What to Write in an SOP While Applying for A Master’s in Computer Science

Graduate schools believe that the real purpose of education is to gauge an individual’s ability to think on their own and analyze their motivation to apply to a particular programme. Hence, SOPs help admission committee members in understanding you as a student and evaluating your personality. However, the question that begs to be asked is: how do you write a statement of purpose for master’s in computer science programmes? Read this article to learn more about what you should include in your SOP and how you can enhance your essay.

What to Include in Your Statement of Purpose for MS in Computer Science?

Essential points that a Statement of Purpose should include are:

• An essay that gives an account of your motivation to apply for MS in computer science programme.
• What do you propose to do during the programme.
• Your ambition after graduating from the university.

Although it is called a personal statement of purpose, we all know that it is not really personal since it gets edited by at least half a dozen people. It is, however, essential to remember how crucial the SOP is for your admission into a university of your preference. Therefore, a powerful well-written SOP will certainly boost your chances of gaining admission into a master’s programme of your choice. Here are a few points to remember when preparing your statement of purpose:

Reasons to Request an SOP

The main reason to seek an SOP is to get an idea about a prospective student, such as; what to expect from the candidate apart from their CGPA, GRE Scores, and letters of recommendation. Although drafting an SOP may seem like an uphill task, it is still an important part of the whole application process, and therefore, demands ample time and effort.

Writing an SOP

While writing an SOP, it can get confusing about what to write in a statement of purpose for an MS in computer science. Mentioned below are a few points that can help you in writing an incredible SOP. Though these points are specific to a computer science programme, they can also be helpful for other areas as well. They are:

1. You should remember to be precise while writing an SOP.
2. It is recommended that you concisely specify your accomplishments without them appearing to be blunt statements.
3. You should ensure to customize the essay to your strengths, weaknesses, etc., instead of following a template version.
4. The tone in the SOP must always remain formal and conversational so that it provides ease of reading to the admissions committee.
5. Ensure that you have your SOP proofread by a professor or senior person from your under-graduation university.

Questions to Answer in an SOP

The graduate schools, even though they don’t ask, expect to get answers to the following questions:

• What will be your field of specialization at the graduate school?
• Why are you interested in the chosen field?
• Why are you interested in studying at the chosen university? What did you like about this college?
• Why did you want to pursue your master’s in this particular country? What do you like the most about it?
• What kind of skill set do you have in your chosen field and how much?
• If you have already gained the experience, then what additional skills do you want to acquire from his course?
• What are your plans after graduation, a Job, or a research programme?
• What do you expect from the graduate program and the university?
• Would you prefer any particular teacher to pursue your study or research? If yes, why?
• In what ways can you contribute to our program and university?
• Any particular skill sets that you want to present?
• Apart from studies and work, what are your interests, hobbies, and habits?
• What makes you think that you can fit in the program and environment?
• Any unique characteristics or aspects that you want to tell us about? If there is, then why does it matter to the university or your batch mates?

These are some of the questions which the admissions committee has, therefore, it is essential to answer them in your SOP to make it an incredible one. But remember to not make it a boring essay but make it an interesting story that interests the reviewer to continue reading.

Now that we’ve told you about the dos and don’ts of writing a statement of purpose for an MS in computer science, you’re better aware and can draft an excellent SOP while applying to the programme and university of your choice.