𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE (S𝗢P) 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 (𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗜)

 The Statement of Purpose (SOP) is one of the defining application documents you submit for Graduate School consideration. While so much has been said about the content of an SOP, I like to share with you what makes an SOP stand out. I mean an SOP that makes the admission committee take a positive decisive interest on your suitability for MS/PhD work in their University.

A standard SOP should basically have six (6) paragraphs viz;

- Paragraph 1 - Problem statement

- Paragraph 2 - Academic background (University only)

- Paragraph 3 - Post Graduation experiences

- Paragraph 4 - Study plans

- Paragraph 5 - Post Study plans

- Paragraph 6 - Conclusion

Other than the six paragraphs above, there is an ingredient that immediately makes you the best applicant that is rarely taught or mentioned in your SOP. This ingredient is the rhetorical opener.

A rhetorical opener basically rephrases your research interest into questions. Here is an example for a student of political science with research interest in war and peace studies.

_______________________

Is war the only alternative? Are there avenues nations, people and regions can take to avert full blown military confrontation? Is there a middle ground for peace that is yet research or found that could mitigate the haste with wish nation rush into war? Can the quest for peace and peace coexistence be the first approach where disputes arise? As I pursue a MA degree in War and Peace Studies, these questions will guide my research and studies._

___________________________

Here is another example for a PhD student of Drug design.

______________

How Stress, infection and changes in your blood's fluid and electrolyte balance affect and influence hormone levels. How human endocrinology is influenced by secular health trends, consumer expectations and the globalization of health. What roles does developments in drug delivery technology, pharmacogenomics, combinatorial chemistry and paracrinology play in the management of endocrinal related diseases? What are the efficacies and efficiencies of Nano-biomaterials as drug delivery agents in the treatment of Cancer, Alzheimer and other cell related ailments? How does the decreased in size of these materials increased permeability through physiological barriers, and increased cell to cell interactions in the complex physiological environments of Animal Tissues, their biocompatibility, biodegradability and the toxicological integrity? As I pursue a PhD in Biochemistry with research interest in endocrinology and drug delivery, with a background in Molecular Drug Metabolism and Toxicology, these questions will drive my research.  

Using a rhetorical opener that rephrases your research interest into active questions is the magic that distinguish winning SOP from standard ones.

Now that you know this, go and rework the opener of your SOP.

Stay tuned for the part 2 of this.....

Written by Moses Udoisoh