How to Write a Statement of Purpose

The Statement of Purpose is an important part of the application for admission into graduate and postgraduate programs. It is written by the applicant to state the purpose of joining the program. It is a short document – one or two pages. A student may find it difficult to write a Statement of Purpose, but it is the most important document that counts a lot for their admission. Most applications are rejected by the admission committee due to a poorly written or copied Statement of Purpose. It is always advised to write an impressive Statement of Purpose. Similarly, students should not use a Statement of Purpose copied from the internet or others.

Writing an elegant Statement of Purpose is very easy if you understand the basics of the Statement of Purpose. These basics include the format and the content of the Statement of Purpose. This article provides guidelines to help you draft an impressive Statement of Purpose that meets the expectations of the admission committee. These guidelines are applicable to writing a Statement of Purpose for admission into all academic disciplines.

   CONTENTS OF STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

A Statement of Purpose is basically an essay. The first thing to understand is what to write in a Statement of Purpose. The Statement of Purpose covers the following points:

1. Stating the purpose: It is the central theme of the Statement of Purpose—to state the purpose of admission into a program. The ideas of your essay revolve around this central theme. This central theme is elaborated by briefly explaining the following:
2. Introduction to the area or discipline: what it is and what it is about.
3. Why are you interested in this area or discipline?
4. Your previous qualification in this area.
5. Why the intended qualification is important to you—why you intend to study it.
6. Why you should be selected for admission—write your good qualities as a student.
7. Why you are interested in this institution (college or university).
8. Why you are interested in studying in this country—if applying for a foreign university.
9. Describe your proposed research—if applying for a research program.
10. Your future plans—what you will do after getting the degree or how you will utilize the learning gained in the program after completion.

These are the questions you need to answer when writing your Statement of Purpose. Remember! You have to answer briefly so that your Statement of Purpose does not exceed two pages.

   FORMAT OF STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Although the Statement of Purpose has no universal format, it follows the structure of an essay. The widely used structure of a Statement of Purpose is as follows:

1. Title: The title of the Statement of Purpose is simply “Statement of Purpose.” It is not advisable to add more words such as “Statement of Purpose for Admission.”
2. Three parts: The Statement of Purpose has three parts: 1. Introduction, 2. Body, 3. Conclusion
3. Introduction: It is the opening paragraph where you introduce yourself in one to three lines. In the same paragraph, your introduction should move on to explaining your interest in the area or discipline in which you are seeking admission.
4. Body: The next part, the body, can comprise several paragraphs to briefly describe the following:
• A brief introduction to the discipline—what it is about
• Your previous qualification in the discipline (if any)
• Why the intended program is important to you
• Why you should be selected for admission (your student qualities)
• Why you are interested in this institution
• Why you are interested in this country
• A brief description of your research proposal
5. Conclusion: This paragraph should summarize the important points from the previous paragraphs in three to four lines. It should also include:
• Your future plans after getting the degree (two to three lines)
• A thank-you note for their time in reading your SOP (one line)
6. Contact details: At the end, you should write your name and email address.

   WRITING THE STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Consider the following points when writing your Statement of Purpose:

1. Prepare an outline before writing your SOP. Keeping in view the above points, you should give proper time to writing the outline of your SOP.
2. You will need to write ideas to justify your interest in the discipline, selection for the program, and choice of institution and country. If you are a creative person, you can generate strong ideas.
3. Use ideas and words in your sentences in such a way that they create an appeal to the reader. It will engage the reader to read your SOP.
4. Use sentences with a motivational tone to inspire the reader. It will also show your dedication toward admission, which is an important requirement for selection.
5. Avoid an informal or immature writing style, which may bore the reader or create a bad impression.
6. There should be no grammatical or spelling errors. They have a very bad impact on the reader.
7. Avoid writing very long sentences. Keep sentences short enough to hold ideas and remain grammatically correct. Your SOP should ideally be no longer than two pages.
8. Avoid repetition of ideas and words.
9. Proofreading: After completing your SOP, read it several times to ensure there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes.
10. SOP is a computer-printed document. Hence, design it neatly on a computer using proper fonts and font sizes, and take a printout on A4-size paper.

.