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Writing a Powerful Statement of Purpose [Sample SOP Included] By Jitta Raghavender Rao
• GradSchool Admissions • 51 Comments • Last updated October 1, 2017 The Statement of
Purpose is probably one of the most misunderstood aspects of graduate applications. Most
students pass it off like it is just another essay about themselves, and naturally, write
monotonous stuff that doesn’t stand out. That is why, the university admissions committee
puts a hefty weight on statement of purposes and their structure – they want to see
whether you take the interest in letting them know how much you want to study at their
university. Most Statements Of Purpose Start Off Like This: “I am applying to the Master of
Science program in Something Engineering at the University of Example because I believe
my technical skills will blossom at your program as it is a place where I will be challenged
and where I can develop my scientific and technical knowledge.” Or Like This: “I am
honored to apply for the Master of Science program at the University of Example because
for as long as I can remember, I have had a love affair with science. Since I was a kid in
school, I have known I wanted to be a scientist/engineer.” Now, almost 99% of the
statements are structured similarly, and often times, students copy-paste, and edit
statement of purposes from their seniors or friends, making it sound even more generic or
irrelevant to their applications. If you want to stand out from the crowd; if you want the
admissions committee to remember your essay at the end of the day, even after going
through hundreds of applications; if you want to gain that extra advantage by being
somewhat special and unique, you will have to draft a great statement of purpose. Great,
but original. Exclusive Bonus: Download the sample Statement of Purpose and use it as a
framework to write yours. How Can Your Statement Of Purpose Stand Out From The
Crowd? How do you write a great statement of purpose that sounds original, but at the
same time gives the admissions committee what they are looking for? Simple. Basically,
every university expects a student to answer to some basic questions that the admissions
committee has. They may not ask you openly, but these are generally what they expect you
to answer: What you want to study at graduate school? Why you want to study only this
degree? Why do you want to study at this particular college? What do you like in us? Why
did you choose to study in this particular country? What do you like about it? How much and
what kind of experience you have in your field? Is your experience related to you choice of
degree? If you are already experienced, what additional skills are you planning to gain from
the degree? What you plan to do with your degree after graduation? Would you choose to
end up with a job or take up research? What are your expectations from both the graduate
program, and the university? Would you like to study or do research under any particular
professor? If yes, why only them? How can you contribute to our university and our
program? What specific skills do you bring to the table? Apart from work and education,
what are your hobbies, interests, and habits? What are you like, as a person? What do you
understand about our student community and culture? Why do you think you will fit in?
What is that one unique aspect/characteristic about you that we should know? Why does it
matter to us or to the fellow students of your class? Now, these are the questions you will
have to consider before starting off with your statement of purpose. Write down answers
separately to each of the questions asked above, and try to build a story that the admissions
committee would love to read. Remember, unlike an MBA program, you won’t be having
any personal interviews for a graduate program, so the only way to impress the admissions
officers is by telling your story through the statement of purpose. You will have to convey
your story in the best possible way, such that the committee finds you interesting enough.
And if you are interesting enough to them, you will end up with not only an admission, but
also a decent scholarship as well. Strategies to Write a Powerful Statement of Purpose It is
important that you follow a specific strategy when it comes to drafting your statement of
purpose. Though most students write whatever comes to their mind, or whatever they see
on the internet, you are not most people. You would want your statement of purpose to
sound brilliant, and original. And for that, you’ll need some strategies. 1. Write Stories. Not
Statements If given a choice, would you prefer reading a novel or a newspaper? A novel,
without a doubt. Do you know why? Because while a newspaper gives you mere news and
some eye-catching headlines, a novel tells you a story; a beautifully written piece of
literature that you will be emotionally connected to. It brings those humanly feelings out of
you, and involves you in its storyline. You imagine yourself in place of the
narrator/character, and understand why he/she has done that, or taken such decisions. We
remember stories much easier than statements. Because stories connect to us, statements
don’t. For example, most people say this: “I used to work in a multinational software
company in the development team, and I had to do the same job every day: code stuff.
There was nothing new for me to learn at work, and there was nothing very exciting about
going to the office. One day I decided that I had to get out of there, so I applied to college to
study higher courses and get a better job.” Doesn’t that sound like most stories? Albeit, a
very normal story? Instead, how about saying this: “Late in the night one Monday, I had
found myself in the middle of a deserted office, and fifteen thousand lines of code. Full of
caffeine in my bloodstream, and an empty life beyond office, I realized that the computers
started coding my brain, and controlling my life. No longer wanting to let the machines feed
on me, I decided that college would be my salvation.” Both the stories come to about four
lines. But which narrative do you think will keep the admissions committee reading? Which
story do you think will be remembered by them even after reading 5000 applications? Think
again. Do you want your statement of purpose to read like a novel or a newspaper? If the
former is your answer, then you need to put in a lot of effort to tell your story. Think about
‘why’ you want to study what you want to study. Is there a strong reason behind it? Is the
reason emotional, economical, or any other? Think hard, and you will find a connection. The
reason might not seem obvious in plain sight, but when you think hard enough, you will
understand that there is strong reason why you want to study a particular course/degree.
Now, when you have found this strong reason, tell it as a story. Write a short, but great
narrative about what made you make this choice. About why you have chosen to study this
course at this university. Impress the committee with your creative storyline, and you will
reap the benefits big time. 2. Quantify Your Stories Even though we asked you to write a
story, you will have to remember that your story should not read like a thesis. It should
rather serve as the best source of information about you. And when it comes to
information, numbers play a key role. Your story should be not only qualitative, but also
quantitative. Which means, your story must contain measurable quantities instead of just
stories, so the reader can understand the depth of it. For example, if you have worked for a
local NGO teaching math to primary kids, you could say: “During my engineering days, I
helped a local NGO by joining as a math tutor, where I taught basic math concepts to school
children.” Now even though this sounds really good, it doesn’t give the reader the entire
picture and they certainly do not know how much of an impact you made on those children.
So, you could change that bit to something like this: “During my second year of
engineering, I joined ‘Teach Math’, a local NGO, where I was a part of the Math tutoring
team. For a period of 10 months, I taught basic math like algebra, geometry and arithmetic
to more than thirty 5th and 6th grade students. And every single student I taught to,
secured an A in math that year. I’ve never been prouder in my life.” Do you see the
difference? These numbers suddenly give a whole new perspective to the readers, and their
respect for you is suddenly multiplied. That’s the power of numbers; they add authenticity,
and authority to your stories. If you can quantify your stories properly, and show the results
instead of just actions, the committee will not forget your name. You can use the same
strategy for the rest of your story, no matter what it is about. Whether it is a research
project you did, or a college fest you organized, or a college sports team you led, whatever
it is, add numbers to your stories, and make them sound more realistic, and more beautiful.
3. Be Specific You have to make sure that whatever you say on your statement of purpose,
you need to be very specific with it. Don’t just say something because you think it will
impress the admissions committee. Whatever you say, you have to really dig into details. Be
introspective. Don’t just say “I chose this degree because I love this field.” Explain clearly
why you love this field, what made you decide that you want to work in this field for the rest
of your life, what skills you are trying to amass, why it completes you as a person, etc. Don’t
beat around the bush like you normally would, when you talk to your friends. Don’t use ideal
sentences like ‘I want to change the world’ or ‘I want to find my inner self’ or any of chose
cheesy lines. Just be straightforward and always to the point, but not so much as to come
off as arrogant. Find your reasons and then find a nice, memorable way to say it. Grad
school admissions officers require the statement of purpose not just because they want to
find about you and your dreams. More importantly, they want you to think for yourself, as
to why you are taking such a life-changing step; why you think this is the best thing that can
happen to you; and why you think you truly need it to succeed in life. The ‘why’ is always
profoundly important, and also an extremely difficult question to answer, which is why, if
you can find answers to all the whys, then you are almost in. 4. Customize Your Essay One
of the biggest mistakes students make is to prepare a basic template for their statement of
purpose, and if they are applying to more than one university, they simply change the
relevant names and details. But the rest of the statement is an exact copy. This is never a
good idea, because though they might seem quite similar to each other, every university is
vastly different from the others. Each of them has a diverse set of characteristics that define
them, and their cultures, methodologies, visions, values, mottos, strengths, weaknesses,
etc., vary greatly. These things are much more important than the departments, or
university rankings, or number of Ph.D.’s or other materialistic qualities. So, if you are
applying to multiple universities, you need to factor in all these qualities of every university,
and customize your statement accordingly. Mere changes in names and details won’t
suffice. You need to tailor your essay such that the admissions officers think you will fit in
well into their community. Remember, every student community is like a family, and if you
give hints that you cannot fit into a family or their culture, you may not be welcomed easily.
Speaking of cultures, different countries obviously have different cultures, but even a big
country like the US has different cultures in different parts of the country. So, before you
begin writing, try and research the general culture within the region in which your target
university is, and learn something about it. It may also help in aiding your decision process;
if a culture doesn’t attract you much, then there’s no point in wasting an application. 5. Use
a Formal But Conversational Tone Nearly all statements or essays come under two
categories: The super formal, and the super friendly. The first category is when you write a
statement of purpose that is so formal, it looks like you are writing to your lieutenant in the
military. The second one, of course, looks like a casual email to a friend. Now, when asked
which one seems like a better choice, most students say the formal way is the way to go,
and super friendliness is a big no. And still, a minor set of applicants think they can outsmart
the admissions committee by sounding friendly, welcoming, and funny. But, on further
reflection, you would understand that neither of the approaches is ideal. And you are right,
neither of them is right. Like we talked about it already, your statement of purpose should
read like a novel: slightly formal language, but still a tinge of fun and uniqueness. That is
what you need. A conversational tone is the best and the safest way to go. Write like you
are talking to someone, but avoid using casual language. Imagine you are talking to your
dean, or the director of your college. What would your language be like? That’s how your
statement of purpose should sound. Now, occasional humor is okay, but you shouldn’t try
to sound too funny or too smart. No intentional jokes or funny lines should find their way
into your statement. After all, it’s a statement of purpose, and the purpose is to pursue a
graduate degree, not to impress people with your sense of humor. So, if what you write
brings a smile on the readers face, then it’s perfectly alright. But it shouldn’t make them
throw away your application because you didn’t seem serious enough to them. 6. Decide
How You Want To Portray Yourself. And Learn How to Portray Indirectly. You must see that
the statement of purpose serves as a medium to convey your attitude, your personality and
your character. Alright, those are some heavy words, and it can actually be difficult to them
on paper. So, what you can do is, learn what your statement of purpose should portray you
as, in terms of a few criteria, which tell the admissions committee that you are: Very
passionate about the field of study you have chosen. An Intelligent student who can
withstand the academic workload of a graduate program. Well-prepared academically and
personally, and eager to study new courses. Able to take on the challenges of studying at an
international graduate school. Able to build and maintain a good rapport with professors
and fellow grad students. Able to finish the graduate degree within time, and graduate with
a good percentage. A potential remarkable representative of that grad school in your future
career. A successful alumni of the grad school who in the future can help in recruiting
graduates. A responsible alumni who in the future will help raise funds for the grad school,
to spend on research, infrastructure, facilities, student scholarships, etc. These are basically
the parameters that grad school admissions officers look at, when they decide who is
joining their class. Now, I know that the statement of purpose can only be as long as 1000
words, and that there’s quite a lot to cover in that little space. This is where your writing
skills should come in. You simply can’t just go ahead and write “I am very passionate about
the field of study I have chosen.” That is the last think you would want to write. What you
should instead write is, a sentence that indirectly means the same. You will have to choose
your words wisely so as to indirectly communicate your “passion”. You can use brief
examples to show why you are so passionate about it. For example, you can say something
like: “My grandfather was a car mechanic. I remember when I was nine, he took me to his
garage for the first time and showed me how he could repair my damaged bicycle so I could
ride it again. When he passed away a few years later, he left me the entire garage. It was a
turning point in my life. Some of my best days were spent inside the garage, where after
coming back from school, I tried fixing various appliances in the house. That was what led
me to choose to be a Mechanical Engineer.” The above paragraph speaks volumes about
you as a person and your passion for Mechanical Engineering without you actually saying it.
Any admissions officer in the world wouldn’t reject an applicant with such a deep reason,
and such a wonderful story behind him/her. Now, remember, you don’t have to lie. Try and
remember stories from your life that have shaped your decisions. And connect them
beautifully to your goals and dreams. Now similarly, your “intelligence” can be conveyed by
how you write. The quality of the statement of purpose, the organization, expression, etc.
of your statement tells how intelligent you are. Demonstrating knowledge of the field, and
using related jargon shows that you are “well-prepared”. Showing what you have done
already describes your ability “to take on the challenges of grad school”. Your grades and
your previous performance prove your ability “to finish the graduate program in time”.
Being a “future remarkable alumni” can be implied by your being a commendable
representative of your previous institutions, like your high school, or undergraduate school.
Similarly, you will have to try and represent all the qualities mentioned above in an indirect,
but powerful way. 7. Don’t Create Stories. Be Yourself Because we asked you to write
stories, there would naturally be an inclination to “create” stories out of thin air. Do not do
this at all. Write great stories only if you have great stories. Some people might come from
normal backgrounds, who had normal lives, and probably didn’t achieve anything
spectacular. It’s completely okay. If you don’t have anything great to write, don’t write it. Be
normal, and write normal stories. It is better to be normal than to pretend to be someone
you are not. The admissions officers are expert psychologists, and they can spot a true
applicant from a false applicant with just one reading. So, you will badly hurt your chances
of getting into your dream school if you try to be someone else. Just be yourself, and write
only about the things that have happened to you, and the things that you are passionate
about. Saying “I love research” just because you think they will like it, isn’t going to help you
a lot. Whatever you say just for the sake of it, won’t appeal much to the committee, as they
would look for relevant evidences in your stories and in your past. So, don’t even think
about fooling the committee with a false storyline. Try and be yourself throughout the
essay. 8. Address Your Problems The Statement of Purpose is a great opportunity for you to
address some of your problems. If you have had any problematic academic background, or
a gap year in your career, or if you had any work-related problems, you can address them on
the statement of purpose in order to reassure the admissions committee. You must try and
be as honest as possible, and talk about your problems in a matured manner. Instead of
trying to defend yourself, you can point out the actual reasons that led to the problems, but
more importantly, you should highlight ‘how’ you overcame the situation, and ‘what’ you
have learnt from the experience. For example, let’s say that you got all C’s or all D’s in one
semester. This normally isn’t the kind of academic profile a good grad school would want
from you, unless there is a strong reason behind it. So, take some time and dedicate a few
lines to explain whatever happened. If you had a health problem during your semester
exams, or if you faced any emotional setback during that time, if you experience any
personal loss, or if you had to take up additional family responsibilities other than studying,
you can mention that in your statement. But, more importantly, you should not forget to
demonstrate how your grades have been steadily improving since then, and that you now
have a decent grade-point average in the discipline. If you can spin this story well enough
for the committee to empathize with you, then your story will enhance the admissions
committee’s image of you as a matured student, with the abilities to “take on additional
challenges” and “to finish on time”, even when things are against you. 9. Do Your
Homework This is one very important point you should exercise while you are writing a
statement of purpose. You should be thorough with the details of all the universities you are
applying to, and list down all the things you like about each university, before you write the
essays. Most students simply write generic sentences like “I am impressed by the
importance your university gives to research” or “I would like to study here because you
have 100 Ph.D.’s and 20 Nobel prize winners.” etc. No, that is not how you do it. The
admissions committee knows how great their college is; you don’t have to remind them
again and again. But, you should let them know what exactly you like about them, that you
so badly want to be there. The specifics are really important. For example, you could say
something like this. (Excuse the random jargon, it is only to give you an idea.) “I would fully
utilize the resources that the Wallenberg Hall provides, as I am particularly interested in the
field of molecular chemistry. The special 24/7 laboratories provided for student research on
molecular processing is exactly the kind of opportunity I am looking for, as I could totally
see myself working in the labs day and night.” And something like: “I especially want to
study under Dr. Mark Adams, Ph.D., as I have been an avid follower and admirer of his work
in the field of quantum chemistry, which is not only the field I would choose for my research
study, but also is a topic that I am zealous about, personally. I would be more than honoured
if I can earn a spot in his research group.” Do you see how professional it sounds? Such
things show how well prepared you are, and how eager you are to study at that university.
Now, to write something like this, you obviously need to do lots of research both online and
offline, and be very thorough about the college, its facilities, courses, and professors. Yes, it
is very difficult, but believe me, it is completely worth all the hard work. 10. Proofread, Edit,
and Re-edit. Ask Friends and Family To Grade Your Essay Another mistake students make
is, they try and keep their essays to themselves. Maybe they are shy, or maybe they think
their friends and family aren’t necessarily experts on the subject. So they think there’s no
point in asking friends and family to critique on their essays. Wrong. Your statement of
purpose speaks about you as a student, as an individual. Yes, there is technical slang
involved, and yes your family members may not be experts on that. But, they sure are
experts on ‘you’. Which is exactly why you should approach them. They can not only give
you additional points to add, but they can give you valuable stories about your childhood or
schooling days, which you probably won’t remember. Plus, it’s very easy to say something
about others, but at the same time, it’s painfully difficult to describe yourself to someone.
Which is why someone very close to you, like friends and family, can describe you
accurately. You will get new perspectives on your stories, which sometimes are better than
your own versions, and including them in your statement of purpose will do you a lot of
good. Also, remember to proofread your statement time and again, and keep on re-editing
content until you, your family and friends think you have the best statement in the world.
Remember that your statement of purpose is a literary picture of ‘you’ as a person, and it is
representing on your behalf. So, make it a top priority to avoid typos, misplaced commas
and semicolons, overused quotes, being too wordy, using too many complex words and
sentences, and being too straightforward. Be careful. Be a perfectionist when it comes to
writing. It shows how much you care about going to a particular college. And, once you are
done with everything, do not forget to ask your friends and family to grade your statement
of purpose, and ask them to criticize it accurately, so you can avoid submitting a less than
perfect copy of your statement. 11. Take Advice From Professors. If you know a professor at
your undergrad institution, don’t hesitate to approach him/her for advice regarding your
statement of purpose. They are of course very experienced prospects, and they might have
seen thousands of statement of purposes and students in their careers. So, it wouldn’t hurt
to ask for their opinion. Plus, since unlike your family, they are technically sound, they can
also provide you valuable insights on how to project your technical expertise and project
works in the statement. After all, a professor knows what another professor looks for in a
prospective student, so it would only help if you approach your college professors. And, if
they are really close to you, you can also ask them for a really good letter of
recommendation. So whichever way you look at it, there are only benefits for you. Checklist
for a Powerful Statement of Purpose Here’s a basic checklist designed to help you draft a
flawless Statement of Purpose. Make sure you write in an organized manner, and cover
your points in a proper order. We have given this checklist so that you can write your
statement of purpose without confusing yourself and the readers. Following a meticulous
order like this will make your statement of purpose a lot better to read and understand
about you and your story. Feel free to add anything else to the list if you think it will boost
your chances, but remember to not write too much because you would then be exceeding
the word limit. Organization: Introducing yourself in a unique manner. Demonstrating your
passion for the field. Story about your background or experience in the field you’ve chosen.
Description of your academic background in the field you’ve chosen. Specific classes or
special courses you have taken, that are related to your field of interest. Some of the
professors you have studied under, especially if they are well-known in that field. Co-
curricular and Extracurricular activities in the field of you interest. Publications or other
professional accomplishments in the field (perhaps conference presentations or public
readings) Any community service or leadership experience while in college. Explanations
about problems in background (if needed) Explanation of why you have chosen the specific
grad school and other related questions as discussed in the beginning of this article.
Mention what you like about the university you are applying for, and why: facilities,
infrastructure, etc. Mention names of one or two professors in that school and what you
know of and appreciate about their work, and why you want to study or work under their
guidance. Specific features of the grad program and the university, which attract you
personally. And why. Get advice from several of your professors, family, and close friends.
Ask for stories about yourself. Proofread and edit; ask friends and family to proofread for
you as well. Now Its Your Turn So, those are some strategies and tips for you to write a
powerful statement of purpose, impress the committee, and thereby ace the admissions
process. Make sure you do every one of these things, and you won’t be far away from the
college of your dreams. Do you have any strategies that worked well for you? Do let us
know in the comments section. We almost forgot! We are giving away a sample Statement
of Purpose for download, so you can get an actual glimpse of how the aforementioned tips
and strategies have been incorporated in a real Statement Of Purpose. But remember, this
should serve only as an inspiration to your own Statement of Purpose, but not a source to
copy from. Close to 10000 students check this space regularly, and if every single one of
them uses the same phrases in their own statement of purposes, very soon, everyone will be
held for plagiarism. So, try and copy only the framework and the organization, but not the
actual content. Happy Writing! Download your free sample SOP now: Facebook1k
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Comments to “11 Tips for Writing a Powerful Statement of Purpose [Sample SOP Included]”
sunny changediya says: REPLY TO SUNNY July 17, 2014 at 10:35 am · I am confused about a
question that why you want to pursue MS in CS ? I don’t have any research paper for
technical work. But i have solid final year system project. and i want to go for higher
education. Need Help…. Sachin Kaundinya says: REPLY TO SACHIN July 17, 2014 at 11:13
am · Hey Sunny! It’s a question many students face when applying for a Computer Science
program. In your case, if your final year project is related to Computer Science, try and
emphasise how doing that project made you realize your interest for Computers. If you have
any relevant work experience (software) then it will be easy for you to convince them about
your choice of study. If you are applying for a top program, this is really important. Try and
build stories around your interest for computers, and use all the techniques given above. If
you are still unsure, then maybe you should take a break, work for a year or two in a relevant
field, and apply again. But, if you really want to go ‘now’, you should emphasise your project
really well. Be positive! Good luck! sunny changediya says: REPLY TO SUNNY July 18, 2014
at 4:20 pm · Hi Sachin, Thanks for useful insight on difficult doubt. I have tried hard for my
SOP. i need someone could just refer it so i could get more correction and may help me
build a good SOP. If possible give me your mail-id. so i could mail to you !!! sunny says:
REPLY TO SUNNY July 24, 2014 at 12:59 pm · Hi Sachin, I have mailed my SOP on
mentioned Email-Id. Could you please let me know any improvements in my SOP asap…..
Jitta Raghavender Rao says: REPLY TO JITTA July 26, 2014 at 10:46 am · Hey Sunny, Just
sent you a mail with steps you should take to improve your SOP. Let me know if you need
help! sunny says: July 26, 2014 at 4:14 pm · Hi Jitta, Just had a look around your suggestion. I
would surely work around it. But I am confused which content to be removed because I have
had much extracurricular activities and projects too! Still I will concise it and will make
improvements soon. Thanks a lot! Sunny says: July 27, 2014 at 9:29 pm · Hi Jitta/ Sachin, I
have revised my SOP. Made necessary changes as suggested by you, Jitta. Thanks for your
help! ABHISHEK KUMAR says: REPLY TO ABHISHEK September 29, 2017 at 7:25 pm ·
Sachin yar , why you guys do not send the pdf man . I get a message that I will be delivered
on the mail but I never receive it nav says: REPLY TO NAV July 18, 2014 at 7:16 am · Where
is the sample sop? Can you please give me the download link? Sachin Kaundinya says:
REPLY TO SACHIN July 18, 2014 at 8:24 pm · Hey there! The download link is available right
at the end of the blog post. Hope you have found it already. shaoni paul says: REPLY TO
SHAONI July 19, 2014 at 1:52 pm · The essay is not available from the download link. I
received one sample sop as a .vcf file which is not opening. Jitta Raghavender Rao says:
REPLY TO JITTA July 19, 2014 at 3:27 pm · Paul, I just checked and the download link is
working. Mind trying again? shaoni paul says: REPLY TO SHAONI July 19, 2014 at 5:48 pm ·
Ok im trying again . but i told you that i got the mail after i clicked on the link. the mail has a
.vcf file attached, which is not opening. Sachin Kaundinya says: REPLY TO SACHIN July 24,
2014 at 11:31 am · Hey Paul! Could you check your email? We have sent you the direct
download link. Happy Studying! shaoni paul says: July 24, 2014 at 4:00 pm · got it Thanks so
much Jitta Raghavender Rao says: July 26, 2014 at 11:38 am · Awesome! Would love to hear
how it helped you Ahmed says: REPLY TO AHMED July 28, 2014 at 2:22 am · I have already
confirmed my email but can’t download the sample SOP.If you can send me the direct link
as you did with “shaoni paul”, this will be nice . Jitta Raghavender Rao says: REPLY TO
JITTA September 7, 2014 at 1:24 am · Hey Ahmed, Please re-enter your mail id and you will
taken to the download page. Let me know if it doesn’t work I hope you find the sample SOP
helpful! Krishna says: REPLY TO KRISHNA August 1, 2014 at 7:59 pm · Just sending a .vcf file
and downloading the same. Tried it twice. Jitta Raghavender Rao says: REPLY TO JITTA
August 9, 2014 at 9:38 pm · Hey Keerthi, I am sorry to hear that you had to go through this
process twice. I just checked and it looks like your email isn’t confirmed yet. Please re-enter
your email and make sure you confirm your subscription. You should receive an email with a
link to the SOP after a few minutes. Let me know if you don’t receive this mail shrawan
says: REPLY TO SHRAWAN November 10, 2014 at 10:46 pm · Hello, what is an ideal length
for SOP? Please reply quickly as I need to finalize my SOP within this week. This article
helped me a lot. Thanks in Advance. Jitta Raghavender Rao says: REPLY TO JITTA
November 11, 2014 at 12:17 am · Shrawan, there is no definitive ideal length for a statement
of purpose. It entirely depends on the course you are applying to. For instance, if you are
applying for an engineering school and send a 5 page SOP, the admissions committee may
conclude that you are unable to express yourself concisely. And if you are applying for a
literature school and send a 1 page SOP, that would again be a disaster too. The general
norm is a two to three pages statement of purpose. If you are going beyond that, it just
means you are writing things that are totally unnecessary and would only act as a hindrance
to your admission. Sarah Lee says: REPLY TO SARAH November 18, 2014 at 8:37 pm · This
article was really helpful and readable. It was very surprising that your article actually
answered what I was asking inwardly! I think you just have an insight into a person’s mind!
Thank you very much Jitta Raghavender Rao says: REPLY TO JITTA November 23, 2014 at
10:36 pm · Thanks for the kind words, Sarah, I’m happy to hear that the article helped you
answer your questions. Let me know if there is anything I can do Ali says: REPLY TO ALI
December 16, 2014 at 2:50 pm · Hi Thanks for your useful post. I made my SOP based on
your tips and I emailed it now. Could you please kindly review my SOP and give notes about
it? I’m in a hurry, because I’m going to apply tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow for
universities where their deadlines are 5 Jan. So I appreciate if you do me the favor urgently
Thank you Jitta Raghavender Rao says: REPLY TO JITTA December 20, 2014 at 4:42 pm ·
Hey Ali, Please check your inbox and let me know if there is anything else I can do Heston
Dsouza says: REPLY TO HESTON October 10, 2015 at 9:26 am · Hi, The blog is excellently
written and I am confident that it will certainly help me with my personal statement.
Thanks. Milad says: REPLY TO MILAD November 28, 2015 at 2:24 am · Hi, Thank you very
much for the article. It was very useful! Last year, I applied to a couple of grad schools and
got rejected, which I believe was in part due to my weak SOP. This year, I’ve tried to
improve it and would be grateful if you could please review it for me, and let me know of its
flaws. Thanks. Keep the good work going. Mehrijemal says: REPLY TO MEHRIJEMAL April
21, 2016 at 10:33 am · I really needed some advise and you really provided with excellent
explanation and SOP. And want to tell you thank you very much for all this. Now I know
what was the biggest mistake in my prior SOP and why University did not admit me. Thank
you very much again!!! ^_^ Avijit Biswas says: REPLY TO AVIJIT December 31, 2016 at 10:53
am · Excellent information with unique content and it is very useful to know about the
information based on blogs. Hameed M A says: REPLY TO HAMEED February 6, 2017 at
6:36 pm · Hi, Thanks for such a wonderful article being made. It helped me in stating the
exact way of writing and proposing in the way the reader expects….. Thanks a lot…. Jude
Joseph says: REPLY TO JUDE March 11, 2017 at 3:25 pm · Thank u immensely for that great
inside on SOP,I HV a better idea now on what to write. virtual dedicated server says: REPLY
TO VIRTUAL March 19, 2017 at 1:27 am · There’s definitely a lot to know about this issue. I
like all the points you made. Danish Rabbani says: REPLY TO DANISH March 25, 2017 at
4:48 pm · Thank you very much For such a creative blog,its much helpful. I really found
answers of my all questions in this pretty written blog and it really awakened my mind to
show that creativity which i had once before 3 years. Thanks once more dude. Yuwen says:
REPLY TO YUWEN March 26, 2017 at 2:10 pm · it’s really helpful, thank you! roja eswaran
says: REPLY TO ROJA April 16, 2017 at 7:34 am · These tips are damn cool and intuitive hope
so this will push me to touch zenith Abbey says: REPLY TO ABBEY April 22, 2017 at 3:43 pm
· This is the best blog i have seen so far that fully explains how to write a SOP. Most blogs
show you a lot of wordy stuff which forces you to copy since you don’t understand the
structure instead of writing something original for yourself. With this information, it really
bring out the saying; “Teach a man how to fish rather than giving him fish…” Thanks for all
the help. Oleru Huda says: REPLY TO OLERU April 22, 2017 at 6:31 pm · Thank you for the
tips and strategies am hopeful to write a good SOP and I have just started preparing my
SOP and will continue to seek for your guide indue course. Afolabi Daniel says: REPLY TO
AFOLABI May 24, 2017 at 10:23 pm · This article is quite amazing and full of insight. I am
going to take to the above instructions with due attention to details. Ncb says: REPLY TO
NCB June 24, 2017 at 5:24 am · Thank you so much! Very helpful. Mark says: REPLY TO
MARK July 17, 2017 at 3:05 am · MARK This blog is excellently written, wished I found you
earlier. Adikalie Kamara says: REPLY TO ADIKALIE September 20, 2017 at 4:51 pm · Thank
You So Much For Helping The World. Sachin Kaundinya says: REPLY TO SACHIN
September 20, 2017 at 10:00 pm · Happy to help, Adikalie! Glad to know you found it useful.
ELLA says: REPLY TO ELLA September 28, 2017 at 3:07 am · Thank you so much for this
guide. ELLA says: REPLY TO ELLA September 29, 2017 at 2:52 am · Hello plz when can I get
a reply yet? Pooja says: REPLY TO POOJA October 16, 2017 at 12:06 am · Hi, Thank you for
this wonderful information on writing SOP. It covers everything I was looking for Ajay Wagh
says: REPLY TO AJAY October 22, 2017 at 2:52 pm · Very informative…Thanks. widya says:
REPLY TO WIDYA November 1, 2017 at 1:10 pm · Hy. Thank you, it is very helpful. now, I
work on my own SOP for student exchange and this article solved my problem. Rehan says:
REPLY TO REHAN November 3, 2017 at 12:13 am · Simply wonderful! Leave a Reply Your
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Read more at CrunchPrep: 11 Tips for Writing a Powerful Statement of Purpose [Sample
SOP Included] https://crunchprep.com/gre/2014/powerful-statement-of-purpose