Statement of Purpose in Mumbai – The Wise Idiot
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Orange leaves, showers of rain, and a large pile of college brochures- application season is upon us!
While sorting through lists of required materials for college forms, a standout query in your mind must be, “Do I really have to write all these different essays? Can’t I get away with using the same SOP for all my applications? Will it make any difference?”
Fortunately for you, we have all the answers. And yes, writing a different essay for every college does make a difference. Want to know how? We’ve listed our top reasons here-
No two colleges are the same. They differ in every possible parameter, from location, size and diversity to the faculty and student organizations. Some of them emphasize on smaller class sizes, while others may have as many as 150 students in one class. A few colleges focus on the liberal arts, others offer more STEM-heavy courses.
If there is such a large variety of colleges, then, should your essay be the same for all of them? Absolutely not! A personalized essay allows you to elaborate on why you’re the ideal candidate for a program at a particular school. You must include every aspect of the college in your essay, show how it lines up with your goals and aspirations, and how you will be able to contribute to their community productively.
Your SoP shouldn’t look like it’s been copy-pasted from a template, since admissions officers are really good at detecting such lazy moves. Dig deep. Find as many details as you can. The college website is your best friend in this scenario- prepare yourself for hours of research, including looking up faculty members, finding summer abroad programs, various research opportunities, and previous students’ experiences. Try to look up a current student on social media, and if possible, ask for five minutes of their time so you can ask them questions (make sure the answers aren’t something that a simple Google search will reveal). Name-drop them in your essay for brownie points. If you can’t find anyone who’s studying there right now, call up their admissions information department and ask them your questions (be polite, though, you ever know who might end up reading your application!). You can also check out websites like Reddit’s A2C subreddit, College Confidential, and PrepScholar for insights from current and past students (there are also a lot of excellent resources which you can use).
Colleges know that you want admission, but they want to know, why them? What attracts you to their program? Why don’t you want to attend the bazillions of similar programs out there? Basically, you have to cover three things in your essay-
A perfect fit doesn’t simply display why you’re a brilliant candidate, it shows why you and the college would complement each other. The best way to show this is by writing different SOPs for every college, and talking about the specific skills that you’d bring to the table.
Some colleges emphasize community service and selflessness, while others promote academic excellence.
Look up the mission statement- what do you think are their most highly-valued qualities? What is their vision for their students? Try to incorporate those into your answers, by giving past examples of extracurricular activities or work experience. Talk about student clubs, study groups, programs/events that you want to join, and your reasons for doing so. Name-dropping specific professors and alumni is also a good strategy (especially if they oversee your area of research/study!).
An SOP is a highly personalized and significant component of your application that serves as the key component in the admissions committee’s decision. You should try to avoid shortcuts here, and leave yourself plenty of time to research and write an outstanding piece of content.
Does this seem too daunting? Clueless where to begin? Our top-notch SOP writing services can help you out. Contact us today!