What is a Statement of Purpose (SOP)?
As described by its words, it is a statement of purpose. Hence, it simply is a description of your purpose; the purpose of applying for the scholarship. An SOP, states your major life events. Moreover, it relates those life events with your motivation to study a particular field.
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In other words, SOP gives an account of your experiences that motivates your enthusiasm to further study a specific field and pursue a career in it. Also, it states your future goals and the relation of those goals with scholarship. In short, it states your purpose behind the scholarship application.
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A well-written SOP could help you win a scholarship or gain admission to a college or university. If your SOP meets the established requirements, the reader will almost certainly overlook minor errors in the application. In a nutshell, it has a huge impact on the overall success of scholarship applications and demands a lot of attention.
How to Write a Good Statement of Purpose (SOP) – Format &Tips
Following are the important steps that you need to follow to write a winning SOP:
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Step 1: Grab the reader’s attention
The start of your SOP or the very first line of the first paragraph should state something that catches the reader’s eye. The first line should enhance the reader’s interest in your SOP. This tactic will help you set the momentum. Make the reader anticipate great things from you!
Step 2: Create a plan and implement it
The starting paragraph serves as the introduction. It introduces you and lets the reader know your profile. Although it carries some important points or arguments, it does not contain the details. You state a detailed description of all the important points in the ‘body’ of the SOP. As the body contains details and descriptions, you need to have a plan to make it look formal and professional. Therefore, prepare a plan before writing all the details. The plan should have all the arguments and important details enlisted in ascending order; the list starts with the most significant one and ends with the least significant.
Step 3: Be relevant
Mention arguments that suit the case. Do not write what you think is interesting, instead write what supports your overall argument. Scrutinize every point before making it a part of your SOP. Remember, this is a race and you are competing with a number of candidates. Hence, stick to the basics and never lose relevance.
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Step 4: Build a strong case
Through your SOP you simply have to prove your merit. Do this by stating a purpose that sounds good. Shed light on your major life achievements, experiences, academic career, etc., and relate them with the scholarship. Succinctly, create a strong case by explaining why you are a perfect fit for the scholarship program.
Step 5: Show enthusiasm
Let the words show how passionate you are about your future goals. You can do this by mentioning your struggle to achieve all that you have today. Make the reader think you have a ‘valid purpose’ for the scholarship and you are the best of all.
Step 6: Give an appropriate conclusion
The majority of students perform well in the beginning and middle of the SOP but fall apart towards the end. You can’t make the same mistake twice. Write a conclusion that continues on the same path as the introduction and body. You can easily accomplish this by producing a concise summary of all of the key points raised in the body. At the absolute least, use a few sensible lines to remind the reader of your ‘basic aim.’
Statement of Purpose (SOP) Essay Outline and Standard Format
- Start off with self-introduction, interest, and motivational reasoning
- Share insights on acquired skillsets to support your course/post selection
- Spotlight previous academic achievements
- Provide relevance of current programme selection with past educational records
- Write a summary of academic interests and objectives
- Explain the plan of execution and summarize your SOP with a conclusion
- Keep standard font selection with standard font size, line, and character spacing
That is all you need to know about writing an SOP! As a result, now is time to get started and make it a reality.
