Preparing an SOP (Statement of Purpose)

An SOP is one of the most important requirements, needed to submit while applying for a university admission. Your SOP enables the University Admission Panel to assess your credentials and goals to decide on your admission.

A statement of purpose is a written document to explain your academics, your achievements, your interests and goals, and the reasons to pursue the particular course. Your SOP reflects your personality.

The Sop is usually written in the form of an essay, but some universities require question-based SOPs.

SOP plays a key role:

When your profile is not strong enough, your SOP plays its role. You can highlight your practical goals in the near future. You have to explain how you have planned to reach those goals. The admission panel pays more attention on your present position and your future plans rather than on your past performance. So you have to be very practical, logical and genuine in your SOP. You should chalk out a perfect plan before you start writing your SOP.

Here is a very common Sop format:

Introduction:

You name, location, Qualification, family background, father, mother, siblings and their professions.

Academic background:

Mention your degrees/Year of completion/Percentage of marks/Projects and awards during your studies.

Professional background (if any):

Mention name of the company, Period of work, roles and responsibilities, Achievements etc.

Reasons for choosing a study destination

Reasons for choosing a particular university

Reasons for choosing a particular course

Short term and long-term goals

Financial background

Reasons to return to home country

Conclusion

Give assurance that you will study well, bring recognition to your faculty/ University and contribute to the development of the institution.

Word limit for your SOP

Word limit depends on two factors. One is the university you are applying to and the other one is your profile. In some countries it differs from University to University. Some university officials are very particular about the information of the students. They want only the genuine students to get the admission. They try to get the right answers for all their questions.

This makes your SOP lengthier. The second factor is your profile. If you are working, you have to mention all the details of your company, your role and responsibilities. Besides, study gap is one more factor which lengthens your SOP. Here you have to explain your study gap with genuine reasons so as to convince the admission panel.

All these above mentioned factors contribute to the length of SOP. So, ideal SOP words limit ranges between 800 words to 4000 words.

Avoid the following in your SOP

• Never prepare your SOP without any research on your University/course etc.
• Never copy and paste the text. Plagiarism leads to rejection or even permanent black listing
• Dragging and repeating should be completely avoided
• Avoid contradictory statements
• Don’t use too much technical terminology. Use common words to make it easily understandable.

SOP writing is as strenuous as preparing for a competitive exam. Hence, you may contact us to get the guidance from our expert SOP writers.

Standard Format of an LOR [Letter of Recommendation]

A letter of recommendation, as the title sounds, is a letter from a superior, guide, mentor or a professor to recommend a student or an employee.

This letter helps the admission panel understand more about the student’s academic abilities.

How an LOR should be:

When you ask the concerned professional to write a letter to recommend you to a university for an admission, ensure it consists the below mentioned details.

• The recommender should mention how long he/she has known the student and in what capacity he/she has interacted and understood the student.
• Student’s grades or scores should not be mentioned as they are already shown in the application. Generally any repetitions may waste the precious time of the concerned reader.
• Only the relevant information which elevates the student’s personality should be included.
• The recommender should explain how perfectly the chosen course suits the student.
• The recommender should assure the admission panel that the student will certainly bring recognition and contribute to the university

Be smart!

Your LOR should be written by a right academician who understands the academics and abilities of the student and the selection criteria of the university. So, be wise in approaching the right person to get your LOR written.