The statement of purpose is a prime document for graduate school applications. Like the application form, copies of academic transcripts, CV, and others, an admission committee’s decision to approve or deny an applicant’s admission would depend on how well this statement meets their expectations.
However, unlike the others, the statement of purpose also referred to as a personal statement, is the only avenue an applicant has to interact with the committee personally.
This is the applicant’s chance to communicate their academic and professional interests, life aspirations, intended commitment to the school & program’s development, and personality most lucidly and originally.
6 Best practices for writing a statement of purpose
While a statement of purpose should be unique and based on an applicant’s personal disposition, certain best practices must be adopted while writing this crucial statement. Some of them include:
Parts of the statement
A statement of purpose should start with a captivating introduction, and then extend to the body – where you discuss your relevant experiences and future career goals. It should also contain your reasons for choosing the school & program rather than the many other alternatives. Finally, you can conclude by reiterating your accomplishments and experiences while briefly summarizing the additional information highlighted.
Length
The general rule is that a statement of purpose mustn’t exceed a single page. Admission officers advise that it be between 700-1000 words and spaced correctly in the margins with sizable fonts for easy readability.
Writing tone
While you must write this statement formally, it should be conversational, friendly, and captivating. Furthermore, it should be entirely void of intentional jokes.
Uniqueness
Every student’s letter is expected to be unique; your statement to a university must be unique. If you apply to more than one university, ensure that the various statements of purpose are entirely distinctive – written to suit the institution’s values, culture, methodologies, motto, and vision.
Specificity and details
The statement of purpose is the admission officer’s opportunity actually to hear you. Hence while writing it, ensure it’s appropriately detailed and precise. Your past experiences, accomplishments, and other information must be accurate, quantitatively clear, and specific.
Check the university’s guidelines.
Some universities have specific standards for this statement. Thus, irrespective of how adequately articulated and perfect it seems, if these basic guidelines are not adhered to, the entire statement and application will end a futile effort. University guidelines are often on – word count, spacing, fonts, etc.
Questions your statement of purpose should answer.
Top universities receive countless requests for postgraduate admission annually, and only the best are reciprocated with an offer letter.
The admission committee’s decision is dependent on the cumulative suitability of all the documents presented. However, a lot of that depends on the answers they get from your statement of purpose.
Common questions admission officers seek an answer to include:
- Why did you choose this degree, school, and country out of the many other alternatives?
- What relevant experiences, accomplishments, and values do you intend to add to society after your studies?
- How do you intend to add value to this university if you are admitted?
- What are your expectations from the faculty members, program, and school?
- What do you know about our school, country, and the course you’ve applied for?
- We would love to know more about you; what are your interests, hobbies, and life aspirations?
The statement of purpose should be on a single page, with readable fonts and simple but straightforward answers to these questions.
The step-by-step process for writing a great statement of purpose
There is no universally correct way of doing this, but brainstorming – writing – editing – and proofreading work right.
The following steps will definitely end with a great statement of purpose.
- Source for samples of successful applicants: you can search the internet for this.
- Brainstorm, and gather relevant information on your experiences, accomplishments, aspirations, choice of course/school, etc.
- Research thoroughly about the program and school you are applying to.
- Write down your answers to “the questions your statement of purpose should answer”
- Read the samples, and write the first draft of your statement, integrating the answers to those questions and other relevant information.
- Edit your content, and modify it while ensuring that the tone and information provided are correct.
- Take a break, edit again, and proofread it. Applicants who can’t afford professional proofreaders are advised to use mobile apps to ensure the content is entirely void of grammatical errors.
- Send your statement of purpose.
Conclusion
Like every other document required for admission, a statement of purpose must be written to provide all the information needed by admission officers in a concise, formal, captivating, and original way. By preparing all the relevant information, integrating them into a relatable statement, editing, and carefully proofreading it, any student would have primarily increased their chances of admission with a great statement of purpose.
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