Statement of Purpose (SOP)
What is a Statement of Purpose?
A Statement of Purpose (SOP) is an application made to a university to seek admission to a particular course. It is an essay which describes you as a person, your aims and ambitions. It speaks about your journey of life and the qualities you have nurtured in the process.
FORMAT OF THE STATEMENT OF PURPOSE ‘SOP’
Ø
The Statement of Purpose should be
written in around 500 words, tentatively in five/six paragraphs.
Ø Begin
with your introduction, talk about your personal background, your mental
make-up and your aim in life.
Ø The
second paragraph should speak about why you wish to join this specific
programme/course, your area of interest.
Ø In
the third paragraph, write about your qualities that would be helpful or
suitable for this career goal or objective. Show how your hobbies and
extracurricular activities would be helpful in strengthening your goals.
Ø In
the fourth paragraph, mention your experience in this field or any internship/
project you have done. You can state something which makes you distinct from
the other applicants.
Ø In
the concluding paragraph, state how admission to this particular course,
university would be beneficial to you and how you look at it from a long term
career perspective.
SAMPLE:
Ever since childhood the functions of the economy have fascinated me. I love being able to understand and use economic theories and enjoy challenging myself to find connections between its different sectors. I have been captivated by the way this subject is applied in everyday life in the most basic of ways for example, deciding what brand of milk to buy and how it can also influence something as major as the exchange rates. Living in India, I am no stranger to economic problems like unemployment and poverty. By increasing my knowledge in this subject I hope to better understand these problems and find possible solutions.
I aspire to study economics principally because of the diversity of both the subject and its applications, and because I find it fascinating and challenging at the same time. Having studied the subject throughout my high school, I believe that the possible depths to which it may be studied are almost endless, and the number of real-life situations to which it is relevant is similarly vast. In addition to keeping abreast with the world economy, I am also interested in studying the quirkier fields of economics and I aspire to further study the ideas of behavioural economics and rational decision-making to contribute to improving our explanations of market events. A book that really intrigued me is Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman and intensified my desire to delve deeper into the field.
To further understand the practical applications of economics, I interned at an auditing firm. This helped me realise how economics and finance play a key role in the running of businesses. My subject choice of Economics and Accounts through Junior College has helped me grasp analytical concepts at a blistering pace and I believe I am well equipped to face the challenge of studying Economics at degree level. I am aware that Economics is strongly related to Maths and for that reason I have studied more rigorous topics that I will further develop at the university level, including calculus and statistics modules.
One of the extracurricular activities that opened me to a whole new perspective on world economy was the Indian Model United Nations conference in which I was the Press Corps writer, assigned to the Economic Committee. This has helped me understand the intricacies of world economy, given me a chance to discuss and puzzle over economic issues and challenged me to think in ways I have never before.
My passion for writing led me to secure the position of sub-editor of the school magazine committee, where I reviewed and edited essays to be published. I was selected as a Students’ Council Representative and my duties involved acting as an interface between the students and the board of governors, putting forth the issues faced by students and working towards solutions for them. I also took part in the Youth Icon Awards. I was identified as an important member of my group and performed the task of successfully guiding my team through many expeditions.
I enjoy playing Badminton as often as I can. Badminton has taught me a vital lesson-to face the consequences of a poor shot. I have learnt not to dwell on my mistakes but to accept them and move on because the most important shot in Badminton is the next one. I am an amateur guitarist.Music helps me relax and unwind.
I firmly believe that the analytical tools from the fields of Economics and Mathematics are essential for a deep understanding of the world. I know that the universities in Delhi with their fantastic economics departments can help me realize my dream of simplifying the complexity behind economic situations.
(Draw a box to your SOP)
