How To Write An Impressive SOP | Statement Of Purpose For Master's Degree

So you've made up your mind to pursue a master's degree. The list of universities you'd be applying to is ready, you've either taken the required tests (GRE/TOEFL/IELTS) or are scheduling the dates for the same. And your letters of recommendation (LOR) are almost ready or done. It's time to address the elephant in the room: your statement of purpose or SOP.

Table Of Contents

• Why have I written this post?
• What is an SOP?
• How long does it take to write an SOP?
• How do you prepare your SOP's first draft?
• The next steps once the first draft is ready.
• What is the ideal word limit for an SOP?
• Common SOP mistakes.
• Sample SOP format.
• Need my help with your SOP?

Why have I written this post?

I wasn't content with just a Bachelor's degree. Pursuing higher education from globally renowned institutes in the United States, Canada, Europe, etc. is alluring and rewarding. People may digress by citing eye-watering tuition costs, label studying abroad a waste of time, undermine the ROI (intellectual), and whatnot. I'll keep this discussion aside for some other day.

Back to the motive behind writing this piece. I applied for a reputed master's program in 2019. The universities I shortlisted are counted amongst the best in the United States. A lot of hard work accompanied by a stroke of luck got me admits from 2 graduate schools out of the 5 I applied to. And a major chunk of credit goes to the substantial research and analysis I did while preparing my statement of purpose. Why not share the same with all of you?

What is an SOP?

SOP stands for "statement of purpose". This document can pivot your university application; it holds the power to make or break your dream of receiving admits from the best universities. An SOP, in a nutshell, is the opportunity to narrate your backstory (schooling, important events, incidents, professional commitments, etc.) and use it to convince the admissions panel of your interest in "XYZ" program at "ABC" University. Do you throw up your entire life into the SOP? Nah. Read on to find out the ingredients of an effective SOP.

How long does it take to write an SOP?

There's no fixed duration. You can craft an SOP in a day, a week, a month, or even half a year. Be prepared to spend quite some time if you don't want to compromise on quality. A succinct and powerful SOP requires several iterations—write, edit, lose calm, and repeat. Why lose calm? You'll get annoyed whenever the sentences don't churn out correctly. It's bound to happen.

I'd say to start working on your SOP at least two months before you plan to submit the application. This gives you enough time to refine the drafts. Moreover, this window also gives you the buffer to relax on those days when you're not in the mood to write/edit. An acquaintance wrote his SOP within 3-4 days of the application deadlines. And the final write-up was worth reading. However, not all of us can replicate such a feat—love it hate or hate it, you can't deny it.

This may help you: How to prepare for the GRE general test.

How do you prepare your SOP's first draft?

Brainstorm! Get your brain cells into action and start thinking about the following points:

• Why do you need a master's degree?
• What did you choose XYZ University?
• Why did you narrow down to the "ABC" program?
• How do your existing educational credentials help you?
• If you have some work experience, how does it fit into the picture?
• Incidents and happenings that have a profound impact on your decision to pursue higher studies. If you can correlate them with the specific master's program, even better.
• Do you have it in you to study in a classroom setting at this point?
• What makes you a desirable candidate for the ABC master's program?
• What will you gain after the master's degree, i.e., how does a higher degree align with your career goals and aspirations?
• What will you do for the University as an alumnus? It's a give-and-take relationship.
• What will your peers (cohort) learn from you?
• What about the community and clubs you'll interact with?

Dwelling over these questions will evoke next-level clarity. In fact, you'll conjure questions and doubts not mentioned above. Jot down the answers somewhere as and when they occur to you.

Once you're in possession of a lengthy write-up (containing the answers to your introspection), start structuring the points. How do you prioritize what comes first? A chronological ordering serves as a solid base. Then add the story-telling aspect to end up with content that tells the backstory behind your master's degree yearning. 

It'll take a few days or weeks. But the toil and tears won't go in vain. 10 pages, 15 pages, or even more—ignore your draft's size.

The next steps once the first draft is ready.

So your SOP's master document is there for all to see. Now:

• Review
• Edit
• Repeat

These three steps will keep you occupied for a long time. What should you edit? Anything that is less relevant to your master's application; anything that creates ambiguity; anything that breaks your story's flow; and everything that casts you in a negative light. 

Continue with this cycle until you are satisfied; the final version of your SOP will be condensed, cohesive, and to the point. What do you with so many drafts? Cherish the labor it took to create them all.

What is the ideal word limit for an SOP?

I've seen some spanning 3 pages while others coming to a halt in 3/4th of a page. And all of them were equally impressive.

While I was preparing mine, I reached out to many via LinkedIn to get some idea about the word limit. This group included amazing individuals who did their master's from the top-ranked Universities. And a few of them had also assisted the admissions panel of their respective alma mater. The general consensus was to keep it between 700-900 words. In terms of page count, they suggested me to confine the content to a single page, font size 10 or 11.

Common SOP mistakes.

• Copying content from the CV/resume—without any changes. Your SOP shouldn't be a mirror image of your resume. 
• Sound either too formal or too casual. Maintain a conversational tone with a formal touch. This way you make for an interesting read without becoming super-friendly. 
• Making hollow claims. Add some statistics to support your story. Numbers solidify your message. Moreover, it takes your authenticity to the next level.
• Writing in the passive voice. "The project was initiated by me" lacks the aura of "I initiated the project". Make it a priority to use the active voice.
• Don't lie in your SOP. You may fake your merit and even make it your dream school. But these lies will come back to haunt you; you'll feel incompetent in the midst of peers who will whizz past you in everything: academics, extra-curricular involvement, etc.
• Ignoring editing and revisions. Revising your SOP draft helps get rid of punctuation and grammatical errors, irrelevant information, incoherent flow, and a whole bunch of easily correctable issues.
• The content isn't gripping. This usually happens when the transition from one paragraph to the next is absurd and incomprehensible. Your SOP content is spread across 10 paragraphs? Great. But does each one set the stage for its successor?
• Stale introduction. You need a hook at the start of your SOP to captivate the reader. Please don't copy generic introductory statements scattered across the web. Random, anonymous quotes fall into this category. How do you lure the reader? Begin with a one-liner to show your uniqueness.

Read More: Are you appearing for the IELTS exam? My IELTS preparation post should help you with a thing or two. 

Sample SOP format.

Paragraph 1: Catchy one-liner and 2 to 3 lines of what you're applying for and why.

Paragraph 2: Your schooling experience and something interesting from that period. Now move on to undergraduate studies. Talk about the significant projects and co-curricular activities you were involved in. Be selective and mention those which directly or indirectly related to the program/domain you will be applying to.

Paragraph 3: Cover any internships you undertook. Let the reader know about the takeaways from the internship, the laurels or recognition you received during your stint, and anything else you feel makes you stand out.

Paragraph 4: This one's dedicated to your employment, i.e., professional commitments. Jobs are not just about completing one assignment and moving on to the next one. Use your employment history to justify the various skills and qualities you possess: leadership, team management, dependability, etc. Did your colleagues and fellow workers look up to you for something? Was your manager proud of you? There are a plethora of topics you can discuss in this paragraph.

Paragraph 5: How did paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 convince you that pursuing an "ABC" program was relevant? Why did you choose "XYZ" University? What makes XYZ so lucrative?

Paragraph 6: Why should "XYZ" consider you? How will you help your potential alma mater? Finally, end with a sentence that gets etched on the reader's mind.

Need my help with your SOP?

I've helped many friends, friends of friends, and acquaintances with their statement of purpose. If you want some assistance with your SOP, reach out to me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/piyush-mishra-rpa/

I also do a bunch of other stuff.

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