Ramani K. Raman

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Step 1: Composing

I have had the horrible luck of having to compose SoP on three separate occasions. Every time, I found that I had to overcome a great deal of inertia to start writing. I went into an infinite loop of trying to phrase my SoP in the mind and feeling dejected at the fact that it wasn't shaping up nicely. The result was that I was stuck even before I started!

So I would advice you to start off by just taking a pen and paper and continuously writing whatever that enters your head. Choose a secluded location free from any disturbance and go on a writing spree. Writing the first lines will be hard. Come to accept the fact that your first draft will probably be laughable! Don’t expect perfection - infact don't even expect mediocrity. The first draft will be horrendous and the delivery will be stuttered, repetitive, and long-winded. But fear not. The idea behind this exercise is to jot down in writing all your thoughts - relevant as well as irrelevant ones. You can pick and choose your points later - but first - at least jot them down! This work is equivalent to procuring the block of stone which you will sculpt in the coming weeks.

When you are writing the very first draft, keep the following points in mind and try to incorporate answers for these.

• Why are you interested in XYZ subject?

• The experiences that shaped your love for the subject / interest in pursuing graduate studies.

• Details of any projects you might have carried out: The aim, Your specific duties, any results obtained or insights gained?

• Any specific area of interest? If so, why?

• What do you plan to do with your graduate degree? What are you life goal / ambitions? How does this degree help you achieve that?

• Why do you want to apply to this university? How is this university going to be different for you from the hordes of other places that offer similar courses?

Try to answer all these questions. Dont worry about the word limit and stretch the essay as much as you can. The idea behind this is to not let any restrictions inhibit your thoughts and writing. Once you have everything written down in paper, you can then start the process of examining the content, removing superfluous comments, delete repetitive thoughts and give a cogent and concise look to the document.

! Note of Warning ! I would strongly advise you against peeping at other sample SoPs right at the start.  Looking at a few sample SoPs of seniors and friends to get an idea of how to write a good SoP may seem a good idea at first. But I would advocate against it for two reasons:

• Peeping at others SoP will definitely hinder your own individuality. After looking at two or three SoPs, you will tend to copy some style you might have liked, or use phrases you saw in one of these. This is subconscious - even if you don't intend doing it, it will happen! So the best way to avoid is to not let yourself get influenced by others thinking or their SoP.

• There is no "prescribed formula" for an SoP. There are no rules as to how you should or should not write an SoP. An approach your friend takes may suit him / her - but may not necessarily suit your personality and application. So don't worry about sticking to some "format" - there are none!

However, after having penned your own thoughts, scanning SoPs later may prove very useful while refining your SoP. We shall see about this in Step 3.

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