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Statement of Purpose (SOP)- The X-factor

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The Statement of Purpose probably known as the SOP is one of the most DREADED

parts of the application for any aspirant. Every other aspirant asks someone else to write

f or them. But come to think of it, your SOP is about you and no one else (trust me, not eve

your chuddy buddy who has seen you throughout your life) can do justice to it . The funda is

simple- Your lif e, Your application, Your SOP, Youre writing it

Let us f irst understand the importance of an SOP in the Applicat ion. I am sure each one o

us has heard about people getting into top schools with average scores. Havent heard of

anyone? Let me show you a picture. One of my f riends studies at Stanford. And she had a

GRE score of 1280 on a scale of 1600 which comes out to be around 313 on 340. Yes, you

heard it right. 313 on the GRE and studies at Stanford!! So what did she have that the othe330+ scorers didnt? I would say she had the vision and she knew what she wanted and how

will Stanford help her get it and most importantly she painted this picture on her SOP. Not

convinced? Let s look at another example.

How many of youll had WeChat on your phones before, say, 3 months?

And now, how many of youll have downloaded WeChat af ter seeing the Parineeti

advertisement?

I totally agree that WeChat had some additional features but why didnt we use it before.The answer is simple. We didnt know about it. On the same lines, you might have some

qualities which are unique to you, some traits which are awesome, some features which are

extraordinary, but how will the university know the same unless you tell them. So basically,

the point is that the SOP is your selling point. I t is what you are, why you are what you are

and how you became what you became (Complicated? Read along..).

Now, let us understand what goes into a great SOP:

1. First and foremost, your SOP has to be written by you. If you feel you arent good atwriting, start of f with a rough draf t and get it proof read and improved by your peers.

But never ask anyone to make the first draft of your SOP.

2. Narrate a story in the essay. There should be a personal touch in your SOP.

3. The story need not start with your childhood or there need not be a catchy line or a

wise quote in the beginning.

4. This ones obvious. Never copy any one elses SOP(even if it is f rom some other

year, some other university or some other branch). Universities can f ind that out very

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8/13/2019 Statement of Purpose (SOP) the Xfactor

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easily. Dont trust me? Check this out: http://www.scanmyessay.com/universities.php

5. Usually, these things should be included in an SOP (though there is no hard and fast

rule):

Your field of interest

What have you done in your field of interest till date?

Why do you want to do a Masters now?

Why at the given university?

How will you benef it f rom the program? And how will the university benef it f rom

you?

A gist of your career goals and how will the Masters degree help ou get there.

6. And most importantly, sell yourself .

Check out our Sample SOP.

Do you feel we missed something, comment here and get your queries answered.

http://nuttygrad.com/ms-in-us-2/sample-sop/