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Statement Of Purpose

Written by  Rachit Agrawal, MBA

Published on Mon, February 10, 2020 10:16 AM   Updated on Mon, February 17, 2020 6:09 AM   3 mins read

The Statement Of Purpose is an application essay or a written application by a prospective student while applying to college, university, or graduate school. It is a long-form essay required during admission processes in many international as well as Indian universities.

In the statement of purpose, the student is required to explain the reasons for applications to the particular university along with his or her future aspirations. The Statement of Purpose is a summary of the student’s previous, current, and future academic records and goals.

It is also important to mention why the candidate chose this particular university and what he or she is looking to achieve by studying here. The essay gives the potential university the ability to understand the background of the candidate and judge his or her current capabilities. 

The university gets hundreds of SOPs, but only the best ones are selected for admission. That is why it is very important to submit a well written, thoughtful, and highly academic Statment of Purpose that will appeal to the application judges. 

Which questions does the statement of purpose answer?

The Statement of Purpose should answer questions like which subject you would to study and why you chose that particular subject. The next question should be why you chose the particular university and which aspects of it you based your decision on.

Other questions should include your previous experience in that particular degree or subject, like any experiments, activities, seminars, or courses taken. The Statement of Purpose should also talk about your skill sets and what makes you a better candidate than the other students applying to the same university for the same subject.

Some colleges appreciate extra details like are you interested in working in a company after finishing your education or would you rather enter the research field. The Statement of Purpose can also include things like what more are you expecting from your graduate program and the university as a whole.

How can you write the best Statement of Purpose?

  • To write a remarkable statement of purpose, one must keep in mind the tone of writing. It is very important to write in a format yet conversational tone without relying on anyone’s style. 
  • The second important step is to ensure you proofread the essay several types and make sure there are no grammatical errors or any spelling or punctuation errors in your Statement of Purpose. Since you are judged based on this essay, it is important to portray a clean and clear writing style so that your application can stand out from other candidate’s applications. 
  • When you are writing the Statement of Purpose, it is important to stay focused on the point you are making without deviating into storytelling. Although some element of personalization is acceptable, this essay must be treated as an application and written concisely. Structural rules must be followed, and the content matter should be to the point. 
  • If you are unsure about how to proceed, you can take help from your current professors to guide you. Most professors are happy to help and can provide integral guidelines to ensure you submit a remarkable application. 

About the Author & Expert

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Rachit Agrawal

Author • MBA • 20 Years

Rachit believes in the power of education and has studied from the top institutes of IIIT Allahabad, IIM Calcutta, and Francois Rabelias in France. He has worked as Software Developer with Microsoft and Adobe. Post his MBA, he worked with the world's # 1 consulting firm, The Boston Consulting Group across multiple geographies US, South-East Asia and Europe.

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