The SOP, an essay of specified length which brings out your academic and professional background and achievements, is a uniquely important document. It is a crucial element of your application for MS/PhD programs in American universities.
The SOP, and other application documents such as your application form, standardized test scores, transcripts and recommendation letters, provide essential inputs that admissions committees use to assess your suitability as a candidate for a particular program. Each document has a fairly definite role in the committee’s final decision.. Application forms, test scores and transcripts are standard documents. But the SOP and the recommendation letters have a great influence on the admission decision.
The recommendation letter, which will be discussed in a later post, carries weight because it is ideally written by someone who knows the field and also knows you. The SOP, however, is an essay written by you. As such, it bears the stamp of your personality and writing skills. As the name indicates, the Statement of Purpose discusses what you intend to do in your professional life, but it does not end there. Your SOP should be a highly analytical document which clearly demonstrates your need for higher education and, equally important, why the particular university is an appropriate choice to meet your needs. This requires that you have a clear vision of:
- your career goals
- how you have taken the first steps towards achieving them in your education so far and
- what other concrete steps you propose to take in your MS/PhD program – these might be in the form of advanced or new courses, or research in specific topics of your interest
Throughout the essay you will have to keep in focus both your learning goals and how higher education will help you to achieve them.
This requirement for clarity about goals means that you should have a clear focus in your SOP. Thus, you can elaborate on your interests in specific areas such as Operating Systems, Embedded Systems and Thermodynamics. However, the focus can be also be on broad fields such as Mechanical Engineering, or Electrical Engineering. Your undergraduate studies should enable you to intelligently discuss the importance of a few sub-areas in the subject of your choice, and illustrate the scope for higher level work in them.
A well written SOP conveys at once to the reader your intellectual caliber, your commitment to the subject and your awareness of the current state in your field. It fills the gaps in the information provided by the standardized documents mentioned above. It also conveys things about you which no standardized document can convey adequately: among other things, your depth of knowledge, your love for the subject and your ability to communicate his knowledge clearly.
Any good university has to make a final selection of students from the pool of candidates who meet their basic criteria regarding academic background, GRE score and previous research experience. The SOP brings out the qualitative aspects of the work a student has done and his or her personal traits. And here is where the great importance of the SOP lies: a good SOP makes the difference between otherwise equally well qualified candidates. It effectively brings out your understanding of the field, your preparation for higher studies and research in that field and your achievements in that field. If your aim is getting into a good university, it is well-worth spending time on preparing an SOP that is excellent. It could make the difference between a reject and that coveted admission.
Related Links
According to preliminary data for Fall 2012 US graduate school applications statistics, it shows that overall applications from Indian students are up by 2%. But whats also interesting is, applications to graduate programs in US from China are up 14%. Which means expect more competition from your Chinese peers for your admits, and if you get admit, expect more competition for Jobs.(Although that market is recovering fast!).
Complete results are not out yet, which should be out around June. Among other findings by the survey for graduate school applications statistics for international students, conducted by Council of Graduate Schools, applications growth from India is as follows:
2009: -12%
2010: 1%
2011: 8%
2012: 2%
Overall, its in sync with how economy is moving, but far behind growth from Chinese applicants!
There is a meetup happening for Pune MIS Meet for Fall 2012 Applicants. Here is the facebook event page for more details:
https://www.facebook.com/events/300243333379525/
We support such initiatives, so if you are arranging future meetups, let us know if we can help.
Disclaimer : Dilip Oak’s Academy is not organizing or arranging this event. However we support student initiatives.
We have assembled US university application deadlines for spring 2013 semester. Here are 99 universities with application deadlines from June to December for the Spring 2013 semester.
Universities with Deadlines in June
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County – 1-Jun
- University of South Florida, Tampa – 1-Jun
- Texas Tech University – 15-Jun
Universities with Deadlines in July
- Florida Institute of Technology – 1-Jul
- University of Pittsburgh – 1-Jul
- Washington State University, Pullman – 1-Jul
- North Carolina State University – 15-Jul
- University of Illinois, Chicago – 15-Jul
- University of Rhode Island, Kingston – 12-Jul
Universities with Deadlines in August
- University of Michigan, Dearborn – 1-Aug
- Kansas State University – 1-Aug
- North Dakota State University, Fargo – 1-Aug
- Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo – 1-Aug
- Wichita State University – 1-Aug
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – 15-Aug
- South Dakota School of Mines & Tech – 15-Aug
- South Dakota State University, Brookings – 15-Aug
- University of Kentucky, Lexington – 15-Aug
Universities with Deadlines in September
- Florida International University – 1-Sep & 1-Oct
- Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago – 1-Sep with Funding 15-Oct without Funding
- East Carolina University – 1-Sep
- George Washington University – 1-Sep
- Indiana University, Bloomington – 1-Sep
- Lamar University – 1-Sep
- Mississippi State University – 1-Sep
- Oakland University, Rochester – 1-Sep
- University of Nebraska, Lincoln – 1-Sep
- University of Oklahoma, Norman – 1-Sep
- University of Texas, Dallas – 1-Sep
- University of Texas, San Antonio – 1-Sep
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University – 1-Sep
- California State University, Chico – 15-Sep
- Northeastern University, Boston – 15-Sep
- Texas A & M University, Kingsville – 15-Sep
- Tufts University – 15-Sep
- University of North Carolina, Greensboro – 15-Sep
- University of North Texas, Denton – 15-Sep
- University of Texas, Arlington – 15-Sep
- California State University, Fresno – 30-Sep
- California State University, Northridge – 30-Sept Online, 31-Oct Doc
Universities with Deadlines in October
- Northern Illinois University, DeKalb – 1- Oct
- Tennessee Technological University – 1- Oct
- California State University, Long Beach – 1-Oct Online, 15-Oct Doc
- Indiana University Purdue University – 1-Oct with & without Funding
- University of Detroit, Mercy – 1-Oct
- Eastern Michigan University – 1-Oct
- Illinois State University, Normal – 1-Oct
- Minnesota State University, Mankato – 1-Oct
- Oklahoma State University, Still Water – 1-Oct
- Old Dominion University, Norfolk – 1-Oct
- Oregon State University, Corvallis – 1-Oct
- Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville – 1-Oct
- State University of New York, Stony Brook – 1-Oct
- Stevens Institute of Technology – 1-Oct
- University of Colorado, Denver – 1-Oct
- University of Houston, University Park – 1-Oct
- University of Idaho, Moscow – 1-Oct
- University of Iowa, Iowa City – 1-Oct
- University of Louisiana, Lafayette – 1-Oct
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst – 1-Oct
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas – 1-Oct
- University of North Carolina, Charlotte – 1-Oct
- University of Texas, El Paso – 1-Oct
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville – 1-Oct
- West Virginia University, Morgan Town – 1-Oct
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute – 1-Oct
- Duke University – 15-Oct
- Texas State University – 15-Oct
- University of Georgia – 15-Oct
- Villanova University – 15-Oct
- California State University, Fullerton – 17-Oct
- California State University, Los Angeles – 31-Oct
Universities with Deadlines in November
- Florida State University – 1-Nov
- Monmouth University – 1-Nov
- Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Brooklyn – 1-Nov
- Portland State University – 1-Nov
- University of Louisville, Louisville – 1-Nov
- University of Miami, Coral Gables – 1-Nov
- University of South Carolina, Columbia – 1-Nov
- University of Utah, Salt Lake City – 1-Nov
- University of Wyoming, Laramie – 1-Nov
- Vanderbilt University – 1-Nov
- Arkansas State University – 14-Nov
- Marquette University – 15-Nov
- New Jersey Institute of Technology – 15-Nov
- University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth – 15-Nov
- Marist College, Poughkeepsie – 30-Nov
- Southern Methodist University – 30-Nov
Universities with Deadlines in December
- Lehigh University – 1-Dec
- Louisiana Tech University, Ruston – 1-Dec
- New York Institute of Technology – 1-Dec
- University of Houston, Clear Lake – 1-Dec
- University of South Alabama, Mobile – 1-Dec
- University of Southern California – 1-Dec
- Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla – 15-Dec
Universities with Other Deadlines
- Florida Atlantic University – 1 year before
- Wright State University, Dayton – Rolling
- University of Toledo – Rolling
Those numbers are important because they are part of the changes that make Analytical Writing (earlier called the Analytical Writing Measure) trickier and more demanding on the Revised General GRE,which was released in August last year.
So, what are the changes? Firstly as noted above, the essay section is now called just Analytical Writing (or AW for short). The ETS has been making changes in various aspects of the GRE test to make it more like the GMAT. This is one of them. The second is that the Issue Essay is now just for 30 minutes rather than 45 as earlier. This again, makes the GRE more like the GMAT.
But the ‘6’ and ‘8’ are part of a feature that is entirely unique to the Analytical Writing section of the Revised General GRE test. The numbers come in because now instead of one question type for the Issue Essay, you now have 6, and instead of one question type for the Argument Essay you now have 8. Each of the question types directs the test-taker to do or comment on something very specific relating to the given topic – and in their introductory material the ETS repeatedly states that test-takers should follow the specific directions given for the topic, so obviously it is important that you better know exactly what each question type demands and also how to meet the specific requirements.
To find out more official information about this from the ETS visit the following link:
http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about/content/analytical_writing
For our perspective, wait for our upcoming blogs on the Issue and Argument Tasks. Till then, happy hunting as you check out the ETS’s requirements for the tweaked and tricky AW section!
Related Links
GRE Overview:
- Revised GRE Overview
- Challenges in the Verbal Section of the Revised GRE
- Reading Comprehension and Sentence Completion Questions: Tips
- Quantitative Reasoning Question Type Overview
- Analytical Writing Overview
GRE Practical Details:
- Registering for, Rescheduling and Cancelling Your GRE Test
- Getting Additional GRE Score Reports
- Selecting Which Scores the ETS Should Send to Universities