How to write a

Statement of Purpose
(SOP)
Introduction:

What if my Statement of Purpose is not good enough? What if my writing

style isn’t up to the mark? What if my SOP is too common?

These questions mentioned above are the ones running through the mind
of almost every student writing a Statement of Purpose for their college
applications. To help you write a rocking SOP, we're gonna give you some
simple tips on how to write a Statement of Purpose and what to avoid
while doing so! Now, we don’t blame you for feeling nervous. Your SOP is
what makes or breaks your college application. To help negate the stress,
it is crucial to back your abilities and have full faith in your writing style.

Statement of Purpose (SOP) format:

While writing your Statement of Purpose may seem like a very

monumental task right now, it won’t be the case once you start writing.
The most common problem most students face is editing their SOP after
they’ve written it. You can save yourself some major trouble by following
these SOP format suggestions:

1. Write your Statement of Purpose (SOP) in a paragraph format with not

more than 1000 words or one to one and a half pages. 

2. Make sure you mention your full name and the program you want to
apply for at the top of the page.

3. To make sure that your SOP is the easiest to read, use a Times New
Roman font (12 point) with 1-inch margins on all sides.

4. Mind your grammar, punctuation, and overall language. Be excessively

careful.

5. Try and maintain a conversational yet, friendly tone while writing your
SOP.

6. The SOP format and the number of words vary according to each
university.
SOP writing tips:
adlines for submission of test scores but it is better to send the scores with
the application.
Your Statement of Purpose is what sets you apart from all the other
candidates that apply for the same spot as you do. So making sure that
you write a powerful and convincing Statement of Purpose is of utmost
importance. Here are a few tips to help you along:

1. Make sure it’s structured

While there is no specific order of writing an SOP, to make sure your SOP
is easy to read, its ideal to have a structure to your text. Start with a basic
introduction, your personal details, program and career details, etc. and
then move on to talking about your experiences. 

2. Break out your writing skills

Along with your IELTS or TOEFL, your SOP is also a direct reflection of your
English language skills. So be careful not to make any grammatical
mistakes, use proper vocabulary, and have someone proofread the SOP for
you.

3. How to write an SOP

When the Admissions Officer reads your SOP, there are a few questions
that he wants answers to. The best thing to do is to make sure you write
your SOP in a way that answers all of them. Some of those questions are:
Who are you as a person and what are your interests? What and why do
you want to study at their university? Why did you choose your field of
study? Why are you the right candidate for that university or How are you
different than the other candidates? 

4. Research, don’t copy!

One of the worst things you could do while writing your SOP is to copy a
template or sample SOP from the internet and use it as it is. Your content
is what makes the SOP unique and convinces the university to let you in.
So do your research about the SOP writing format, but always make sure
that you put your own original words inside the Statement of Purpose
(SOP).
What NOT to write in your Statement of Purpose

When the university asks you to submit an essay or a Statement of

Purpose along with your university application, they of course, have some
basic expectations. In most cases, they simply state an SOP-writing format.
While others might provide specific writing instructions.

While you obviously have to follow these rules set by the institution, there
are a few unspoken tips that you should keep in mind while writing your
SOP. To help you overcome the pressure of writing your SOP and avoid
making any mistakes, we have a few tips on the top 5 mistakes to dodge
while writing your SOP aka 5 things NOT to write in your SOP:

1) Boasting and Bragging

Be careful that your confidence is not mistaken as arrogance. You need to

know the delicate balance between informing and boasting. Your essay
should be the reflection of the confidence you have. You need to keep in
mind that boasting about achievements shows a great deal of insecurity.
Bragging about your achievements also gives an impression of self-
importance and conceit. This is not the kind of impression you want a
selection committee to have of you.

2) Beating around the bush

The one thing that all selection committee members despise is candidates
not coming to the point. Many candidates needlessly focus on elaborating
the fine details that they forget to put a persuasive reason that keeps the
reader hooked. Create an outline containing the experiences and
achievements you want to talk about and then structure the essay
accordingly. Carry on fine-tuning the essay until you feel that the SOP
does not beat around the bush and is perfect for presentation.

3) Contradiction

Make sure you don’t write confusing statements in your SOP. This is the
one thing that happens when students try to present and carve an image
of themselves rather than showcasing their true self. For example, your
SOP might state that you love sports; however, the resume does not have
any mention of your sporting activities. Such tactics will send confusing
and contradicting signals to the committee.
4) Weak Introduction

A strong introduction sets the tone of your essay. An introduction that

does not gain the attention of the reader renders the SOP useless. To
ensure that you have a gripping introduction, connect your personal
background with the academic goals you want to achieve. Avoid
providing irrelevant background information and making unclear
statements about your future goals.

5) Writing an SOP at the Eleventh Hour

Be sure you start working on your SOP a month before you submit it. It is
easy to differentiate a hurriedly written SOP from one that is well
thought-out and engaging. Therefore, the art of how to write a Statement
of Purpose is a gradual process; good SOPs are a result of days of
introspection and hard work. Therefore, it is advised that you take the
SOP seriously and write with a clear state of mind. If you want your SOP to
stand out from the other SOPs, it is imperative that you don’t make
mistakes like the ones mentioned above.

What if you had a tool to help you write your Statement of

Purpose?

Knowing all the things you are supposed to write in your SOP and
actually including all aspects in your SOP, is an entirely different matter. It
can be very confusing. To help you write a well-rounded and impressive
SOP, iSchoolConnect has a AI-based SOP-writing tool. It will guide you
and help you cover all aspects such as:

Sentence Structure
 Grammar Check
 Plagiarism Detection
 Readability Scoring, and more!  

Register and use

the tool!
With this SOP Writing mentor you can...

1) Get immediate and detailed content suggestions and tips to

write the perfect SOP

2) Correct all your grammatical, punctuation, and language-related

errors with the help of the instant tips given by the tool

Start writing!
Statement of Purpose samples:

While copying someone else's SOP is a mistake you should avoid, you can
certainly read other students' Statement of Purpose for your personal
understanding and reference. Here are some content samples of SOPs
written by some students who used iSchoolConnect's SOP-writing tool:

Statement of Purpose (Sample 1)

My dream is to become a technopreneur and establish an independent

manufacturing unit and find my niche in the world of Mechanical Engineering. I
have always wished to expand my family-run steel trading business to
manufacturing. Hence, in my undergrad program, I took up related subjects like
Production Technology, Advanced Manufacturing Techniques, and Design of
Machine Elements as my main areas of interest and excelled at them. As a
sophomore, I was introduced to subjects such as Quality and Reliability
Engineering, Intellectual Property Rights, and Entrepreneurship, Management
and Organizational Behaviour. The projects and internships on these subjects
made me realize the importance of the managerial aspects of technology.
Moreover, the excellent multi-disciplinary program in Engineering Management
at USC has been another critical factor that has inspired me to pursue a
graduate program in the subject.

I developed a strong liking towards management subjects as I understood

that these subjects will provide me with the knowledge to direct a traditional
trading and distributing business to manufacturing. Looking beyond my
graduation, I wish to innovate in the working of operations in a manufacturing
setup. The Masters in Engineering Management programme (MEMP) will equip
me with a techno-managerial outlook which is required to run any
manufacturing industry. The coursework of MEMP is a perfect fit that will
enhance my technical knowledge and equip me with the management skills
required to strategize the development of an industrial unit.

My on-going minor project is based on ‘Finite Element Analysis of a Dovetail

Joint’ that is extensively used in a turbine. The objective of the project is to
estimate the fatigue life of the product and its variations under the influence of
certain variables. This project will enable me to learn the fatigue tool in ANSYS
Workbench which is used to analyze the integrity and reliability of a product
which is of utmost importance to any industry. Moreover, through this project, I
have learned that the right way to solve any complex problem is to have a
fundamental approach.
 As the Head of Logistics and a core member of “Brakes and Logistics”
subsystem in India’s premier Formula Student team – Ashwa Racing – I have
helped to design and develop two race car prototypes and won the second
place in the world in Formula Hybrid event held at the USA in 2018. In tandem
with my managerial role, my technical responsibilities included designing,
manufacturing, and assembling the brake systems for the two prototypes
which helped the team successfully clear the event in the first attempt itself.
Additionally, through this experience, I understood the importance of financial
planning and sponsorship strategy required to raise funds that made the
logistics of the project possible. 

During the course of the past three years, the experiences I have gained have
made me realize how important it is to have managerial skills alongside
technical skills to run an engineering organization. Hence, while tackling all
challenges with scarce funds, I discovered the knack of managing resources
and understood the importance of planning and its timely execution. Through
these experiences, I realized that I yearn to learn more about operations,
leadership and project management techniques in which I wish to strike my
career path.  When I spent my summer of sophomore year as a trainee at our
family-run steel trading firm, I identified critical parameters in the
organizational hierarchy that had to be improved in order to have a good
administration. I was filled with pride when my ideas were implemented in a
working organization.

With our business shifting from retail to distribution, I realized that the lack of
specialized education has had an impact on the traditional way of doing
business in this new age business environment. We ought to challenge
ourselves to think differently about how technology and new age management
principles are changing the nature of the business.

Towards that end, I would like to enroll for a Masters in Engineering

Management at The University of Southern California (USC) which offers a tech-
savvy curriculum that includes an interesting array of interdisciplinary electives.
I could utilize subjects like “Engineering Project Management” and “Economic
Analysis of Engineering projects” to jumpstart my dream of becoming an
entrepreneur. I am also excited to learn and network with like-minded
individuals who come from diverse backgrounds as that would give me a fresh
perspective of looking at multiple ways of solving a problem. The presence of a
distinguished faculty with relevant industry experience has bolstered my
decision to pursue my graduate program at USC. The MEM program at USC,
with its core management courses, technical electives, and practicum training, I
believe, would help me set up my own enterprise and achieve excellence in it.
 Statement of Purpose (Sample 2):

As a 10-year old, I accompanied my father on his business meeting with the

Manager at the LPG cylinder bottling plant. While the meeting was on, I got an
opportunity to look around and observe the work going on at the plant. What I
saw totally fascinated me and I told my father about my interest. At his behest,
the manager guided me through the factory where I was amazed at the
efficiency of each process. This experience influenced my decision to make a
career in managing industrial operations. Over the years, I continued visiting
various factories with my father and met several managers who taught me
more about the management of the industries. 

Keeping my ambition in mind, I chose to do my undergrad in the stream of

Mechanical Engineering which helped me develop my technical skills in
Machine Design and Thermodynamics, Manufacturing Process, Material
Science, and Metallurgy. Additionally, I also learned a little about management
from subjects like Operational Research and Project Management. In my third
year, I executed a project, ‘Reverse Engineering and Study of Industrial Gate
Valve’ for which I worked on the Engineering Drawings, Machining Time
Calculation, and Fabrication. Furthermore, in the same year, I took up
certification courses on Primavera P6 and CATIA V5 which helped me on my
major project in the final year for which I designed a Sugarcane Bagasse
Compressor and all the assembly parts. The aim of our project was to fabricate a
machine that can crush the sugarcane to smaller cubes of nearly regular shape
so that the transportation becomes easy. The project incorporated hydraulic
press to test the machine. This project was acknowledged as an efficient
method to reduce the cost of transportation by substantial compression of
Bagasse.  

In addition to academic pursuits, I have also been involved in extracurricular

activities. In my pre-final and final year, I organized several robotic events such
as Roborace, Robocross, Roborumble, and many workshops wherein we built
robots for these competitions and received immense first-hand experience in
organization and management. We made several robots such as wireless bots
and robots consisting of motors with high torque and capable of performing
mechanical actions.

Now that I have graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical

Engineering, I look forward to specializing in Industrial Management and aim to
be a part of industrial operations which mandates the acquisition of appropriate
skills and knowledge. I firmly believe that your university's renowned faculty and
well-rounded curriculum will help me achieve my goals.
 On completion of my Master's, I want to be employed as an Industrial
Production Manager in the automotive industry for companies like Tesla Motors
Gigafactory. Working for such huge corporations would afford me invaluable
opportunities to work with top researchers and engineers in the field.

While most skills are learned on the job, I would want to lay the foundation to
effective managerial skills like time management, problem-solving,
interpersonal communication, and leadership. The Master’s program in your
university would help me develop these skills in addition to learning the
technical processes. In the long run, I aspire to set up my own automotive
industry. I would want to import components from Original Equipment
Manufacturers (OEM’s) which are essential for the assembly to get to the final
product. Electric cars are the future and their advent has given rise to new types
of car components like electric motors, lithium batteries, chargers, and
controllers, a type of mechanism that serves as a floodgate between the motor
and the batteries. Parts like these and many others are assembled and installed.
Now, this is where I would like to invest my time and resources in the long term.

My pursuits and endeavors have been towards accomplishing my goal of

making a career in operational research and the Master’s program in Industrial
Management would take me a step closer to my goals. I look forward to making
the best use of this opportunity if I am admitted in your university. My learning
and experiences have prepared me for the exacting curriculum of the graduate
program which would help me endure through the challenges. With the
guidance of your university's faculty and immense hard work, I know I can fulfill
my aspirations. Pursuing my Masters degree under your university's banner
would be an absolute honor.
 and universities based
Conclusion:

on your scores and

We've said it once, we'll say it again - Your Statement of Purpose can make
or break your chances of getting into your dream university. So, make sure

expectations.
you follow all the tips and suggestions mentioned above and write a
rocking SOP.

Before enrolling to any university, it is important that you keep documents

Counselors
such as your Essay, SOP,  Letters of recommendations, etc. handy.
At iSchoolConnect, we help you perfect your Statement of Purpose using
our cutting-edge AI technology. We recommend programs and

at iSchoolConnect assis
universities based on your scores and expectations. So, make sure you
check out our website and browse all the information about your dream
universities!

t you every step of the

way and help you find
the program you are
passionate about. Book
a consultation today
and gear up to pursue
your degree of dreams
in the country of your
choice. Select the
country and the