SOP

SOP

As the name signifies, the Statement of Purpose is your personal statement about who you are, what has influenced your career path so far, your professional interests and where you plan to go from here. It need not be a bald statement of facts; several successful SOP's address these questions through anecdotes, stories or by describing their hero. But whether your SOP is subtle or to the point, it must be well written to be successful.

The SOP is your chance to talk directly to the admissions committee. To make you stand out from among a multitude of similarly qualified candidates. To convince the committee that you have the spark, the thirst for knowledge that could add value to your class.

Ten Do's and Don'ts for Your Statement of Purpose

The Do's

• Unite your essay and give it direction with a theme or thesis. The thesis is the main point you want to communicate
• Before you begin writing, choose what you want to discuss and the order in which you want to discuss it
• Use concrete examples from your life experience to support your thesis and distinguish yourself from other applicants
• Write about what interests you, excites you. That's what the admissions staff wants to read
• Start your essay with an attention-grabbing lead -- an anecdote, quote, question, or engaging description of a scene
• End your essay with a conclusion that refers back to the lead and restates your thesis
• Revise your essay at least three times
• In addition to your editing, ask someone else to critique your statement of purpose for you
• Proofread your personal statement by reading it out loud or reading it into a tape recorder and playing back the tape
• Write clearly, succinctly

The Don'ts

• Don't include information that doesn't support your thesis
• Don't start your essay with "I was born in...," or " My parents came from..."
• Don't write an autobiography, itinerary, or resume in prose
• Don't try to be a clown (but gentle humor is OK)
• Don't be afraid to start over if the essay just isn't working or doesn't answer the essay question
• Don't try to impress your reader with your vocabulary
• Don't rely exclusively on your computer to check your spelling
• Don't provide a collection of generic statements and platitudes
• Don't give mealy-mouthed, weak excuses for your GPA or test scores
• Don't make things up

If you want to know how your SOP could be effective and result oriented, visit the services section and explore how best we can help you.