Personal Statement

Statement of Purpose (SOP) for Scholarship | Format, Examples and Templates

Statement of Purpose (SOP) Formatting

Statement of interest ‘abbreviated as SOP’; is defined as a descriptive document that elaborates your intent to study a particular course at an intended educational institution. It explains why you wish to choose their course, what are your pre-admission preps, how will you carry out the research after admission, and what makes you eligible for that course.

While applying for admissions overseas a statement of purpose is required from students of almost all the fields. This statement of purpose should be crafted such that it presents a polished view of the candidate to the university. It should be helpful in assessing the language and educational skills of the person. The following points are devised to help students to compose a statement of purpose that can make their way to their goal.

Statement of Purpose for Scholarship Application:

The word count to present all your points in the statement of purpose should be 800-1000. The must-haves of the essay is as follows:

    • Why you are interested in studying in the selected institute abroad?
    • Is the institute equipped enough to let you meet your goals? If yes, then how?
    • The cultural and educational experience that you will get from that institute will help you influence your homeland positively.
    • Give a bird’s eye view of your extracurricular activities.

How to Prepare a Statement of Purpose for Law or Medical Students?

The length for a statement of purpose is not specified. The must-have points of the plan are as follows:

    • The need to join the exchange program
    • What you can contribute to the joint venture and what will your home country get from your experience?
    • What courses you are interested to join in your concerned institute?
    • Any certificate or skills that can strengthen your application.

One can identify that the must-haves for the statement of purpose is the same for the students no matter from which field they are. But a note on the points will be helpful to avoid any mistake while applying.

Do’s and Don’ts of Statement of Purpose (SOP):

The Points That Will Strengthen Your Application If Considered for Statement Of Purpose:

    • Consult a friend, a family member, or an expert to know what someone else thinks about the study plan/statement of purpose you crafted?
    • Stay Confident. As it will preserve your positivity and skills.
    • Before crafting a statement of purpose contact the institute to get a sample. And while crafting the statement of purpose avoid any sort of language, grammar, and typing issues.
    • Dream big but do not cut completely from the real world when planning your journey and achievements.
    • The tone of your statement of purpose should be professional and enthusiastic.

What can Spoil Your Statement of Purpose (SOP)?

    • When crafting your statement of purpose ignore your essays and give the statement of purpose proper time to think and craft.
    • Do not ignore the word limit.
    • Do not try to hand over all the work to a professional or a teacher. Do consult them but you must be the sole responsible for the quality of writing.

Final Take on Writing your first Personal Statement:

During the whole procedure do check the official website of the institute you are interested in and rely on the guidelines provided there. The website will also help you in getting information about the documents that they require and want you to attach with the application. The required writing sample must be the one that is approved by your senior or teacher previously rather than a fresh one.

Tips to draft Statement of Purpose for the Undergraduate Applicants

The minimum word count should of Statement of Purpose (SOP) must be atleast 800 words. The points that must be touched in the statement of purpose are similar to the above ones. These include the reason for interest in the subject, the short and long-term educational goals, and the extra-curricular certificates. The work experience must include the job experience as well as the activities for the betterment of society. The ambition, enthusiasm, and abilities must be clearly depicted in the essay.

Tips to draft Statement of Purpose for Postgraduate applicants

The changes in the statement of purpose (SOP) for the postgraduate applicants are not very pronounced. The research area, its importance, and research plan must be included in the statement of purpose along with the points described above. The word count is the same and the work experience, goals, and future plan should also be part of it.

Statement of Purpose Sample:

I am applying for the Central European University, based on the reputation this University has in the academic community worldwide. I have also spoken to several alumni of your university. I am very interested in admission to the graduate program in Economics. I know that research programs in Economics are very diverse and this is the main reason why I prefer this university.

You can download the Personal Statement sample here.

Yousaf Saeed

I'm Dr. Engr. Yousaf Saeed, founder of the AScholarship Education Portal. My academic path includes 3 prestigious international scholarships — Australia Awards, CSC, and HKPFS — for my higher studies. I am also an IChemE affiliate whereas I've also worked for companies like Aramco and BYCO oil refinery as an production engineer at the start of my career. I completed MS, and PhD with major research publications in leading SCI journals (details on my Researchgate Profile). This aScholarship.com reflects my commitment to educating and therefore i started it for the purpose to guide aspiring international students for find scholarships for their higher education dream. As an experienced educator and mentor, I specialize in navigating the intricacies of research and patent and write useful articles on these topics too.