Tell A Captivating Story About Yourself Through Your SOP

How do SOPs and Storytelling go hand-in-hand? 

Intrigued, are you? Wondering why to talk about a story in something as serious and crucial as a Statement of Purpose? But a story where the central character is the authentic ‘You’, etched with ink on paper, can be your best first impression on the Admission Board reviewing your University Application. In most foreign university admission processes, you do not get the chance of a personal interview with the Admission Managers. An original statement of purpose can establish a connection with the reviewers by introducing your life, ideologies, and motivation in a way that makes you stand out amongst myriad other applicants and their SOPs. If they are impressed with your narration, not only would you get accepted as a student, but may also get an entrance scholarship to boot. 

Importance of SOPs

A Statement of Purpose or SOP is integral to your university application. It is your only chance to communicate everything about yourself, your choices and the reasons for such choices to the university admission team. The SOP highlights your personality beyond your academic achievements, emphasizing why the admission board should consider you suitable to be accepted into the cohort. Your GPA cannot showcase your ambition or career goals. But a well-written SOP can do so in such a way that also exhibits your originality and hold over the language. Even academically brilliant students may face rejection on the grounds that their personality traits do not match the standards of the school or program. And all because such students did not attempt to tell a compelling story about themselves through their SOPs.

Components of an ideal SOP

Now that we have established why SOPs are important for your admission decision, let us see what elements go into them. 

• Introduction – First and foremost is your introduction that build up on your interests and inclinations and how these have shaped you. 
• Academic & Professional Achievements – Second, your academic & professional achievements and how those have led to the current choice of program. 
• Extracurricular Achievements – Third, your co-curricular and extra-curricular accomplishments. 
• Reasons for choosing the course & university – Fourth, an explanation of why you wish to pursue the program at the university you are applying for and why this specific destination for abroad studies. 
• Career Goals & How the applied course will assist to meet these goals – Fifth, your career goal and how you propose to utilize the qualification you hope to acquire at the university. 

Finally, conclude by connecting all the dots mentioned in each section with your personality in the introduction, thus creating a complete picture that tells how you are a worthy candidate for receiving a letter of acceptance from the university.

How to write an impressive SOP

Here are some time-tested strategies that work well while composing an out-of-the-box SOP, ensuring admission to the program of your choice.

• To write an impressive SOP, plan well while keeping in mind all the elements that need to go in there, followed by creating a draft, and finally, editing it to eliminate grammatical errors, improper usage of language and cliches. 
• Write a strong storyline about what motivated you to make the relevant choices for your admission application. The reviewers should feel an emotional connection to your narrative that compels them to remember your SOP even after going through thousands of others. Ensure to include measurable elements in your story, like how you led a team of fellow students to help your high school organize a charity event, drawing X-number of crowds to raise a Y-sum of funds for a specific cause. As you add specifics like figures to your story, it becomes more believable and more impactful. Highlighting experiences – volunteering or professional, projects undertaken, or any other accomplishments, and weaving them into your narrative takes your persona above and beyond the academic records and GPA.
• Rather than listing your strengths directly and making them sound identical to other SOPs, write simple, short anecdotes that beautifully bring out those particular aspects of your character. 
• Write the reasons why you chose to pursue the specific program you are applying for. Do not jot down vague statements like “I wish to help the world” or “I love this subject”. Justify your dream with specific reasoning. If you are applying for a program in Sustainability Management, explain how misuse of potable water disturbs you and how you want to research actionable ways to enforce conservation.
• Likewise, explain the precise reasons why you want to be a part of the university you are applying to. This will exhibit your understanding of the institution’s unique culture, the specialties of its student community and whether you will be able to blend in the environment while leaving a significant mark. To be able to provide details in your SOP to this extent, you need to research the university and the program very well. So, if you are applying to multiple universities, you must customize your SOPs as many times.
• If you have a gap year or any other issue in your candidature, like a low GPA or entrance test score, do not attempt to whitewash it. Instead, acknowledge the issue honestly, sparing a few lines about what led to it, underlining your takeaway from the situation. The key is to make the reviewers empathize with you and feel that you are an optimistic learner.
• Elaborate on your career goals, outlining your plan after graduating with the degree you are applying to – whether you wish to continue education, gain employment or start an entrepreneurial venture. This will show your focus and how you can contribute to the university and the society post qualification as a responsible alumnus and a potential representative of the institution.
• Conclude your narrative after reinstating your purpose and the reason why you chose the university while referring subtly to your introductory story, tying everything together with your career goal. 

Pitfalls to avoid while writing your SOP

Foreign education aspirants make several rookie mistakes while writing their SOPs that can put a brake to their dream to secure admission at a university abroad. Read along to avoid them while writing yours.

• Follow university guidelines – Universities usually specify the word limit for SOPs, and other formatting details. Some even list the exact information they want in the essay. It is unwise to ignore these specifications while composing/ editing your SOP. In case, the university doesn’t specify a word limit, do not go overboard with your writing – limit your SOP to 800 – 1500 words.
• Be Real, do not exaggerate – In the zeal to impress the Admission Board, do not exaggerate about your skills, experiences, qualities, etc. Remember that university officials are seasoned at reviewing SOPs and can tell a fake from the authentic. An adverse impression can ruin your chances of securing a seat in your preferred university. So, highlight those features of your candidature that you can support with documented evidence.
• Plagiarism, A Big No – Do not resort to plagiarism at any cost. Not even a quote from someone else. The university wants to know you through your SOP and not read some run-of-the-mill essay copied from elsewhere. Present the true you in as crisp a language as possible while maintaining a conversational tone throughout.
• Unique SOP for each university – Do not submit one generic SOP to every university you apply to. Your SOPs should be customized every time you submit them, backed by thorough research into each program and university that you apply to. The reviewers should realize that you have taken the pains to study the school and the program before composing your essay. 
• Check for spelling & grammatical errors before submitting – Avoid spelling and grammatical errors in your SOP. All your hard work goes down the drain because of an inadvertent spelling mistake or bad grammar. Edit repeatedly before you get the draft you are happy with and even after that, make sure to seek feedback from the people you trust. Better still, get your SOP reviewed by experienced study-abroad consultants like the crew at UniApplica to get unbiased feedback and guidance.
• Give SOP your valuable time – Finally, do not put off writing your SOP till the last minute. The entire process of telling a compelling story without going overboard, including all the relevant details and ensuring that the piece is edited well, takes time. Give your SOP the due time it deserves.

At UniApplica, our seasoned counsellors can guide you in telling your story through the SOP you write. Speak to us today to put together a winning application that will launch you into your overseas education journey.