Guidelines For Statement Of Purpose

Written by Vishesh Chogtu

Published on Wed, December 23, 2020 12:12 PM • Updated on Fri, July 23, 2021 10:06 AM • 5 mins read

The general purpose of the SOP is to indicate strong research interest and your potential for advanced research.

Here is the list of guidelines required for making the Statement of Purpose:

Table of Contents

Tell us about your academic achievements
Tell us about the subjects you have studied?
What Academic Projects, Seminars, and Research Papers have you completed? (for eg. Academic competitions in Mathematics/Science/English/National Level and State Level Scholarship Exams/Special Merit in School/College Examination.)
Also, mention the biggest impact of it and what you learned.
For Projects: Mention the projects you did at the time of higher studies(Graduation/Post-Graduation/Ph.D.). How this project will help you to prepare for the course you are selecting for your higher studies (Graduation/Post-Graduation/Ph.D.)
For seminar: Please give details of all paper presentations/seminars/training workshops attended during your studies. For Research Paper: Please provide details of any research papers published by you during the course of your study?)

Mention the extracurricular activities you participated in at school, college, or professional level.
How have these Extra-Curricular Activities have helped you to evolve and you feel that based on your background you can contribute to any student organization/ program in the university?

For Work Experience: Mention all the organizations you work in after your graduation. Also, mention the project/ roles and responsibilities you were involved in. Share your thoughts on how that has impacted you and how it has helped the organization.
For Gap Explanation: Mention the time you took the Gap, What was the reason for taking the gap. Also mention what you did in that span of time.

What do you know about this program?
Tell us how this course is related to your previous studies?
If this program is not related to your previous studies, why have you decided to change your career path?
Why do you want to pursue a master’s at this point in time?

Tell us how this specific country will help you in your future?
What research have you done about other countries that have led you to choose the specific country as your study destination?
Tell us if the selected country has a specific course or University you want to go into

(Don’t comment negatively on India)

Tell us if the selected program you want to study is being offered in your country, why don’t you want to study there?
Tell us how is the education system in the country chosen different to that in your country and how will this benefit you?

Tell us how will studying in a specific country benefit your future?
What research have you done about other Universities that have led you to choose the specific University as your study destination?
Any additional value the specific university is providing you. Some specific features of the university that suit your requirements.
Any faculty and their research areas in this program (give names), research labs/centers, clubs, activities, subjects in the curriculum/electives, and also the scope of these in enhancing your profile?

What do you like about the Course structure/Course accreditation if any?
What is the specialty of this program in this university as compared to others?
Write the names of any research area or area of specialization of your interest?
What skills do you want to enhance through this program?
How will this program benefit your future?

Mention what you want to do just after completing this specific program
What kind of a work profile do you want to go in?
Tell us what exactly you want to do and learn in that job.
How much do you expect your monthly salary to be after you complete your degree?
What kind of a company do you want to go into (if any)?
What kind of work do you want to do after that? (This can include industry jobs, research jobs, or a combination of both)

Where do you see yourself 5-10 years from now?
How do you see yourself contributing to the industry or the world at large? (This should be more specific, you need to provide more technical information)