How to write a scholarship-winning SOP is a necessity for anyone looking to land a graduate position. Want to know how? Read on:
When applying for a scholarship or writing to a graduate professor, among the other documents you’ll provide is a Statement of Purpose. When a statement of purpose (SOP) is properly written, it can convince a graduate to consider your application.
In this article, we tell you why writing a proper statement of purpose is important and what the person granting the scholarship wants to see when reading your SOP. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive guide to help you with your SOP.
Table of Contents
What is a Statement of Purpose?
When applying for a graduate program, you might have come across a Statement of Purpose. Before you get on with writing it, what do you know about it?
When professors were asked what they looked out for in a statement of purpose (SOP), they mentioned 4 main parts. One is your research interests in your chosen field, your academic and professional preparation, and your career plans.
When writing, pour your heart out. Be specific when giving an example of each part of your SOP when writing. If you also have personal experience, it would be an awesome addition.
How to write a scholarship-winning SOP
You have to include some specific information when writing a statement of purpose. First, you have to explain why you want to study your course of choice. Then, use your skills and experience in the course. You can also discuss the process of obtaining a degree in your course of study.
If you’d love to know how to write a scholarship-winning SOP, let’s provide you with a step-by-step process on what to do.
What your statement of purpose should contain
In simple terms, your statement of purpose should contain your educational background, and achievements (educational and non-educational ones). You should also make sure the statement of purpose is properly structured to ensure its readability is okay.
Below is a simple guide to how you are supposed to structure your statement of results to keep your reader at the admissions officers glued.
- Introduction:
Just like every other letter you’d write, an introduction is also an integral part of a statement of purpose. Introduce who you are and give a good hook on what your driving force is in choosing your course of study. A good hook grabs your reader’s (professor or scholarship board) attention and lets them be interested in your SOP.
- Education and qualifications:
Write about your academic achievements. You can include your grades as well. You can also look at all of your skills with how you have applied them in real life. You should also let them know your specific area of study and why it’s your choice.
- Extracurricular activities:
Apart from sharing your academic performance and achievements, your admission officer will also want to know if you have other fun activities you participate in during your leisure time. This could be extracurricular activities like sports, volunteering, or other unrelated work experience.
- Closing paragraph:
A well-written closing paragraph will leave a long-lasting impression on your admissions officer. You can express how much you love your course of study. Also, write a summary of your skills and how relevant your contribution will be to the institution.
Some helpful tips to know on how to write a scholarship-winning SOP
These are some helpful tips shared by expert scholarship applicants. They’ll help you write the best and most scholarship-winning SOP.
- It’s always best to type out your SOP application on your laptop device. Your mobile devices have certain restrictions. Some formatting extensions, like Grammarly and Quilbot, do not work properly on mobile devices.
- Your statement of purpose shouldn’t exceed two pages, and you can either use 1.5 or 2.0 spacing.
- Avoid using AI to write your statement of purpose. It would sound so robotic, and these SOPs are usually spotted from afar.
- Title your header properly. Let it clearly state the graduate position you are applying for, the semester, the year, and your name. E.g. Statement of Purpose: Civil Engineering, Masters University of California (Fall 2025), Cynthia.
- Don’t fake any information because it might be verified, and if found false, it would be costly. You will be denied admission and probably blacklisted forever after applying to the school for a future role.
- Market your skills because this is more like a job application, and they’d rather employ someone capable.
- Don’t copy someone’s else’s SOP. Be original and unique. There’s no way someone’s experience can ever fit into yours.
- Save your SOP as a PDF before submitting along with your other documents.
Conclusion
By now, you must have learned how to write a scholarship-winning SOP. You are one step closer to securing either a fully funded or partially funded scholarship. Get your laptop and pour out your heart. Don’t forget to include all of the recommendations discussed in the article.
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