or saying(s) (not mandatory at all though) that would serve the required purpose. Also, make sure that your SoP does not contain any untruthful or irrelevant information or details.
6. Compartmentalize well
A neat SoP divided into 5 – 8 paragraphs of possibly commensurate length looks visually appealing. Try to keep a theme or topic or area to be covered in a particular paragraph. It helps in maintaining a smooth flow in the SoP.
7. Watch the tone of your SoP
Your tone in the essay should reflect what is special, diverse, unique, or impressive about you. Don’t ever show any entity or any institution in bad or poor light. Refrain from using offensive or derogatory language. Similarly, don’t be overly informal. The right tone for an effective SoP is formal yet conversational. Explain any shortcomings in your background such as a poor academic track record, but put a positive spin on its elaboration.
8. Customize as per program and university:
Agreed that this is going to be a tedious task, but trust us, it definitely pays off well. In the portions where you have talk about the university and the program you are applying for, do proper research on the relevant aspects and customize your SoP suitably so that it looks to be tailor-made for that particular institution.
9. DO NOT PLAGIARISE OR COPY
Always bear in mind that universities want to know your reasons, who you are, what’s your story, what experiences you have had, and what you will do post-program. Thus, they don’t want you to present someone else’s SoP. A lot of students use SoPs of other students or the ones available as samples. But this is a wrong practice that can seriously jeopardize your application since universities have mechanisms to detect plagiarism and duplication. If the university’s admission officials discover that you have resorted to plagiarism or copying, you may have right away ruined your chances of admission not just to the university you have applied to but likely other universities as well. In some countries, there is a universal system of admission to colleges in a particular country. SoPs are processed by this system which uses software to find out if they are original or not. All in all, though you may have to struggle with your SoP, it’s in your best interest to provide an original SoP one.
10. Get External Help or Review
By all means take help to find out grammatical errors, or suggestions on how to write your SoP, or understand the required flow, but it must be an original one. Before, during, or after, you can seek help at any stage of drafting your SoP. Your professors or seniors at college or work or a counselor or someone you trust can be of assistance here. Nevertheless, if you don’t find suitable help among your acquaintances, worry not, since you can always hire an efficient SoP writing service like OnlineMacha who has experienced expertise. Once you have received adequate feedback, make the necessary changes to your SoP and prepare your final draft which should be compelling, contain strong sentence variety, and be free of spelling and grammatical errors.
At OnlineMacha.com we understand that a winning SoP requires time and thoughtfulness since you want to sell yourself to the admission committee to be accepted by the university. Thus, in order to do that, you need to put your best foot forward, and OnlineMacha.com does just that!
Please feel free to connect with us for any doubt/ query/ clarification. If you are convinced and looking for a true edge over the competition to gain your place then we are here to provide you the help that you need with our Professional SOP Writing Services.
