6 tips for writing a great statement of purpose

Our childhood was filled with our parents screaming at us about the importance of education; all Indian parents at least. With that in mind, we dream of getting into the best universities with a great faculty. Let’s face it — they are expensive. But, bottom line, our parents want the best for us, right?

The criteria for admission is different based on the preferred college. Some may accept you solely on your grades, extracurricular performance, and an interview. However, premier institutions also require a statement of purpose.

There is no need to fret or lose hope. Many people are worried about things like “I’m not a good writer” or “I don’t like writing”, or “I don’t know how to write”. Writing is not rocket science, and it won’t hurt to give it a go.

We’ve written a fair share of statements of purpose. Here is some advice from writers that you should keep in mind while writing the perfect SOP for your dream college.

1. I solemnly swear to tell the truth

It’s like testifying in front of a jury and a judge, complete with the white curly wig; except that the judge is the school officials and paper reviewers. Be honest about your life. Don’t show off your achievements, and don’t conceal your shortcomings. They need to know the real you.

2. Why do you seek admission?

The point of a statement fo purpose, like the name suggests, is to bring out the ‘purpose’ or the reason you want to join that particular college or course. Your future, personal goals, and career should coincide with your academic choices. Stick to point #1 while talking about it.

3. Drama isn’t toxic here

Some of us (most of us) live for drama, while others would rather live in the north pole. Nevertheless, we all do face a little drama in our lives, and we need to sprinkle a little bit of that drama in our SoP too. You could tell the story behind your ambition and passion, what caused you to take up that field of studies.

4. Don’t plagiarise

Ask yourself this: will the university admit someone with an essay they’ve seen dozens of times before? No. The school officials will think that you are lazy and haven’t given that essay or college a second thought. Oh, it’s also a crime. To ensure that your essay is 100% authentic or even not accidentally plagiarised, you can use online plagiarism tools like Grammarly or EduBirdie.

5. Customise

The same statement of purpose will not work for multiple universities. Universities are looking for uniqueness and the personality traits are a match for the university and its atmosphere. For example, If you’re applying to an MBA college, they’re looking for someone with an aptitude for developing business strategies. You know what you’re good at, don’t be afraid to mention it.

6. Keywords

The easiest way to catch the reviewers attention is by adding the right keywords. Furthermore, thousands of applicants may be filtered out by locating those particular keywords. Using words like responsible, structured, peer-learning, accountability, politicise, acumen, insight, anomalistic, magnanimous and more can give you an edge. These keywords will differ in every college. To figure out the keywords you should use, do your homework, find every resource about the university and get to jotting down those keywords.

A final pro tip: Take your time to write your essay.

An essay won’t present itself overnight. It will take many drafts to get the final, perfect draft. While doing so, keep in mind the specific points mentioned in the question, and points relevant to the university.

So, get on with it, and nail that statement of purpose!

(If you still need help with your application essay, write to us. We’ve helped students with their essays to get into their dream university. We also provide loads of other services to help you with your career or business.)