How to write SOP

A Statement of Purpose (SOP), is a reflection of your personality that you portray in front of the admissions committee (AdCom) for getting enrolled in universities abroad. It is your chance of impressing the committee by presenting your profile strongly through an essay that describes your personality traits, which are not covered in your academic documents.

In this article, we will discuss:

SOP Formats, Templates, and Guidelines for SOP Writing
Tips for writing impressive SOPs
Common Mistakes to avoid in SOP
Importance of SOP
Word Limits in SOP
SOP Samples for different courses: UG, MS (Engineering), MBS
SOP Samples for different countries: USA, UK, Canada, Australia
Things to and not to include in SOP
SOP FAQs

What is SOP?

An SOP is a long essay required by universities abroad and nowadays some of the Indian universities during the application process. As the full form of SOP reveals, a Statement of Purpose is an essay stating the purpose of applying to a particular course in a particular university. This essay consists of a gist of who you are, who you want to become, and how ready you are to pursue a certain course in an institution.

The document seeks to understand the candidate’s life, the motivations for the chosen career path and his/her goals. Hence, you should discuss the past incidents that have influenced your career path in a specific domain wherein you aspire to grow by joining a course/college.

Why is SOP important?

A well-written SOP is extremely critical to your admission. Needless to say, there are many aspects of a candidate’s application that are inspected before finalising a decision. While the academic record and other exam scorecards/academic transcripts and backlog certificates are essentially objective in nature, an SOP is the only truly subjective aspect of your application.

It is the only document in your application that gives you the opportunity to prove that you have something unique that makes you stand out from the crowd. As such, it is the document of your application docket that can hugely determine your admission.

What is the General Statement of Purpose Format?

Most universities across the globe have a standard format/template that is acceptable. However, the content in SOP varies with different kinds of courses. Learn how to write the SOPs for different courses here:

Shiksha Guidelines for SOP Writing

While there are a number of formats and samples available online for an SOP that aspirants can use for SOP writing, however, it is difficult to choose the right format. Also, you would not find the correct formatting details required for a particular draft or the ideal chronology to follow.

Each SOP should be unique and thus, Shiksha has its own guidelines for an SOP to help the students decipher the parts of a statement of purpose so that it can be drafted easily. To know all about the correct formatting and context of an SOP, you can read Shiksha Guidelines for SOP.

SOP Samples and Format for MBA, MS, UG, and PhD Courses

Every course has a different way of writing its SOP application. Check out the course-wise SOP Samples and Formats.

Should you put your name on your Statement of Purpose?

In a traditional SOP, you do not need to write your name or course details anywhere in the document. The SOP is a part of your application/student profile, thus, it will have your name and course details by default. However, there might be some universities or schools that specify whether they require your name and course details in the SOP. These universities will provide you with specific instructions on how and where to write your personal details in a document. Thus, you need to follow their instructions thoroughly.

SOP Formats for USA, Canada, UK, and Australia

There is no fixed format to be followed in an SOP for a country. However, a university may provide you with a set of guidelines based on which you may need to write your SOP. If you still want to refer to samples for different countries, check out the generic samples given below:

SOP structures and formats for other countries can be found here:

SOP for Germany	SOP for Sweden	SOP for Hong Kong
SOP for Singapore	SOP for Netherlands	SOP for Ireland

What do colleges look for in an SOP?

While drafting your SOP, you need to keep in mind that the admission committee will be reviewing thousands of applications for the same course. Thus, not only your SOP needs to be crisp and precise, but it should also highlight the uniqueness in your profile. Here are a few things that the college review committee generally look for in a student’s SOP:

Your writing capability is reflected in your SOP. Your SOP should be free from grammatical errors. The language should be lucid enough for them to comprehend yet should have a good vocabulary. Make sure not to use too many heavy words as sometimes too much rich vocabulary makes the sentence redundant and it fails to communicate the meaning.
What makes you stand out from the rest of the crowd? Highlight your unique side/unique personality. The Adcom should be able to recognize you an as individual through your SOP. Your interests and goals will help them know you on a personal basis.
With your talent, previous experiences and interest, how and what can you contribute to the department and college/university, as a whole? Think of it as a two-way process. If you receive an admit letter, your career will get a kick-start and through your efforts and participation, the department/college can receive benefits. You need to mention how you will be able to contribute to their community, be it through sports, community services, societies or clubs, and so on.
Being familiar with the university facilities and curriculum will help you a great deal. You need to be aware of the student programmes, faculty, internship opportunities, student facilities and societies, traditions etc that sets the university apart from others. The Adcom should be convinced that you know about the department and college/university thoroughly and thus, you are applying in it and not applying randomly.
Your motivation or inspiration to study a selected course should be clear, evident and justified. Adcom does not approve of bragging sentences in the SOP. So keep it original, real, and free from any overbearing or arrogant statements.

How to make your SOP stand out from the Crowd?

Now that we have assessed how important your SOP is, we come to the important part – how to write an SOP that stands out amongst 1000s of applicants every year. There are obviously some basics about SOP writing, which clear what all you need to keep in mind like general word limit, format, etc.

What is important to note, is that you must, at all times, remember which course you are writing the SOP for. For example, if you are talking about studying Computer Science in a country, you must discuss all your encounters, experiences, and learnings of Computer Science. Do not miss out on anything important and do not talk about the rest of the things too much.

Specifically speaking, the SOP for an MBA application would be rather different from the SOP for a Masters course like an MS or an MSc. Similarly, the SOP for a Bachelors course would be widely different from any of the two. Here is a look at how to write a winning SOP.

How long should a statement of purpose be?

Statement of Purpose should be 1-2 pages long, ideally wrapped in 800-1000 words. However, the length of this document may vary as per university-specific requirements. Some universities have a fixed length and pattern of SOPs required, which is fixed to 500 words only, even 200 words in some cases. Most of the universities accept generic length, which is 800-1000 words, which may go beyond 1000, but not exceed 1200 words, in some cases.

It is generally easy to write a story of your life explaining the importance of each incident in shaping or moulding your character. However, when it comes to defining your SOP within the communicated word limit by some universities, the challenge is to portray your best within limited words. In such cases, it is better to mention the major achievements from every place you have been to such as school, college, office, etc.

Some abroad universities do not require SOP, they rather give you Essay Prompts along with a word limit. In order to learn the importance of word limit in an SOP, you may refer to this Importance of Word Limit in Essay.

What to Include in an SOP?

There are many elements to an SOP. Universities could ask question-based essays or simply a general statement of purpose. Until and unless categorically asked, an SOP must include your goals and the career path you have taken up so far as well as your academic progress. Other elements that are further important to the SOP are also the personal motivations that lead you to choose the university/course you have applied to as well as how you intend to use that experience to achieve that goal.

While understanding how to write an SOP, we come across various questions. To sum up your entire life and career in 100 words can be a tiresome exercise. With the word constraints rather important, what is important to understand at the onset is what to include in your SOP?

Must read:

What not to include in an SOP?

Remember that there is no exhaustive list of what you can include in an SOP. What you need to remember is that in such a case, it becomes equally important to understand what you must not include in your SOP. For instance, should you talk about your family? What about your school life? Every organization I have ever worked with? All my extracurricular achievements? How to know the most important question – what not to include in your SOP?

An Outline of How to Write SOP

An SOP needs to be written carefully as it is important for your application. Some of the SOP writing tips are given below:

Think what has to be written in it: First of all, decide what aspects of your life have to be mentioned in it. An SOP should have academic achievements, work experience, and volunteering experiences. Then, decide on the outline for the document and ask yourself certain questions like why do I want to pursue this course, what am I expecting from this degree, how will this degree help me professionally and personally, etc. Jot down the points that will help in answering these questions and draft the answers in a comprehensive manner.
Formulate: Now, you are aware of what you have to include in your SOP. So, while formulating your SOP, you need to be honest in describing your career aspirations and goals. Mention how the chosen course will help you in achieving those career goals. Then, mention your personal and professional interests and write about what you are passionate about and what excites you. After this, smartly connect your passions with the chosen program and how these will assist you in enhancing your skills. You need to also mention what features of the chosen course convinced you to opt for it and for this, you need to specify the reasons that are unique.
Revise and modify: Once you have drafted your SOP, the concluding step is to go through it carefully and make changes accordingly. Go back to the list that you created in the beginning and check whether you have mentioned all of those points in your SOP or not.

Some brief tips on How to write a good Statement of Purpose

In order to write a good SOP, follow the tips given below:

Specify your achievements, be it professional or academic, in the form of a story rather than statements
An SOP should be a direct reflection of you so be specific about your achievements
Mention strong reasons as to why you want to pursue a particular course
Be very particular about the timeline of your achievements
Try to use a formal yet conversational tone
You can also mention your mistakes. But, also give instances of how you tried to improve them
Proofread and edit the SOP time and again so that it can appear as crisp and concise

Mistakes to avoid while writing SOP

If you want to write an outstanding statement of purpose, given below are some of the common mistakes that you should look for:

Writing an SOP without any planning or any roadmap
Writing a vague introduction and conclusion
Using short forms, slang, and informal writing in your SOP
Exceeding the word limit or writing under the word limit
Making the SOP appear very flattering

Detailed Strategies to Write a Powerful and Convincing SOP

Whether applying for undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate programmes, the strategy of writing a powerful statement of purpose would be to sound focused throughout. Starting from your academic and professional background to your career aspirations, you need to carefully connect all the dots between reaching your goals through your choice of school and course.

The essay should always go in a flow covering your past experience, present involvements, and future plans. An important point to remember while writing your SOP would be to divide it into paragraphs that cover all the pointers. Here is a look at how you may write the SOP presenting your profile strongly:

Introduction of SOP: 1st Paragraph

This paragraph is often confused with self-introduction. It should not introduce you but should discuss what you are about to discuss in your SOP. There are multiple approaches you may adopt to go about this paragraph:

Discuss your long-term goal and connect it with your idea of pursuing the course you are applying to
Present your understanding of the chosen field and write how you want to contribute to that field
Explain your background in 2-3 lines and connect it with your future goals
Write about an anecdote that helped you realise your professional interest in the chosen field

Students often make the mistake of introducing themselves or their childhood in the first paragraph. In some cases, students tend to forget about the purpose behind writing an SOP. Check out the Common Mistakes to Avoid in an SOP.

SOP 2nd and 3rd Paragraphs: Academic Background and Professional Experience

This comprises of your academic background: what you have done so far, what you are currently pursuing, your academic strengths and projects, industrial exposure you have attained, etc. If you have any professional experience it should be discussed in the upcoming paragraphs. This helps in establishing your career progression.

SOP 4th Paragraph: Why This Course?

In this paragraph, you should discuss why you want to join a course and what modules would you tap during this course. It should also cover the skills you would acquire in this duration along with the exposure that would help in developing the skills desired to realise your goals.

SOP 5th Paragraph: Career Goals

This is the most important paragraph, where you should discuss your short and long-term goals. Your immediate goal would be where you would want to work right after completing this course. You should be able to name some companies within India along with the designation you see yourself working at. This should explain the kind of job profile you would be working on.

Then comes your long-term goal, wherein you should mention where you see yourself from 10-12 or 15 years down the line. This may include your desire of working at the CEO/CFO/CTO level or maybe establish a firm that you own. It may also include your dream of expanding your existing family business overseas. You may also be interested in further studies like a PhD which can be included here.

More in this section may include your desire of becoming a professor or researcher. In any case, it is suggested that you discuss your business aim, principles, and core values or how you would influence the young aspirants of this industry. You should be able to portray 'how you wish to make a difference in the industry keeping in mind the current industrial scenarios and emerging trends'.

SOP 6th Paragraph: Why This University?

This is a specific paragraph wherein you can convince a university as in how they are suitable for your profile and you are an ideal candidate for their university. You should discuss the course curriculum, research work, faculty names, as well as the university-specific activities that would help you in enhancing your profile.

Closing Paragraph of SOP

In this paragraph should conclude your desire and readiness towards joining the chosen course. Since this is the closing paragraph, you should sound focused and prepared for all the challenges that came your way. It should also show that you have the zest in you to succeed and with the help of the chosen course and university you will definitely make a difference in the industry on a global perspective.

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Can SOPs help with Scholarships?

If you are eligible for any college-specific scholarships, then during the application process you will be required to write a separate essay/SOP. Either you will be given an essay prompt/question along with a word limit or they would simply ask for an SOP stating the reasons why you think you deserve this scholarship and/or what makes you unique from the rest of the candidates? Thus, a generic SOP is different from a scholarship SOP.

In a scholarship essay/SOP, you will be required to highlight your unique selling points, major accomplishments, any quality/skill that makes you different from other candidates, and so on. You can read more about writing a scholarship essay here.

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Statement of Purpose vs Personal Statement: Know the Difference

Apart from a few aspects, a Personal Statement seems similar to a Statement of Purpose. While SOP includes a two-page essay about your motivation, goals, experience, extracurricular activities and so on. On the other hand, a Personal Statement is a crisp one-page essay about your motivation, inspiration, goals and achievements. A Personal Statement is more personal than an SOP so a Personal Statement should be elaborate about your aspirations and motivations. An SOP is a much more detailed version of the Personal Statement. For a detailed view on this, visit Statement of Purpose (SOP) vs Personal Statement.

SOP vs Letter of Motivation or Motivational Letter

A Letter of Motivation is a letter directly addressed to the admission committee/department faculty explaining your objectives, motivation and goals related to the course. The SOP is not addressed to any specific person or department, it is drafted in an essay format, whereas, the motivational letter is always addressed to a professor or department under whose guidance you will be studying.

If you are reading this article, you must be halfway through your application procedure for admission to your favourite university. If the university is asking for a Motivational Letter or Motivation Letter, then this article will help you gain a basic understanding of how to draft a Letter of Motivation.

By now, you must be familiar with the application process and the different documents required by the universities. Apart from the financial documents, Letters of Recommendation (LORs) and Resume/CV, the universities must have asked for a write-up in the form of an SOP or Essay as a Letter of Motivation/Motivational Letter. You will see that most of the universities demand a Statement of Purpose (SOP)/Personal Statement, while Essays are a common sight if you are applying for UG or MBA. Essays are also required if you have opted for specific scholarships such as the Charpak Scholarship, government scholarships like GOI-IES, or college-specific scholarships which universities like HAN Holland Scholarship, Trinity Dublin Scholarships, etc provide. However, some universities may ask for a Letter of Motivation instead of an SOP.

What is a Letter of Motivation/Motivational Letter?

Before you start drafting it, you must remember the difference between an SOP and a Letter of Motivation. Simply put, a Statement of Purpose (SOP) is a formal document that helps the admission committee get to know all about you. You can elaborate on your professional experience, projects, achievements, along with your goals and motivation, which are not covered in your other academic documents such as CV or LORs.

On the other hand, a Letter of Motivation is simply a letter directly addressed to the admission committee/department faculty explaining your objectives, motivation and goals related to the course. The SOP is not addressed to any specific person or department, it is drafted in an essay format, whereas, the motivational letter is always addressed to a professor or department under whose guidance you will be studying. The motivation letter allows to you be in direct contact with the professor/department, hence, you should always aim to highlight points that make you stand out of the crowd, especially for PhD aspirants. How the content differs between SOP and Letter of Motivation, find out below:

See: How to write an SOP for PhD courses

How to Write a Letter of Motivation: A Brief

A good letter of motivation must have a proper structure. Given below are the 5 basic steps to follow while drafting a motivation letter.

Write an Outline: Before writing a letter of motivation, it is important to keep in mind the main reason for applying to a university. It is also advised to research about the university and the program they offer as much as possible. The outline should cover topics like; why you want to study for a particular course, what are your qualities or skills that will benefit the university, and why are you interested in this particular university.
Write a good introduction: After deciding what will be the key points that you will discuss in your letter of motivation, it is now time to write a brief introduction about yourself. To do this, address your recipient. An introduction should catch the recipient’s attention instantly. It should also make them interested to read the letter of motivation further. It must have relevant details about your achievements, who / what was your source of inspiration, any crucial project for which you worked, etc.
Expand your outline: Now, expand the points listed in the outline to complete the body of your letter of motivation. You can describe how you are the perfect candidate by emphasizing the skills that you have acquired. Make sure to use persuasive and true facts to demonstrate your interest and value to the recipient.
Write a conclusion: It is crucial to write a conclusion to your motivation letter which summarizes your goals and leaves a positive impression on the readers. You must also thank them for considering your application.
Proofread: Lastly, it is advised to proofread your letter of motivation to make it clear, concise, and professional. Cross-check to see if there are any spelling or grammatical errors and sentence formation errors. You can also ask a trusted colleague or any experienced person to proofread your letter of motivation so that it is error-free.

Format of a Motivation Letter

This is how a letter of motivation must appear like:

You can find n-number of formats and samples on how a motivational letter should appear on paper. However, do note that the majority of those samples are drafted for professional reasons and not for academic reasons. An academic motivational letter and a professional motivational letter are very different. The academic one goes directly to the faculty/department as your proof of interest in joining their programme and university. The professional one acts as a cover letter to your resume/CV describing why you are a good fit for the job. So do keep an eye out when you are searching for samples or format! The format given below will help you get started with your first draft of a motivational letter:

Salutation: If the Professor’s details are given you can write directly ‘Dear Sir’ or ‘Dear Madam’. If only department/university details are given then start with ‘Dear Sir/Madam’.

Introduction: Introduce yourself by painting a pen picture of your personality. Make sure you do not start the introduction like an essay on ‘Myself’ such as ‘I am XXXX, living in YYYY…’ or ‘My name is XXXX and I belong to YYYY country’, etc. the first paragraph should grab the reader’s attention and highlight the objective of the letter. Give a short review of your background (academic + professional) in one or two sentences and then state which programme you want to apply to and why. You can elaborate a bit on this later, here, just state your points.

Body 1: Before you started working on the body of the letter jot down points that you would like to highlight. Do not give an overview of your CV. Try to bring out that part of your experiences that are not covered in the CV. Start with your story of how you got interested in this field that led to doing bachelors in a certain stream and the job you have/had helped you realise the need for further studies.

Questions to answer:

What was your motivation/inspiration (family member/ personality/ any story/ documentary/ workshops, etc)?
Programme and course chosen during UG, mention any crucial project and your role in it, significant achievements etc
Job experience, your role, significant achievements etc
Mention extracurricular activities or NGO-related activities only if it is relevant to your programme/course
PhD/research aspirants should discuss their publications and works and research findings

Body 2: Talk about why you have chosen this programme/course, why this university/department/ or why you want to study under the guidance of a particular professor, etc. also, elaborate on your goals but do not make it too long. Explain how your qualifications and experiences make you an ideal candidate for this programme. Be specific and clear about your goals. This is the most crucial part of your letter.

Conclusion: Summarize your letter by stressing your interest in the programme/course and university. Also, emphasise why you are a good fit for the university.

How to Structure your Letter of Motivation?

If you want to take admission into your dream institution or organization, the presentation of the letter of motivation can be a total game changer. Generally, a letter of motivation should be of 1 page only in which you are required to introduce yourself, describe your achievements and qualifications, and highlight your interest as per the course or position for which you are applying. Generally speaking, the structure of the letter of motivation can be any of the following:

You can either go for the traditional method of the 3-paragraph motivation letter, where there will be an introductory paragraph, main body, and conclusion.
Or you can go for the 5-7 paragraph structure. Here, you can emphasize on each achievement by framing it into a single point

Mistakes to avoid while writing a Letter of Motivation

Do not copy content from the internet or any other source. Keep in mind that universities are very strict about plagiarism and since they deal with academic drafts daily, they can easily detect plagiarism.
Do not use any cliché words or sentences.
Language should be lucid with no grammatical mistakes. You should have a good vocabulary but avoid using dense language as at times it fails to deliver a clear message.
Use short sentences and maintain a proper format/structure.
Do not brag or sound desperate.
Do not lie! Never lie or forge any detail in any of your academic documents. It can lead to the blacklisting of your profile.

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Some Dos and Don’t’s of writing a Letter of Motivation

At times, conveying your enthusiasm to take admission into a particular program, cannot be done properly just with the help of a resume. This is because a resume restricts you to write about the motivation and inspiration that urged you to pursue a particular programme. This is where a letter of motivation comes into the picture as it will ensure that your application will shine. Given below are some quick tips and tricks to draft your letter of motivation.

While writing the letter of motivation, make sure you know the concerned person to whom you are addressing. It is advised to research about the name and designation of the concerned individual and address them accordingly.
Determine the requirements of the program and explain how you are the right fit for it.
Also, mention how your beliefs and interests align with the vision and mission of the university.

Sample Motivation Letter for University

_____ University
Admissions Committee

Dear Sir / Madam

I am writing this letter to inform you about my interest in the M.Sc in Urban and Regional Planning programme at your prestigious university. I currently hold a B.Arch degree from ____. Right now, I am working as an architect and interior designer for the past three years with ______. I have always been enthralled by the impact of urbanization in curating architectural masterpieces besides being aware of its social, economic and environmental impact. In an era where modernization is the very core of every industry, I found that this university’s programme prepare professionally competent designers and architects that can thrive to improve the quality of towns and cities and also address the environmental issues at the same time.

Living in India has helped me embrace the striking combination of modern towns and rustic village areas and how urban planning has affected them. This further demands innovative solutions to handle the climatic extremes while finding the balance between the notion of urbanization. Working as an architect with ____, I have handled various structural and interior design projects in the last two years and I want to enhance my skill-set as well as design knowledge by gaining international exposure.

Considering my education from ______ as well as work experience at ____, I am confident that I am a good fit for M.Sc in Urban and Regional Planning programme at ____. I aspire to contribute to the vibrant learning environment through my professional knowledge and experience of working in the Indian design space.

Enclosed with this letter are the necessary documents for admission. Thank you for considering my application.

Sincerely
________

Sample of Motivation Letter for Scholarship

To Mr. _____

I am ____, and I am writing this to express my interest in a scholarship for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at University of California. I have a passion to help people and I do not want my financial limitations become a problem to pursue my passion in my career. I grew up in a low-income family with a single father who worked three jobs to provide for my sisters and me. My father taught me the value of working hard. Apart from this, his encouragement and determination toward my studies helped me get the best grades in my class.

As my father worked long hours, I spent a lot of time taking care of my brother, who is suffering from cerebral palsy. I think the time I spent taking care of him helped me realize my passion for helping others. This sparked my interest in nursing. This time also taught me to remain compassionate and passionate all the time. I feel my natural instinct and thriving mindset would make me an asset to your university. I have read great things about the nursing program offered at your university. Getting a nursing degree from your university would give me perfect environment to gain the degree that I need to secure my dream job.

Thank you for reviewing my application. I look forward to hearing from you soon. You can contact me at _____ if you have any query about my application.

Kind Regards
_____

Difference between Letter of Motivation and Letter of Intent

Another common confusion among aspirants is between a Motivational Letter and a Letter of Intent. We have already discussed motivational letters at length, while a Letter of Intent is commonly known as the Visa letter. The motivational letter is for your admission purpose while the letter of intent is for visa purposes. Both have very different formats and objectives so do not use any of the formats interchangeably.

If you want to write an impressive motivational letter then start with making a rough draft first. Give it a good amount of time and you can even take the help of your peer, friends, professors or family members. Their feedback can help you in identifying your mistakes and gaps in content. If you have any other queries regarding this, do drop us a comment below and we will get back to you!