As you apply for Master’s program, you will be asked to write about your purpose of study, which are variously called as SOP or Statement of Purpose or Personal Statement or Statement of Intent. The objective of all these statements is the same: to give a brief and clear idea of what inspires you to study the major you intend to. The criticality of this document is generally unquestioned, especially at top graduate programs. Here are some concise pointers about how to compose an exceptional statement of purpose. If you find the article informative, do share the weblink with others. If you are medical residency applicant, you may also be interested in Personal Statement Tips for Medical Residency Applicants.
1. Edit your past to keep what is relevant
The purpose is not to write about all events in your life. Choose the ones that are important in your eyes that led to your choice of major. Keep the interesting portions, and leave out the rest. Let the relevance to your major be an ultimate filter to decide what events to write about and what not to. If you follow this precept you will not err on the side of saying too much.
2. SOP is futuristic
Shed light on what you intend to do with the education in your major.Not at skin-depth but deeply. If you point to how you will strive to make an impact at your work, and how this education would be an enabler to your increased efficiency, you make a crucial point. Don’t get lost in tracing your motivation to do your Master’s, while leaving out where you see yourself marching towards.
3. Longer essay is not necessarily better
Mark Twain, the American humorist, said “I didn’t’ have to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one.” Concise and meaningful writing is a great intellectual effort, and the effort shows in the essay. But writing a lot while not saying anything new, would be a recipe for an unappealing essay. Give yourself the freedom to write without restraint for the first draft, but rigorously edit the content to find the expression that says in the fewest possible words. A writing that holds a lasting attention is most often the writing that doesn’t demand too much of readers’ thought. Keep it short. And if your essay is still longer, it means you haven’t edited enough.
4. Mind your grammar
Writing not only mirrors your thoughts, but it also reveals your work ethic. A sloppy writing that pays little attention to the simple grammatical rules like keeping the “I” in the capital format, and discerningly employing “ teachers ” (plural) as against “ teachers’ “ (possessive form), shows that the person writing it cannot be trusted to do a good work. Ensure your writing is grammatical. It is not that you have to master the grammar book before you strike your pen on the paper. Just simple rules like subject and verb agreement and proper pronoun choices can help organize your ideas with clarity. Mistakes in grammar is perhaps a wrong start to make a decent impression.
5. Don’t use quote unless it makes a point, and you genuinely believe in it
Quotes can enrich your writing, if used at the right place. Right place means to illustrate your beliefs. Avoid using an impressive quote just to adorn your statement, randomly added to your essay. Too many quotes can bury your ideas, and you make the reader work hard to know what you think.
6. Complex vocabulary is unnecessary
Hemingway was once the star of fiction. He dominated his genre with simple words that sounded like what mother lullabies to her child. Simple words would come across as genuine. Don’t dress up your essay with words that you just lifted from the dictionary or thesaurus to sound impressive. Use the words that come to you naturally and improve your writing through editing it, removing anything that would force the reader to slog to understand.
7. Proofread your essay
Don’t submit your essay without reading it to verify your ideas. Doubly check to ensure there aren’t glaring grammar mistakes. First become convinced that what you had written is interesting to you, at least getting your points logically and clearly on paper, and then submit your essay. Even the best writers proof read to find omissions and errors. Proofread one last time before you give it a go.