It would not be wrong to say that our experiences shape our thoughts and actions in both the long and short run. Exploring a foreign land, meeting people with different ideologies, adapting to new education systems, etc. are just a few aspects of what studying abroad embellishes us with. In today’s society, most people believe in living life to the fullest with all basic amenities available at hand and luxuries approachable by all. Therefore pursuing an education abroad is just one of the ways to ensure that you are entitled to live your best life. An abroad education can be life-changing not just for an individual but for their families and future generations too. The value of the idea that “knowledge is power” can not be countered by any other field of occupation which is why it has managed to establish its worth until now. Since no good thing comes sans a price, education abroad too demands its fair share of hard work and research.
Understanding the Concept – What is a Statement of Purpose?
Just as students try their best to look for the best university, country, and course, admission committees also struggle to find the best candidates who can do justice to the value of their institution through perseverance and dedication. A statement of Purpose is then a form of written presentation of a student’s academic, personal, and professional life until now along with a clear indication of what they hope to achieve from their future education. The admission panel and immigration officials are equipped enough to test your authenticity towards the course and country from this essay that you submit.
Mostly SOPs are required for two types of applications – University Applications and Visa Applications. Most of the top-tier universities abroad ask for a statement of purpose along with their college application whereas, for visa applications, SOPs are required in those countries where they do not conduct physical interviews in their embassy or consulate. The details and specific information that is to be necessarily written are different for both of them. Moreover, it depends from country to country and university to university that they require just a course SOP, visa SOP, or both.
SOP for University or College Applications
Applying to a particular course or program in any university or college abroad requires a statement of purpose for course application, whether you are applying for a degree, diploma, or certificate course. Before writing your SOP, it is always advised to create a rough framework of the what, why, where, and how that has to be included in your draft. A student can go through sample SOPs available on the web while being extra cautious not to copy words, ideas, or experiences from them. Once you have understood the necessary points that have to be included, think of your real-life events or motivation behind choosing a particular subject and how it will help you in shaping your future. Write down the points under each subtitle so that you do not deviate from your ideas while crafting the final document. Always start with an introduction that briefly states your educational background and passion for the subject you are going for. State your academic background while writing about the names of institutions from which you completed your high school, graduation, or post-graduation and the percentage/GPA you obtained. Further, you must explain in detail your reasons for choosing a particular course and country.
Highlight all positive points in terms of technology, faculty, facilities, culture and social environment, specialized awards for a subject, modern machinery, etc. This information will help the SOP analyzer understand that you have done detailed research and are serious about pursuing education in their college/country. Internships. Projects, research work/papers that are done in your respective field have to be mentioned while highlighting the role played by you. After mentioning any other notable achievements that are formal-informal, state or national level you should move towards writing a brief conclusion that credits the information you have written until now. Be mindful of the fact that your soft skills hold as much importance as your expertise in a subject and their effect should not be taken lightly. The precise motive of the course SOP is to establish the value that you have for the subject along with the passion that makes you want to study it further. The SOP holds great importance when it comes to getting admission which is why many students opt for SOP writing Services to get their SOP done.
SOP Writing for Different Types of Visa Applications
A visa SOP performs the function of positively influencing the visa authorities who will permit/not permit you to reside in their country. For some countries, you have to write both course and visa SOPs and even if the university gives you an ‘offer letter’, the immigration office might deny you permission if they do not find your application worthwhile. The visa SOP too starts with an introduction followed by academic and professional background. However, it is expected of you that you also give sufficient details about your family members and their occupations as well as their relation to you. Any positive attributes of your family members that you have acquired that helped you in your approach toward life will add value to your words. Next, write about the ‘WHY’ of choosing a specific course and country expressing what it means to you if you get an opportunity to study there. Since it’s a visa SOP specific reasons must be provided for not pursuing this course from your own country too. Students can write about the pros and cons that each country offers. You must also specify about coming back to your home country after completing your studies due to the familial bonds or responsibility that you have here. After writing about your short and long-term future goals, you should relieve the visa officer of the doubt about your financial status. Assure them that you are financially well-off and will not cause any situation about not being able to submit your tuition fees or carry your expenses of living in the country. Towards the end, if you have taken any language proficiency exam that will evaluate if you will be able to communicate smoothly in your study abroad destination, state its results in detail and then move on to a brief 150-200 word conclusion. However, the lousy written Visa SOP might ruin your chances of getting the Visa permit. So, many candidates prefer to take assistance from SOP Writers in India to leave no stone unturned for their Visa application.
An ideal SOP should be:
- Equipped with personal experiences from real-life
- Written without any spelling or punctuation errors
- Proper structure and sentence formation
- Clear objectives about course, country, intent
- State all required information clearly
- A reflection of your positive personality traits
An ideal SOP must avoid:
- Any incomplete information
- Grammatical errors & typos
- False results, work experiences, financial worth
- Exceeding or limiting word count
Conclusion
On a surface level, an amateur might observe that all SOPs are the same. But if that was the case, shouldn’t everybody have got an admission to study abroad? It is the professional experience of people overseeing the admission process and the skill to assess the human character of the immigration officials that only the deserving candidates get their ‘offer letter and ‘visa acceptance’’ from their dream universities and countries. Therefore, the best that a student can do from their end is make a sincere effort to present the intent behind their actions through a well-written SOP and positive results shall surely find their way towards them. It will only be wise of a student to religiously follow the aforementioned guidelines for an apt SOP that performs the function for which it is written. Seeking Professional help for both types of SOPs is recommended seeing the importance of the document. Contentholic is one such company that offers SOP writing help. They have been in the business for 13+ years and have well-trained and experienced writers. You can try them out.
