Indian Girl in Germany

Statement of Purpose, an SOP, is a crucial document that can increase or decrease your chances of admission to a University or college or any institute you are planning to apply to. Back in the day, I was not aware of some essential tips that one must know before writing an SOP. Neither had I written an SOP before nor did I have any idea of what it should contain, how precise the information in it should be, how long should the document be, etc. After performing decent research and reading a good amount of both good and brilliant SOPs I have collected my knowledge. So here are 5 tips that will help you write an amazing SOP that will increase your chances of admission.

1. Never longer than a page – Make sure your SOP never goes longer than one page (A4 size when printed in a decently readable font size). Teams or people responsible for going through your application do not have time to go through an SOP, line by line, word by word let alone an SOP longer than 1 page. A longer SOP gives an impression that you cannot distinguish between the relevant and irrelavant information.
2. Make it precise – Once you know that the SOP must be of 1 page you have now put in efforts to make certain that the information it contains is precise and is relevant to your application. Write down in bullet points things you’d like to mention and create draft with one paragraph assigned to each bullet point. See if this draft is suitable to be finalised or it needs more work. Remember, the reader doesn’t have time to peruse your SOP and imprecise information can only make your application look worse.
3. Mention your technical skills – Never forget to include your technical skills as a part of your SOP. The admission committee must be able to see what background you come from and what do you have to offer to the university. Honestly mentioning your technical skills will not only make your SOP stand-out from other applications but gives an impression that you know where you stand. Try not to over-do. Keep it simple and precise.
4. Do your research – You must research the university before you begin writing an SOP to apply for an admission for it. Never miss out on this information. You do not want the admission team to have an impression that their university is just one of the many universities you have applied to in desperation. Once you short list your univerisities, take your time and go through what they have to offer you and what you can achieve by being a part of them. Genuinenly mention your interests and the reason behind in you SOP. This will help your application connect to reader on a personal level. Try not to over-do. Keep it simple and precise.
5. Get it proof-read – Last but not the least, proof reading. Once you are ready with your SOP and have proof read it, give it to two different people who are good in the language you have used it for your SOP. Ask them for corrections, non-genuine statements and grammatical errors. Additionally, get a tool or an app that can do all this for you. If you cannot or do not wish to buy any tool then check for tools that offer free weekly or monthly trial offers.

Once you have your SOP, finish your other documents and send them. Have faith in yourself. You might go through some rejections but that does not mean your application or you are not worth it. Everyone goes through rejections and it is a must to have them when you apply. They come with their own experiences and teach you lessons that will help you get stronger.

Muchlove & strength 🙂