Writing a Statement of Purpose

Reading Time : 4 minutes

As the deadline to write a Statement of Purpose (SOP) for your dream university’s application is approaching fast, we at IBA Today are here to help you understand SOP and assist you to write it most effectively.

What is a Statement of Purpose?

It is a concise introduction about who you are to the admissions committee, in the form of an essay. It essentially discusses your reasons for applying in the program that you have chosen to study and how will you use the learned skills from the program for your future career. Ideally, you sell yourself to the admissions committee to explain why you belong in your chosen field of study, at that university.

This is the perfect chance for you to talk about your ideas, plans, achievements, abilities, qualities, goals, etc. Think of what sets you apart from others and write an honest, well-structured, and convincing SOP and you are one step closer to achieving your dreams.

Breakdown of how you should write a Statement of Purpose

Bear in mind, that no Statement of Purpose follows a pre-defined format. It is a subjective essay of every individual’s own skills and achievements; hence, a basic style of essay writing follows; Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. There is no limit to how many paragraphs you include in the body if your entire essay stays within the word limit defined in the instructions provided to you.

First Step:

• Choose the first priority program you wish to apply for as it the most essential part of driving the entire essay for you.
• Brainstorm the idea of why you are applying for that program.
• List down your personal and work experiences that define who you are and played a part in motivating you to pursue your higher studies in the said field.
• Think of why you are applying to a particular university. Think about in terms of the learning experience, faculty opportunities that the university will provide you, which will help you when you graduate.
• Whatever you tell about yourself, make sure that it aligns with your interests in your chosen field of study.

Second Step:

In this step, you choose points from the list that you wish to include in your SOP

• This is where you breakdown all your points in sections of introduction, body, and paragraph.
• Choose the point you want to start by making sure that it explains clearly why you want to achieve your dreams and what made you dream of it in the first place.

Moreover, for the body section you could include points such as:

• Any social work, and describe how it affected your life and how it motivates you to achieve your dreams. How will you apply what you learned from that experience?
• Participation in extracurricular activities or achievements in sports.
• Oratory skills. Mention your participation in different international and local forums.
• Art or Music skills. Mention any achievements or accomplishments in this regard.
• Talk about any business ideas that you have and would want to achieve through your studies in your chosen program.
• Some kind of personal experience (it could be any internship experience) that resonates with your career. Therefore, show how you are different from the others.
• How have your past academic choices helped you in your career goals?
• Additionally, include small but memorable life stories as aspects of your personality to create a bigger picture of your personality as a whole.

Third Step:

For the first two steps, you need not worry about your word limit as that is your workspace. But in this step, you need to start writing with the word limit in mind so your essay starts taking form.

• This is where you use good paragraphing techniques and combine all your sections coherently. Easier said than done, so here is a method that will make it easier for you.

Ideally, your paragraph needs to have three things: point, example, and explanation.

Point: Start your paragraph by making a point such as define an interpersonal skill.

Example: Give an instance of where you used that skill.

Explanation: And then explain how it helped you in your chosen field of study.

• This trick will automatically reduce the length of your paragraph down to a maximum of 5 to 6 lines.
• Use an appropriate level of vocabulary and correct grammar. Use Grammarly to keep your grammar in check.

Final Step:

Before you prepare to hit the submit button make sure you do the following at all costs

• PROOFREAD yourself and have an experienced person to read it for you as well. (Don’t take this step lightly. You will be surprised how many changes will be required in your final draft after this)
• Read it aloud to yourself. Listening to what you have written helps you understand if it is making sense.
• Keep re-reading as it will help you cut down unnecessary words because you need to keep your paragraphs concise as the word limit is strict.

The Do’s and Don’ts for your Statement of Purpose

The Do’s	The Don’ts
Decide a clear objective you want to achieve with your Statement of Purpose.	Don’t show off your grades, marks, etc. The admissions committee already knows that from the reports you submit along with the SOP.
Show off your great skills and achievements but only those that actually help you with your program. Be honest about who you are.	Avoid repetition. Don’t talk about one thing for too long or have a lengthy discussion about one topic in your statement.
Be concise. Use simple vocabulary.	Don’t say common things. This is your chance to be creative and innovative and show what is special about you.
Make sure that you are aware of the program you have applied for. Do your research! Take help, ask questions.	Don’t insert confusing statements about yourself.
Maintain an optimistic and confident tone. Do not give up. Keep writing and eventually you will get there.	Don’t worry if you do not have a lot of achievements to write about. You are just starting your life. You have a lot to learn. Mention whatever little things you have done and portray it as a driving force for you to achieve your dreams.
Give a strong and positive outlook of your ambitions and personality. Highlight your positive traits in an impactful manner.	Don’t use difficult words to come off as smart.
Write with clarity and coherence.	Don’t write either too short or too long sentences. Don’t use casual tone.

Conclusion

This article is for us to give you the nudge to write the perfect statement of purpose that you need to write. We know you have got it in you. Do not let the admission process get the better of you. This is your chance to be who you are without any fear of judgment. Put on your best show and take the step that will lead you to your success.

We wish you all the best!