What to Write in Your MS SoP
MS or Master of Science is a postgraduate degree in the scientific fields of study. It usually takes two to three years for the successful completion of an MS course, but some universities also offer a one-year long master's program. International universities offer a varied range of courses at the MS level, some of which are oriented mainly towards a professional outlook, providing students with the necessary knowledge in the applied fields of their particular disciplines.
The international universities have different admission procedures than the ones you might be used to. For submission of the admission application to the international university of your choice, you must go through a series of steps and complete each one of them. The necessary documents for the admission process in the universities abroad are the academic transcripts verifying the successful completion of your previous courses of study, letters of recommendations from your previous teachers or professors, examination scores (GRE), English language proficiency scores (IELTS/TOEFL), and a statement of purpose (SoP).
The SoP is perhaps the most crucial of all the documents needed for applying to MS courses in the universities abroad. It is evaluated with a lot of importance by the admission panel in the overseas universities as it gives them insightful information about who you are and what you intend to achieve in life. That is why it is very important to write your MS SoP with great care, highlighting important points that will make it shine through the thousands of applications that the international universities receive for their MS programs each year.
What is an MS SoP?
A statement of purpose for MS in universities abroad is essentially a personal document written by the aspirant that delineates their backgrounds, experiences in life, academic and professional goals and reasons for selecting an MS course at the concerned university. Among the other documents required for admission into the desired university in the MS program of your choice, the SoP is the one written by you, giving you the opportunity of showing the admission panel how the facts and grades in the academic transcripts as well your professional experience has enriched you and what you are beyond them. An impressively composed SoP earns several brownie points with the universities abroad, giving you the opportunity to study the MS course of your dreams at your desired university.
The SoP for MS should be fun to read, filled with interesting anecdotes and personal stories, connecting your academic and professional development with your growth as a person. Usage of active verbs, narrating your story in active voice and taking help of concrete nouns and sensory details assist you in composing a refreshing SoP for MS.
What to include in the SoP for MS?
There are usually no interviews for the MS programs in the international universities, so your SoP is the gateway to knowing who you are. Compose it in a way that portrays you in the best light using crisp and short sentences, dynamic phrases and a formal yet conversational tone. Always remember that the ideal word count for a well-composed SoP is from 800 to 1200 words. Including the key points about your personal, academic and professional life is thus of utmost importance while writing your SoP for MS programs. The most important points that you must include in the SoP are discussed in brief below.
Academic history and goals
In the introductory section, discuss your past academics and the key features of the specialised disciplines of study that piqued your interest. This section should also include what your academic goals are, that is, what you wish to learn from the MS course at the university of your choice. This section should reflect your sound knowledge on the nuances of your particular discipline, so try to be as detailed and specific as possible. Delineate you academic pursuits so far and what you want to achieve through your academics, like whether you want a professional career or are more drawn towards research and many such factors regarding you academic goals should make their way into your SoP through this section.
Past research or professional experience
For almost all MS courses abroad, it is important to have a history of undertaking research in the course of academics previously or to have relevant professional experience, in some cases. Your SoP should have a detailed segment concerning all past research undertaken or all projects you have been a part of during your previous academics. It is important to describe the exact nature and scope of research along with research techniques adopted to solve the research problem. The significant breakthroughs while conducting the research and the lessons you learnt from the entire process should also be included in this section.
Professional goals
It is imperative to include your professional goals and career objectives in your SoP for MS. As master’s students are at the threshold of their professional career on completion of their study programs, it is important for the admission panel to know what your goals concerning your career are. Here too, being specific is of utmost importance; clearly detailing the career path you want your life to take and where you wish to see yourself in five years from the completion of your MS program should be mentioned in this section. You can include inspirations drawn from enriching experiences you have had in life or the turning points that drove you towards setting a specific professional goal to make your SoP lively.
Your story
Mentioning personal motivations for wanting to study a particular MS program or wanting a certain career on completion of studies is also very important for writing the SoP. This section gives the admission panel an opportunity to delve deep into your personality, inspirations, hobbies, interests and other aspects about you that help them determine the kind of person your academics and professional goals have made you. Telling the admission panel about the personal reasons that drive you to pursue the MS course at the concerned university is thus essential.
Purpose of pursuing MS at the university of choice
Delineating your academic goals, setting career objectives and mentioning the key inspirations in your life gives way to another crucial segment in the MS SoP: the reasons why you chose the particular university to study at an MS program. In order to satisfyingly compose this part of the SoP, you need to research extensively on the university and the MS program it offers. State your reasons specifically because saying that it is a reputed university is not enough for this part. Here, you also have to mention how you feel it will be an enriching experience for you to be part of the student community at the concerned university and how you will add to the mixed bag.
Other aspects of your life that you feel will enlighten the admission panel on your personality and academic interests should also be mentioned in the SoP. Some of these might be the positions of responsibility you have been in, seminars and conferences that brought you insightful knowledge on your discipline and beyond and all such factors that have helped shape your personality should ideally be a part of the MS SoP.
Since the SoP for MS is a personal statement, include the points discussed above to stand out from the crowd and make the admission panel sit up and take notice. With a stellar SoP, you can have a genuine chance of achieving your dream of pursuing your preferred MS course at the overseas university of choice.
