Consider yourself to be on trial, with the university Admissions Committee as the jury. Except in this scenario, you’re not trying to prove your innocence, but trying to prove that you are an excellent candidate for admission to your selected university’s Masters or PhD program. To do so, you must write a brief essay with concrete examples and proof of your experience and motivation, all of which speak to the type of student you are and why you are a good fit for the chosen degree.

Statement of Purpose FORMAT

The four P’s must be included when writing a Statement of Purpose. Purpose, Previous experience, Program, and Personality. Though the standards mentioned may differ depending on the program and university, the Admission Committee focuses on these four areas when reviewing your statement of purpose. Below are some of the questions the Admissions Committee expects you to answer:

What academic path did you choose, and why did you choose it?
How did you learn about this college and why did you decide to apply?
Why did you choose this country if you're applying to a school abroad?
What prior experience do you have in the field you've chosen?
What skills do you hope to develop from this degree?
What is your plan after graduation?
What do you want to gain from this school and programme?
How can your abilities and expertise benefit the school?
How do the values of the school reflect your own, or vice versa?
How do you distinguish yourself from the competition?

Shocked already? Don’t worry! Here’s a brief breakdown of how you should write.

1. Begin by brainstorming about YOURSELF – your past, your experience, and your achievements that can be included to strengthen your application.
2. The next step would be to conduct a thorough investigation of the university and the programme to which you are applying.
3. Make an outline with the information you’ve gathered. Spend some time considering how you want to build the story.
4. Once you’re happy with the outline, produce an initial draft and add all of the information you’ve gathered.
5. Make the final copy and have it proofread by someone. 
6. Use Times New Roman in a formal font with 12 as the font size, and a 1.5 space between lines.

The statement of purpose format requirements is a basic formality that tells the university that you understand academic writing standards and can present yourself professionally. Now, let’s go through each section in detail, with examples of how I wrote my statement of purpose for my master’s in the UK.

1. Introduction / Hook

Imagine this: the Admission Committee has no idea who you are until now, and this is going to be the first paragraph they are going to read from your letter. Begin with something like a hook, where the reader is drawn in by your words. In this portion of 1-2 paragraphs, you have to narrate a short story of how you got to where you are today.

However, this also should not be a broad statement on your lifelong interest in computer science or management. Tell them about your interests and why you want to pursue graduate studies. This should be brief and to the point; don’t spend too much time explaining your autobiography here.

2. Summarise About Yourself – Why You’re Qualified

This is where you should demonstrate how you’ve prepared for this great challenge by working hard in the undergrad or your career, gaining high grades, professional honours, and so on. Discuss the obstacles you’ve overcome that show you’re ready to succeed on this exciting new path.

Also, This is where you should include all the details about your previous education, internships, professional experience, and any leadership positions you’ve held. However, don’t mention every detail about your past. That will make your SOP into a CV. At the same time, try to keep your experience with the program you’ve chosen to learn.

3. Summarise Why This University And This Program

This section should be primarily on the chosen university and programme. There must be a reason why you choose this particular university. There might be something special about why you choose this university.  It might be their career support, extracurricular activities, or even the modules, location, and so on. In addition, your statement of purpose should explain why you and the programme are a suitable fit. You should be able to explain why your work is appropriate for the programme as well as why the programme is relevant to your career and ambitions.

For example, for my master’s degree in the UK, I chose project management. I reviewed some of the popular universities’ project management course modules, picked some of the best, and applied for those. For more guidance on how to choose the right university in the UK – click here.  To be more specific, I liked the project management course modules at the University of Liverpool as they covered current subjects and offered several elective modules linked to my previous employment experience. By the way, this is not a promotional statement to the University of Liverpool.

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4. Conclude With A Commitment Statement

The final paragraph is your last chance to leave a permanent impact; make the most of it. Try your best to conclude your comment with something valuable and memorable. One approach is to highlight how your selected course will help pave the way for your future. Another way is to speak about your commitment and how you deserve to be selected for the desired course programme.

I hope you are clear on how to write a statement of purpose for your master’s. If you are still worried about how to write, reach out to us for more writing help.

Don’t forget to read more about studying abroad by clicking here.

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