A statement of purpose is an official document given by the applicant stating his personal reason for visiting a particular country. Whether you are going for an undergraduate, post-graduate or even a temporary visit, which could range from business to tourism, a well-built statement of purpose (SOP) is a must for everyone. An SOP carries all the points to justify your reason to the respective authorities to visit a particular country, which could range from the universities to the visa authorities.
Why is it important?
An SOP is used to tell the respective authorities about your personal reasons for choosing a particular course at a particular university. This document will be used as a reference point to further grant your request.
- It helps the respective authority to judge your intent for your particular choice of university, course, and country.
- It also demonstrates your proficiency in communication skills as well as how well you know about yourself.
- It is a make-or-break point for your selection in a particular university and also assures the admission committee about the sincerity and honesty of your choice for a particular country.
What are the different types of SOP?
Admission SOP
Many Indian and Foreign universities demand an SOP before granting admission to the respective university. This type of SOP carries all the necessary information required by the university stating your reason for joining a particular university for the respective course/program.
Scholarship SOP
This SOP is meant to convince the scholarship committee that you deserve the scholarship. This SOP is meant to answer mostly two questions.
- What made you a deserving candidate for this scholarship?
- How this scholarship will help you to achieve your goals?
Visa SOP
This type of SOP is written with the aim of convincing the respective authorities to grant visas to a country. It is written with the aim of convincing the respective authorities that you will come back to your home country as soon as your journey ends. There are different types of SOP for Visa ranging from refusal to student.
Visitor SOP
This visa is written with the aim of granting a temporary permit to convince the respective authorities that you will be back as soon as your temporary permit expires.
Spouse SOP
This visa is written with the aim of convincing the respective authorities to grant you the visa permit to accompany your spouse to a foreign country. Here, the main focus is to convince the visa officer about the truthfulness of your relationship.
Work SOP
In this SOP, the main focus is to convince the authorities about why you are choosing a particular country for work purposes you can also add the benefits of professional experience of the respective country.
What are the steps of writing a statement of purpose?
INTRODUCTION
Begin your SOP with a catchy phrase to grab the attention of the reader. In the same paragraph, briefly explain the reason for writing a statement of purpose. You can also state your future goals and later align them with the choice of the program at a foreign university.
BODY
The body section is further divided into various types, like academic, and professional, along with the choice of a particular country, course, and university.
Academic Background
This paragraph will carry the details of your academic pursuits, including marks and the reason for choosing a particular program in your graduation and intermediate years. You can also add your certification courses that align with your academic or professional journey.
Extracurricular activities
This paragraph will carry details of your co-curricular activities. It emphasizes your SOP and gives the respective authority a better idea of your holistic growth.
Professional Background
This paragraph will carry the details of your professional realm, including the name of the firm you were part of as well as the duration. You can also add what you learned during your professional journey and how it will help you in the future.
Why this Country?
This paragraph will explain your reason for choosing the respective country. You can add academic and cultural values, which makes it best for global scholars. You can also mention the safety standards in the country. This paragraph aimed to convince the respective authorities that you had researched the respective country thoroughly.
Why this University?
This paragraph is written specifically to convince the respective authorities why you chose the particular university out of all the options available. You can mention the curriculum designs, faculties, and diverse co-curricular programs of the university.
Why this Course?
In this paragraph, you can add details of the respective course along with the variety of subjects you are going to study in the respective coursework. You should also mention how this particular course will help you in your future progression.
CONCLUSION
The conclusion will carry the details of your future goals and aspirations, which will be fulfilled by the respective course. You can add your long-term and short-term goals along with your ties to your home country. At the end of this paragraph, you should also convince the authorities that you will abide by the rules and regulations set up by the authorities.
Do’s while writing an SOP
Writing an SOP is a tedious task, and it is not everyone’s cup of tea. Though it is a personal document, it requires a lot of professionalism to construct a class-apart SOP. Here are a few points that need to be taken care of while writing the SOP:
Keep it Simple
The language of your SOP has to be simple yet impactful. You do not need to use scholar’s level English, simple and understandable English is fine because the person who is going to read your SOP will judge you as a student. So try to frame it congruently with your language proficiency tests like IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE.
Follow the guidelines
Every country or university has a specific set of guidelines that need to be followed while crafting your SOP. The question asked in the guidelines by the respective university has to be answered in your SOP. Moreover, following the guidelines gives the respective authority an idea that the candidate does not plagiarize in his SOP.
Positive Tone
You need to maintain a positive tone throughout your SOP, and it is mandatory. If you follow a positive tone, it gives the respective authority the idea that you are a bright candidate and can accept the changes in his life.
Give real-life examples
Engraving a strong motivation is important, and it is even more important to add real-life examples that will influence your SOP in a better way. Examples add authenticity to your SOP.
Proof-reading
After writing an SOP, it is important to proofread it again and again to ensure zero errors in your document. The more you proofread, the better your chances are of submitting an error-free document.
Congruency of Past and Present
Before beginning your SOP, it is important to write an overview of your academic and professional journey, along with the choice of your country, course, and university. After the overview, think about the choices you took in your life. Try to make a congruent story because only a congruent story will help you to make it to the selection.
Don’ts while writing an SOP
Copying from the selected ones
This is the most common mistake candidates make when they are not able to frame a well-written SOP. This gives the respective officer a clear sign of plagiarism, which is not acceptable in any institution.
Too much information
When they ask you to write a statement of purpose, they want you to write the reason for choosing the respective country, university, or course, which will be supported by real-life examples that motivate you to make that particular decision.
Informal Language
An SOP has to be a personally written document, but that does not mean that you will use informal language. The language has to be formal from the beginning to the end of your SOP.
Hiding your Faults
While writing an SOP, candidates often hide their faults to showcase themselves as perfect candidates with zero failures. It is better to write about such failures as a lesson that motivates you to improve in your life, which is a better way to present your faults if you have any.
Boasting about yourself
Your SOP is not just a piece of paper; it is you representing yourself there. If you have accomplished anything in your previous life, show gratitude for it, but never boast about it. They want a balanced candidate who has the requisite skills and values to be a successful candidate for their institution.
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