Introduction (about 100 words)
1. How you got interested in this field;
2. Some childhood memories that link you to the current interest – like a Mechanical engg would open up car to see what was inside them that made them run so fast, or either of the parent was in same profession, or your own intrinsic qualities – some children are curious, some like to write, some like to explore;
3. What program you want to do now and the university’s name – this sets the premises for the rest of the SOP to follow.
School Life (about 75 words)
1. A short para on outstanding achievements in school academically;
2. School’s name;
3. Which subjects you chose and why;
4. Marks in class X and Class XII;
5. How school life motivated you to take up this field of education at bachelor’s level.
University Life
Academics: (about 75 words)
1. Name of the college and the university it is affiliated to;
2. Key courses studied. Like for Mechanical it could be: Fluid Dynamics, Continuum Mechanics, Heat Transfer – what were the key learning from them;
3. Marks obtained.
Projects: (about 100 words)
1. Name of the project and the year they were taken up along with the names of the faculty under which they were done;
2. Details of the projects. Like what platform was used, what was the output/ outcome;
3. Any key features of the projects – what you created? Was it innovative? Anything which was path breaking;
4. What did you learn through these projects – practical application, perseverance, team work, analyzing lengthy data, thinking out of the box;
5. Any special accolades the projects got. Like third position in BAJA SAE, or the project is being implemented by the college authorities currently…
Internships: (about 100 words)
1. In which company, under which department and in which year;
2. Your role during the internship;
3. Any outstanding achievement – like you suggested something new which the company appreciated immensely;
4. Skills gained – like you learnt how the corporate world functions, got to understand the practical implementation of theories.
Co-curricular Activities: (about 75 words)
1. Participated in – technical fests, member of any technical society (like IEEE), conferences attended, publications.
Extra-curricular Activities & Volunteer Work: (about 75 words)
1. Participated in – sports, cultural event, painting, dance, music…
2. Member of NGO, NSS camps, Blood donation camps, Literacy Mission…
Work Experience (100 words)
1. Joined at which position, year, company and under which Dept. – career progress…did you get quick promotions or got an opportunity to work on live projects;
2. What have been your key roles and responsibilities;
3. What platforms you have worked on;
4. Any special contributions to the organization.
Career Objectives & Why Masters (about 75 words)
1. What you want to do in life – long term goals –should be very very clearly laid out - research…corporate…academician…own enterprise…--this is the backbone of your SOP and most of the student falter here…the university wants highly focused individuals who are very sure what they want to do – so be very precise with your future plans;
2. How an MS degree will help you—of course it will give you more knowledge and enhance your skills (this we all know!) – but how it relates to you – what aspects of this program you believe will aid you to achieve your goals. For example if you want to want to work in VLSI Design – then what is in the program that will take you closer to your goal – for this you will have to study the specific program in each university and then write it.
About the University (about 75 words)
1. Why you are choosing this university – recommended by seniors, teachers…or you are impressed with the ranking and reputation…say you have done a thorough research about the university;
2. Mention about the university’s faculty. Write names of the professors in your dept and also the kind of research work they are involved in;
3. Any special seminars/ conferences held on the campus vis-à-vis your program;
4. Infrastructure of the university;
5. Any other factor that attracts you – diversity of the student body, location. For these too, please read about the specific university and then write.
Conclusion (about 50 words)
1. Instead of writing a general conclusion … connect your end to the beginning…connect your last para to the first para – complete the story – your SOP should come full circle.