How to Write an Sop for Grad School

HOW TO WRITE A WINNING STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FOR A GRADUATE SCHOOL Compiled by Shoukat Iqbal Khattak Faculty Member Bahria University of Management Sciences-Karachi campus E-mailshoukat. emailprotected edu. pk Developed & Created by Anthony O. Okobi utilise STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Table of Content 1. IntroductionWhat, wherefore and How of argumentation of habit. 2. distributor point I Do your planning 3. Stage II fall and insight (on paper) 4. Stage III line your Statement of Purpose 5. Stage IVWrite Draft of Statement of Purpose 6. Stage V pray for Critique, Revise and Edit . ExampleSample Statement of Purpose Introduction A written statement of purpose is a standardized requirement for receive naturalise admission. It is a tool for the faculty on refine school admissions commissions to assess the knowledge, jazz, motivation, intellectual maturity and exhibitiness of applicants to att fetch up graduate education at their institution. The statement of purpose is a weight y component of the graduate school admissions process. It can determine whether an applicant is certain or rejected, irrespective of their other qualifications.This document outlines the 5 stages that a graduate school applicant should go through in order to sp ar an impressive and successful statement of purpose. Stage I Do your Home wreak 1. Browse through the websites of the schools/departments/ schedules of interest to you. Obtain brochures and booklets and examine through them carefully. spotlight the aspects of the programs that appeal to you. 2. Read up on the question interests and projects of the faculty in the schools/departments/programs. Read publications from a faculty of interest. 3.Browse through recent articles from the interrogation knit of interest and try to get a general understanding of how the sphere developed and what are its current problems and challenges. Stage II Reflect and Brainstorm (on paper) 1. Reflect on your intellectual development. What a nd when were the major moments in your life that be confirm led you to your current explore interest(s) and school/department/program? What or who influenced your decision or interest (i. e. role models)? What quality about them appealed to you? 2. Why did you choose your research topic(s)/field/school? . Why did you choose your undergraduate major? 4. What are your career goals? Where do you see yourself in 10 historic period? What do you hope to accomplish? What drives you? What motivates you? Stage III Outline your Statement of Purpose 1. From the results of Stage II, determine a central alkali/topic that stands out or dominates your reflections and brainstorm. 2. Using bullet points and brief comments/statements, gear up your reflections and brainstorm ideas that strengthen the central theme/topic of your statement of purpose. trim on your life experiences and give specific models. Put down exactly those things that excite you. Do not make things up 3. Your outlin e should interbreed these field of operationss and, preferably, in this order What aspects of the school/department/program appeals to you? What are your research interest(s)? How did you become interested in your current research topic/ athletic field? How did you prepare or are preparing to address the issues in this research area/topic (i. e. research experiences, escapes, etc. )? What are your future goals for graduate school (i. e. Ph. D. )? What are your career goals (i. e. professorship)? What characteristics of the school/department/program can suspensor you accomplish your goals? What positive aspects do you bring to the school/department/program? Stage IV Write Draft of Statement of Purpose 1. When committal to writing your statement of purpose Always use positive language when referring to yourself. fail detailed, but concise examples. Use transition words, sentences and paragraphs. Your statement must read smoothly. Skip a line after each paragraph. Ref rain from kickoff neighboring paragraphs the same way. Avoid using vocabulary that you do not know. Refrain from repeating yourself. Have strong opening and closing paragraph. persist in within the 2 3 page limit Thank the admissions committee for their time at the end of your statement of purpose. Stage V Ask for Critique, Revise and Edit 1. When you are finished with your draft statement of purpose, read it out loud to yourself and make corrections. 2. Ask friends, colleagues and professors to read your edited draft. fetching their comments into consideration, revise and edit your draft. EXAMPLECourtesy of copyright 2012 Study Mode, Inc. The following is a slashed sample SOP (with technical details removed. ) Expert comments at the end of the paragraphs point out fundamental features. After one years work experience as a research technician atredacted, one of the USs leading research institutes, I want to return to academic study and undertake graduate studies in Cell B iology and Molecular Genetics at the University ofredacted. 1. Stating what you are doing now and what you are applying for is a simple, direct way of starting an SOP.After graduating with a offshoot class degree fromredacted, University ofredacted, I felt I should pee-pee some interoperable experience working in a research purlieu to gain first-hand knowledge of what the life of a research scientist entails. I overhear loved every minute of my work especially the fortune to participate in cutting-edge projects and discuss ideas with senior biologists. I shortly realized that, although I enjoy handling the complex equipment and processing the results, I am not going to be satisfied with carrying out mo procedures under the direction of others.I want to be part of the team that directs the course of the project. My senior colleagues have support my ambition and feel that I have the potential for graduate studies. 2. Notice how the student tries to analyze the reasons for her choices. My love of biota started in high school. We had a young and enthusiastic teacher, Mrs. redacted, who took us on field trips and visits. She made certain we did as much practical work as was feasible, and demonstrated experiments that we hadnt the equipment or time to do ourselves. She also encouraged us to read.I remember the impact reading Maynard SmithsThe Theory of Evolutionhad on me I precious to be able to explain such important ideas as clearly as he did. Quite naturally my first thoughts about a future career tended towards education I wanted to be another Mrs. redacted. 3. It is good to explain how you became interested in your subject. However, dont go too far back Notice that a specific example helps create interest. At undergraduate level, my interests became more focused. Although physiology and ecology came easy to me, it was biochemistry and kiosk biology that really captured my interest.We were fortunate to have good laboratories and excellent professors . I found that cell biology was an interdisciplinary undertaking today you urgency a foundation in chemistry, physics and even IT to be at the forefront in this subject. This interdisciplinary aspect of the subject suits my abilities well. I have always performed well in all science subjects and find it thought-provoking to apply the knowledge to practical problems. For this reason I chose to undertake a project in my final year on the behavior of protein molecules in high energy fields atredacted.The scientists at redactedwere impressed with my practical skills and were happy to give me a recommendation that led to my present job. 4. expand of courses and projects help to presentation focus. (This student went on to describe another important college project. She also gave a full description of her current scientific work. ) some people have asked me why I did not proceed direct to graduate studies after graduating. The answer is that I wanted to make sure that I had chosen t he right subject and the right place beforehand embarking on a course of study that would involve many years of my life.The one-year gap has also given me time to work with the topical anaesthetic Natural History Society we take families on Sunday trips to the near National Park to help create awareness about environmental issues. I have also been a member and organizer of theredacted exposure Society we watch and discuss films from all over the world. I am looking onward to furthering my interest in film in theredacted ask club, at your university, and I also hope to use my passion for teaching in theredacted Social Outreach program. . Explain the reasons for any unusual features of your career (taking a year out, poor performance, etc. ). Include social and extracurricular activities to show balance in your life or because they are relevant to the course. In selecting the University ofredacted,I have been influenced by the way your research program addresses biological questio ns at the levels of molecule, gene and cell. I am particularly looking forward to such courses as Developmental Biology and Bioinformatics.I am also stimulated to interact with Professorsredactedandredactedwhose work is closest to what I want to pursue for the trustworthy research component of the MS degree. I have been corresponding withredacted, a current student, from whom I have nameed about the collaborative environment atredactedwhere I will interact with talented students, teachers and industry professionals. I believe that I will be able to contribute to and learn from the academically challenging environment at the University ofredacted. 6. Try to show that you are fully familiar with the course you are applying for.