Statement of Purpose: How to Write a Winning One?

When applying for a graduate program, you need to provide a long list of documents. However, not only the admission committee is interested in your academic achievements. They also want to know who you are. That is why there is another essential element of your package – a statement of purpose.

A compelling one can open new opportunities to you, while a weak one can spoil all of your efforts. Yes, writing a good statement is a must for an essay writer.

So what is a statement of purpose?

This is a letter for the admission committee members where you tell them more about yourself. In a word, you are expected to include information that goes beyond your marks and resume. Make sure not to repeat anything from these documents. In your letter, you need to prove that you want to study and know why you are following this particular path.

Useful tips

• Try to be creative

It doesn’t mean that you have to write a whole novel, but you should think about the features of your personality that differentiate you from other people. What are they? Can you tell a story that clearly describes you as a person with these or those characteristics?

Also, think about the first ideas that come to your mind. Think about what other people might write for the same task. Then forget it all and do something completely different! For example, writing that you want to become a doctor to help people is a very banal idea. If you don’t want the admission committee to fall asleep when reading your piece, then come up with something more original.

• Divide your text into parts

Large blocks of text are frightening. No, really! People cannot concentrate when the text is not formatted properly. White space is something that will make your writing easy and pleasant to grasp. Make paragraphs, subheadings, and leave enough air on your pages to improve readability.

• Avoid wordy sentences

Too long sentences (20+ words) are hard to read. Too short sentences are not informative. Try to combine sentences of different lengths to make your text rhythmic and engaging.

• Add transition words

To make your text flow, don’t forget about the transition words. The text will sound dry and divided if you ignore them. Include “however”, “therefore”, “as such”, “for instance”, and more.

• Use simple words instead of difficult ones

There is no need to overload your text with “smart” words. In papers like a statement of purpose, you are expected to use clear words and terms to make sure that the common audience understands them. This is not the best place to be blurry and ambiguous.

• Don’t use too much passive voice

Passive voice can make the subject of the sentence a bit unclear. Because this paper is about yourself, you cannot allow this! It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use passive constructions at all, but be sure not to overdo with that.

How should you arrange the writing process?

• Come up with the central idea

Try not just to tell who you are, but to express a certain idea of yourself as a person. Before you start writing, give yourself some time to think about it.

• Have a plan

To keep your paper logical and organized, you are recommended to create an outline. List all the main points you would like to express and keep up with the strict order.

• Write a draft

When writing the first draft, you should focus on the content and forget about such things as style, voice, and correctness. Just write what you want to say and readjust your text later. The first draft is not the final version of your paper, so it doesn’t have to be perfect.

• Remove and simplify

Edit your first draft and delete everything that doesn’t seem necessary to you. If some sentences don’t support your main idea, throw them away.

• Final check

Now the time has come to correct grammar, punctuation, voice, and spelling. At this stage, you can add more content if needed. Try giving your text to someone else and ask for feedback. Maybe, you will get valuable advice on how to improve it.

Don’t forget to polish your work

When you are done with your paper and all the edits, make a final check to reassure that your work is flawless. Numerous online tools will help you detect and eliminate the errors you might have missed.

• Grammar checker

There are numerous free online checkers with extensive databases of possible mistakes and suggestions on how to fix them. Use one of such apps before you submit your paper. They usually work fast, and you will spend no more than five minutes for an editing session.

• Plagiarism checker

Make sure that your paper is unique. With the help of a plagiarism detector, you will see if your essay is free from matching elements. Sometimes, plagiarism can sneak into your paper unnoticed! Even if you have never used any sources, didn’t do the rewrite, or copied anything, the risk is still here. After using an online tool, you will get a report with all the necessary information: the percentage of plagiarism highlighted unoriginal sentences and matching sources. Paraphrase them to make sure that no problems will occur.

• Paraphrasing tool

To fix plagiarism in your work, you can use a paraphrasing tool. It can help you rewrite matching sentences if you have no idea how to change them yourself. These apps change the words with synonyms, but the meaning stays the same.

• Readability checking tool

As an author, you might think that reading your paper is easy. However, is that really so? Use a readability checker to find out.

So arm yourself with these tips and get to work! Come up with a great idea, compose a winning draft, check it, and polish from all sides and your chances for success will grow significantly! Do your best, and create the most stunning statement of purpose. Make the admission committee raise their eyebrows!