Writing an SOP for University Admissions: Don’t Imitate. Get Inspired Instead

A Statement of Purpose or SOP is addressed to the admission committee of UK universities. Through the document, students try to convey to the authorities that they are apt for the chosen course. The more meaningful it is, the higher is your chance of getting enrolled. In fact, if the piece is interesting enough, you might land a decent scholarship as well.

However, 99% of all letters have similar structure and content. Students tend to edit statements of their friends and seniors. This makes it generic and cuts down on the uniqueness. You must strive for originality to impress the admission officials in these institutions, who wade through thousands of such SOPs from submitted by deserving candidates worldwide.

Have a look at the few techniques that will help you write a brilliant statement of purpose and grab the seat at your dream graduate school.

Use a Plagiarism Checker

Compare your SOP with multiple documents and get a report instantly with the help of a university plagiarism checker in UK. In case you have referred to other statements but have not rephrased it well, you can make amendments accordingly. You can get customised results, such as the checker will give your direct links of the websites, number of plagiarized words, plagiarism percentage and highlighted passages.

Bring Customizations

Students tend to write an original SOP but produce the same one in all target universities. But you have to understand that not all colleges and schools have the same values, principles, mission and vision, motto and methodologies.

Instead of creating a standard template and making changes, try to create original pieces for each university. Research every region and come up with an essay aligned to the specific cultures of that area. Every university in the UK has its own cultural and historical significance. Consider a thorough research about the professors in the department as well. Subtly acknowledge them in your piece to create a mind blowing impression.

Be Specific

Instead of writing statements like ‘I love Literature so I am applying for it’, it is profoundly important to be specific. Explain why you would work on this field for the rest of your life, what skills you are looking to nurture, what motivated you to take up the subject and how you would wish to contribute in future. Be humble in your approach. Explain clearly how taking up the course could be a stepping stone to your success

Make it Free-Flowing

Most students tend to incorporate a serious and formal tone in their statement of purpose. Try to create something memorable by making it emotionally connectable. Add a human touch to it by telling a personal anecdote which the admission personnel will relate to. Original stories are known to grab more attention when compared to straightforward statements. There are chances that your SOP will be screened by a plagiarism checker tool in the UK universities to look for copied content. This can pull down your chances of getting selected in the institution. Therefore, use these tools to conduct a deep search for identical texts and free your SOP of plagiarized information.

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