Guidelines for SOP

This document has 3 parts

Part A : IIM Bangore SOP guidelines ( link to Tony’s blog)

Part B: SOP guidelines ( text scripts for PI Masterclass Episodes for 22&23)

Part C: Sample SOPs ( IIM Bangalore NM Core & NM HR)

PI Masterclass Reference : PI Masterclass Episodes 22 & 23

Part A : IIM Bangalore SOP Guidelines

https://thecatwriter.com/2019/01/16/why-every-wat-gd-pi-call-getter-should-write-the-iim-b-sop/

Part B : SOP Guidelines

Episode 22 : 4 essentials every SOP must include

1 Before you meet them,the B-School has tons of
quantitative data about you -your test scores, your
academic profile, work experience etc. SOP is the
first opportunity for them to assess you
qualitatively - i.e. your personality. In fact, at a lot
of institutes/courses don’t conduct interviews and
solely rely on SOP to assess the candidate’s SOP is used to judge you on
personality ( e.g. MS courses in US).In a way, your qualitative parameters
SOP is your only opportunity to convince the
university/college that you are more than your
scores . An SOP is formally defined as a 300-1000
Sone courses have no PIs and
word document that throws light on the candidate’s
only SOPs
life, the motivations for the chosen career path and
his/her goals.

I like to look at the SOP as ‘ your love letter to the

college where you need to convince them you were SOP : A document that throws
born to gain an admit to their college and you light on the candidate’s life, the
desperately want to join them.’ motivations for the chosen career
path and his/her goals.

Informal definition : your love

letter to the college where you
need to convince them you were
born to gain an admit to their
college and you desperately want
to join them.’

2 Generally, a B-School will define the word limit and

leave it at that ..leaving some students wondering what
exactly should be included .. do not worry, for help is at
hand. This video will tell you what exactly should be
included .I believe that a SOP should necessarily cover
the following 4 themes . A SOP may include some
extra elements too but one must not compromise on
these 4 themes
4 themes every SOP must
include
 a. Overview of your academic & work
achievements/experiences

b. Your short & long term career goals

● Overview of your
c. Why do you want to apply to this particular academic & work
program & university achievements/experien
ces
d. key life experiences that demonstrate key
skills/traits that will help you perform well ● Your short & long
on the course term career goals

● Why do you want to

apply to this particular
program & university

● key life experiences

that demonstrate key
skills/traits that will
help you perform well
on the course

A few key observations :

1. You will notice that these discussions are inter-

related. So, it is quite natural that the
discussions will be inter-woven and inter-
related. In other words, these themes can be Observation 1 : All themes are
discussed in any order as long as all 5 themes inter-related
are discussed in the SOP.

2. Since the entire SOP needs to be in paragraph

format and move like a coherent story, it is
essential that your SOP has an introduction and
conclusion, in addition to the 5 essential themes
.
Observation 2 : SOP needs an
introduction & a conclusion
3 On Introduction : It is not necessary that your SOP Introduction
starts with a quote - if you indeed decide to start
with a quote, ensure that it is resotates with the rest
of the SOP. An SOP is a reflection of your life , so
please do not start with any quote that you have just -not necessary that your SOP starts
googled and liked :) Since the introduction should with a quote
be compelling and interesting - you need to get the
admission officer read the entire SOP- you can start - Quote should resonate with SOP
with
- SOP can start with personal
1) Personal anecdotes anecdotes, important events in
areas of interest
2) Some important event/trend in your area of
specialization/interest

If the word limit assigned is particularly restrictive (

e.g. NMIMS has a 250-300 word limit, is is okay to
skip the introduction and directly proceed to the 5
themes)

Skip Introduction , if required

Pro-tip : A lot of students get stuck while writing the
introduction - a good way to get around this is to first
finish the main body of the SOP and then work on the
introduction.. Once the body of the SOP is in place, it
becomes easy to write the introduction that resonates
with the rest of the SOP

Pro-tip: Write Introduction after

you have completed the rest of the
SOP
4

Let us now discuss the 4 themes in more details 4 essential themes of a SOP

Theme # 1 : Overview of your academic & work Theme # 1 :academic & work
achievements/experiences - You need not mention all achievements/experiences
the details of your academic and professional life
( remember the admission committee already has
access to the requisite data). Use the opportunity to
talk about the highlights of college & work- where you - need not mention all details
the prefect ? Did you participate in debates ? What did
you learn ? How did it shape your personality - mention relevant highlights

These are more relevant to the SOP than mentioning

scores in each exam starting high school. Similarly, do
not make the SOP sound like the job profile of your
position - instead focus on particularly challenging
task/ achievement / learnings at work.

Theme # 2 : Your short term & long term career goals - Focus on challenging
- No SOP is complete unless specific career goals are tasks at work and not
mentioned. In case you need help in clarifying career job description
goals, please refer to a Masterclass Episodes 9 & 10.
The SOP should clearly portray the career path you
envision for yourself . In totality, the SOP should
convince the panel of the strong linkage between your Theme # 2 : short term & long
profile, your career goals, and the program applied for. term career goals
In other words, the program should act as a bridge
between your present position and future ( career
goal).
refer to a Masterclass Episodes 9
& 10.

SOP should talk of the strong

linkage between your profile, your
career goals, and the program
applied for
5 Theme 3 : Fitment with the particular program & Theme 3 : Fitment with course &
university university

A well-written SOP will clearly communicate to the - Demonstrate fitment

admission committee that the program applied for between course &
is the most relevant fit for you to achieve your stated career goals
career goal. Typically, towards the end of the SOP,
you also need to explain why are you desirous of
joining College X and not Y. A lot of students write
generic statements like .. world-class infrastructure, - Avoid generic
esteemed faculty , reputed alumni etc.. this only references to the
goes to prove your lack of research . A lot of college
candidates wonder why does the university want to
hear candidates singing praises of the university
itself ( yes, that will inevitably happen) but the idea
is to get the candidate understand the culture & the
offering of the university. You can differentiate your
SOP from others by getting as specific as possible..
Maybe you are curious about a particular course/
student body- maybe you are in awe of a professor
who is a legend in his area of expertise.. Maybe you
are attracted to the entrepreneurship support
system / or maybe your dream college is the mecca
for your career profile…

. Speak to the current students & alumni to get a feel

of what made the college ‘tick’ for them. And repeat
the process for each college you are applying to :)

Speak to current and ex-students

to understand USP of the college
6 Theme 4 : key life experiences that demonstrate key Theme 4 : key life experiences :
skills/traits that will help you perform well on the
course : Perhaps, the most important content decision
you need to make is to decide which key life
experiences to highlight in the SOP. Do you want to
talk about your experience of organizing college festival
? of explaining how you won a key account for your
organization ? or your volunteering experience ? It is
critical that the incident brings out the skills/traits that Mention incidents that highlights
will help you perform well during the course. E.g. For skills/traits that will help you
MBA, events that talk about your ability to work in perform well during the course.
teams are strongly recommended. For MS courses,
events that bring to fore your technical wizardry may
be appreciated. For MBA, communication skills,
critical thinking, problem solving etc , customer focus,
creativity are sought after skills - incidents that
highlight your mastery of these skills are appreciated.

Pro-tip : Visit the website and read the

values/culture/dean’s speech. Most B-Schools will have
“core values”that they want to inculcate.. If you are
incorporate these values in your SOPs through your life
experiences, you have significantly increased the odds
of success.

Pro-tip : Inculcate core values of

the B-School in your SOP

7 In this video , we learnt that every SOP should provide 4 themes your SOP should
an overview of your academic & work history. No SOP include
is complete without a detailed mention of career goals.
You need to demonstrate fitment with the course & B-
School. It pays to talk about skills that will help you do
well during the MBA course. Overview of your academic
& work
achievements/experiences

Your short & long term

career goals

Why do you want to apply

to this particular program
& university
 Why do you want to apply
to this particular
college/university

key life experiences that

demonstrate key
skills/traits

Write in Paragraphs

Quotes are not mandatory to start

a SOP

Do remember to ensure the SOP is written in

paragraphs and sounds like a coherent story.
Introductions are essentials but SOPs need not always
start with a quote.

I would suggest you watch PI Episode 23 on 4 power

Laws of SOP before you begin drafting your SOP. We
are making good progress together. Looking forward to
your feedback. Bye !

SME: HP

Episode 23 : 4 power laws for the perfect SOP

1 Let’s face it - THE admission team has hundreds
of SOPs to read during the admission cycle.
Hundreds of passionate candidates ( with the help
of tens of consultants) burn the midnight oil to get
that perfect essay in place - the end result ?
Hundreds of essays that are so similar that the
admission team is moved to tears ( of boredom) .
You face an uphill task - how to ensure that your
SOP stands out from the competition. Fear not,
the 4 power laws will ensure your SOP is long
remembered after it has been read. Ignore them
at your peril

Your challenge : Ensure your

SOP stands out

2 Power Law #1 : Show, don’t tell : SOP is meant to Power Law #1 : Show, don’t tell
be a “personal statement’ and not a collection of
generic statements about you, the course, and the
university .. One of the better ways to ensure your
SOP is personal is to adopt a rule used in film-
making- ‘Show, don’t tell’. What it essentially
means is instead of using adjectives/generic
statements, you will use personal stories
/anecdotes that demonstrate/exemplify the Avoid using adjectives &
quality . E.g. Instead of saying, I am a multi-tasker generic statements
and I am sure my multi-tasking skills will really
benefit me during the 2 years of MBA ..say this
Instead use personal anecdotes

During August last year, as the cultural secretary

of the college, I was was heading a team of 6 to
put up a AAAA event. I was also participating in a
paper presentation competition in a team of
3 .Since the technical paper on XXX was due in
Sept, our team of 3 used to spend hours doing our
research and writing. My efforts paid of when the
event went smoothly and our team stood 3rd in
the paper presentation. My parents were happy
that I got A grade in my Oct semester exams.
Though the 3 months were very hectic, I
thoroughly enjoyed managing the event, the paper
presentation and my academics.

The key difference between the 2 answers is that

in the first answer, you are telling them that you
can multitask but in the second one, using
personal stories, you are showing them, that you
did multitask in the past.

Let me recommend a litmus test to check if your

SOP is “personal enough” -Suppose somebody
just copies a group of 3-4 sentences from your
SOP and uses it in his/her SOP . Ask yourself, will
it fit well in their SOP - if the answer is yes, sorry-
you are writing generic statements and not
stories. Look at the above multi-tasking story. Can
somebody lift it ? No, because only you had this
unique experience.

The incidental benefit of writing stories is that you

will be forced to compose your original SOP - as
soon as you don’t copy from easily available SOP
templates - your SOP starts bearing your
personality. Litmus : Can someone just copy
a part of your SOP and use it

Writing personal anecdotes will

make the SOP personal
3 Power Law # 2 : Use simple, conversational Power Law # 2 : Use simple,
language. conversational language.

Structure : One paragraph=

One theme
Keep it structured : A logical structure of the SOP
is extremely important since it signals to the panel
how structured are you in your thinking. A good
way is to ensure that each paragraph revolves
around one theme and there is a natural
progression from one paragraph to another.

Keep it Simple:A lot of SOPs sound like this you

are showing off your recently acquired
vocabulary. While there is nothing wrong with
using words/phrases that are appropriate, you
Simplicity : Do not worry about
need not worry about consciously using “big
using “big words”
words” to impress the panel. Remember to be
yourself - if the language sounds fake (since you
used the thesaurus to replace half the words), you
might want to reconsider rewriting the SOP.
Litmus test : read the SOP to your best friend. If
they wonder who wrote this, you are way off the
mark.

Litmus test : Your best friend

Keep it conversational : We also need to ensure should recognize the SOP as
that we maintain a consistent tone throughout the being yours
SOP. A lot of students make the mistake of
sounding too formal ( looks a govt memo )or
sounding too casual in the SOP( casual dinner
conversation with friends). These extremes are Conversational : Don’t be too
best avoided. Imagine you are talking to the dean formal/too casual
of the college - that exact tone is to be maintained
while writing the SOP. Again, this style suits best
when you use the ‘show , don’t tell’ method.
Good tonality : As if you are
talking to the dean of the
college
Keep it error-free : Misspelled words, incorrect
word usage and grammatical errors create a poor
 impression. In this day & age, it is relatively easy
to ensure that your document is error-free.

Avoid Spelling/ grammatical

errors

4 Power Law # 3 : Get some help : Power Law # 3 : Get some help

Disclaimer first - I do not mean that you need to

hire consultants who actually write the entire SOP
for you - Apart from being unethical, it instantly Do not get get professionals
comes out being fake and standard. It is best to write the entire SOP
get 2-3 well-wishers to read the SOP of you. If you
have a professional helping you, get them suggest
edits but do not get them write the essay for you. 2
pairs of eyes are better than one and you Get assistances from
specifically should ask for comments on friends/relatives/IMS Mentors

a. Have you used the most impactful

stories - close friends/family/
colleagues will be best able to add value
here

b. On the structure - do they spot

repetition, gaps in flow/structure etc

c. Language

d. Have you answered the 4 key

themes( discussed in the previous
video) convincingly
4 themes to cover

a. Overview of your
The 4 themes are mentioned on your academic & work
screen as a quick recap achievements/experien
ces

b. Your short & long term

career goals

c. Why do you want to

 apply to this particular
program & B-School

d. key life experiences

that demonstrate key
skills/traits that will
help you perform well
on the course

5 Power Law # 4 : Give yourself time Power Law # 4 : Give

yourself time

The worst way to write an SOP is to start

writing one with 48 hrs before the
deadline. While I am sure you will submit
the SOP on time, you may have
compromised on the content

Thinking of the stories, ensuring it is read

by 2-3 well-wishers , incorporating the
feedback etc will requires time. It is not
unusual for students to have 3-4 drafts
before they are satisfied with the end
result. Figure out a time frame that works
for you that allows you enough time to
edit/ discard drafts. Remember, a great
SOP is a labour of love .. it will need its
own time to grow and mature.. Just like
wine.
6 In this video, we learnt that we need to Summary
follow these 4 power laws

Power Law #1 : Show, don’t tell

POwer Law # 2 : Use simple, conversational tone.
Ensure structured and error-free output
POwer Law # 3 : Get some help ( but don’t
completely outsource)
Power Law #1 : Show, don’t tell
POwer Law # 2 : Use simple,
conversational tone. Ensure
structured and error-free
output

Power Law # 4 : Give yourself time POwer Law # 3 : Get some help
( but don’t completely
outsource)

Power Law # 4 : Give yourself

time

I am confident that once you follow these 4

power laws, your SOP will make a lasting
impression.