Source- linguamarina

The definition of Statement of Purpose or SOP states that it is a letter or long essay which is asked by the universities abroad talking about the student’s motivation, career life, goals and other personal information about the student. 

What should be included in an SOP?

It is usually of 1000 words, the university can ask you different questions based on your SOP or ask you to simply present your SOP. The things SOP should include are:

1. Goals
2. Career Plans
3. The personal motivation which has lead you to chose that certain college
4. How you will achieve your goal

All the other documents hold a lot of importance like your academic score and your work experience etc. but SOP is something specially designed for students to express themselves and stand out from the crowd. It is very critical to your admission along with the other documents which are inspected.

SOP is like an introduction to the outer world. You write about your ambitions and goals in it followed by your aspirations, hobbies, expectations, talent. If we see the university’s perspective, they require students who’re dedicated and sorted and not just the students who are eligible to pay fees.

How to write an SOP?

1. The first and foremost question that comes forward when you’re writing an SOP is of the stream. For instance, SOP for MS and MBA will be very different and with different formats, so it is important to keep in mind of which stream you’re writing about as there is a myriad of courses available to students after 12th.
2. SOP should be a piece of writing which makes you unique from the others and don’t mistake it with a resume, it is advisable to take your time and write it in a day or two.
3. To start off, make a list of things you want to include in your SOP, it could include both your short-term and long-term goals.
4. The next step is to choose the theme of your SOP which means the sequence of your thought process and how you wish to design it.
5. The next step is editing what you’ve written which will need the previous list you’ve made. It will bring to you the questions about what you’ve to include in your SOP and what not to. The next step is to research about the university you’re going to apply in and writing various interesting things about the university creates a positive impact on the reader, also including the point why you want to join that particular college.
6. The last step is to finalize your document by editing it or re-writing it, it is advised not to submit your first draft, try to make it your best piece of writing.
7. Some other tips are to check that your grammar is flawless, the words are used carefully, highlight your extra-curricular activities and rewards as it adds up a positive impact, don’t copy your SOP from any website, write it in the first person, keep it crisp and tidy below or maximum to 1000 words.

What is an SOP for Australia?

Australia is a country which asks for an SOP before taking admissions in universities across the expanse of the country; it is like an insight of the students they’re willing to take. It creates a picture of the student he or she is like.

How to write an SOP for Australia?

A good SOP will take you to the final round along the thousands of students who’ve applied. As mentioned above, it is one of the deciding factors to select a candidate for the university. The SOP should start well (you can start with a popular quote or a universal fact to leave a powerful impact to the readers from the university).

Next comes the formulation stage, which speaks about various aspects of your life, some of which are already mentioned above. Here are some extra points:

Along with your academic journey and motivation for taking up the particular course in that college you need to add your work experience in all those years, it can include the internships or jobs, if any, and what you have learned from them

The Australian Universities focus more on holistic development. Hence, it is always good to mention if you’ve done any volunteering work in a mission, non – profit organization, etc. which gives a positive reflection on your personality and a superior reason to choose you as an applicant.

As Australia is one of the top countries to extend overseas education, stating your reasons of preference to choose Australia gives them a chance to realize that you will make the most from the country and the course.

Next comes the conclusion, it should be brief reflecting your promise to dedicate to the course wholeheartedly along with showing up your talent and taking part in other co-curricular activities and making their university proud. The guidelines remain pretty same which is not to copy SOP along with having a formal style of writing, taking a good time to write SOP as it may need a lot of editing and changes before the final draft is ready.

There are different fields in which SOP is written:

How to write an SOP for MBA in Australia?

There are many people who wish to pursue MBA abroad. Along with your entrance and English proficiency exam scores like GMAT, GRE and TOEFL, IELTS, your resume, etc., this is something that goes hand in hand. None of the above-mentioned elements tell why you would want to do MBA from that country or college. This is where the SOP comes into force for giving an insight about why you want to pursue MBA and what your ambitions are.

An SOP for MBA is usually spread out in paragraphs but you can take the following points as guidelines:

1. What’s your background?
2. Why choose MBA?
3. Why do you think the particular university is “the one” for you?

How to write an SOP for MS in Australia?

As we know writing SOP for different streams is very different, for MS the basic guidelines remain the same more or less which are as follows:

1. Prepare a list of your achievements which are related to your MS course.
2. There is a big difference between SOP for MBA and MS. In a MBA SOP, you will talk about your professional goals, job experience, etc., while in the case of MS you write about your zeal to learn more and not only your professional career.
3. It is very important to stick to the word limit of the SOP which is 1000 words maximum. As mentioned above, it is also important to research about the university you’re joining in.

How to write an SOP for Information Technology?

1. The guidelines of this field also remain pretty much the same along with the love for science and choosing the field of IT
2. As IT is all about new innovations to make people’s life easier, you can talk about your innovative ideas and changes you wish to see in the world and how you want to change it, through digital means.
3. You can also include your experience about joining various computer classes and what you’ve learned from them.

How to write an SOP for Accounting?

The SOP for accounting remains pretty similar to that of MBA. You can write about your interest in this particular subject.

How to write an SOP for Mechanical Engineering?

1. This SOP corresponds to the SOP of information technology as the 2 fields are quite interrelated where you can write about your interest in that particular subject and university
2. You can also write your passion towards the stream of engineering.

How to write an SOP for Nursing?

1. Being a very different field, the SOP is written will be in a different manner wherein you can write about why you want to help people heal and what good do you see in putting yourself into the service of others.
2. As Australia has 10 of the best universities out of the 50 from all over the world. You could write about why you want to join that particular institute.

How to write an SOP for Project Management?

1. It has been an emerging field in which colleges are still evaluating the new subjects they can put under this course. If you’re good at managing tasks, this is your right choice.
2. The SOP will also revolve around what you expect from this course and what you can add to its subject overall.

How to write an SOP for Hotel Management?

1. Hotel management is an emerging field with a high scope in Australia.
2. The SOP should include your cooking skills and your interest in greeting people and passion to experiment with new dishes and styles of the table.

How to write an SOP for Civil Engineering?

1. This SOP will correspond to mechanical engineering or IT wherein you mention your interest in the subject followed by the type of knowledge you’re expecting to get from the course.
2. The rest of the guidelines remain the same as above.

So, after going through what is necessary to add in an SOP for a specific field, we will move on to the main part of an SOP that is writing SOP for Student Visa which is the most important aspect of obtaining the visa for Australia. It is important to note that this writing an SOP is merely the first step of the process. The visa interview still has to be cleared.

How to Write an SOP for Student Visa in Australia?

The SOP for student visa also has an analogous format for what we’ve seen before i.e. introduce yourself, write about your hobbies, about your family, your employment history and the reason why you wish to study in Australia, now in this case you need to write about Australia as a whole and not any particular university or stream. Things you can include in your reasons are:

1. Reasons for choosing Australia for your higher education instead of your home country
2. Provide a comparative study of the reasons and ways in which Australia is superior in education compared to your country
3. Also, you could write about the other advantages of Australian universities like the flexibility of time, work, a variety of tasks to absorb, etc.
4. The cultural exchange is an important part of getting into a college in Australia.  You can write the merits of the things and talent you can learn and experience there.
5. Don’t mention things like preferring Australia over other countries because of the suggestion your friends gave or the fact that your extended family lives there.
6. You can also mention a comparative study about the countries and universities shortlisted and then coming to a conclusion that why this country was your final destination on various aspects.
7. Some of the points which you can add are the guaranteed work placements the universities give there after your degree is completed, some selected college courses that give you dual degrees or qualifications, etc.
8. It can be possible that the course you want to study is not available in your country and you want to come to Australia to achieve your goals.
9. Finance and living arrangements are one of the major issues students face when they opt for abroad education which can be rectified by taking up various scholarships if you are a bright pupil. You write in your SOP about the arrangements you will make if you have to study in Australia, it can be living in your relatives home or some other arrangement, mention that and about your scholarships if any. Read updates about the prestigious Rhodes scholarship. Scholarships and other forms of financial aid are influential elements of a student’s profile.
10. You may write about your future plans around the end of your SOP followed by your declaration that you accept and understand all the Australian visa rights, obligation, policies, education system, and other things that are related to immigration and other aspects.
11. Conclude your SOP with an attractive sentence and attach your name and contact details along with it.

Australia is a dream destination for any student should they get a chance to study or work there. The country’s economy holds a lot of promise for educated professionals in all fields of vocation and employment. In addition to this, with the strict recent immigration policies of United States of America panned across the world, other countries like Australia and Germany are insistent on presenting their countries as global destinations, not just for tourism or entertainment, but for educational and employment purposes, too. Such moves have resulted in universities across the world yearning for a large presence of an international student body. This is likely to increase a cultural exchange of knowledge, opinions, and ideas among various countries in the world in this age of globalization. Read about the unique AdmitKard Student-Mentor Program tailored specifically for Australia.

Thus, writing a good SOP can be the key to that lock wherein you get into your dream university in the country.

Also Visit:

1. Statement of Purpose – Complete Overview
2. Statement of Purpose – SOP Samples
3. Statement of Purpose – SOP Format
4. Statement of Purpose – Writing Tips
5. Statement of Purpose – Editing Services