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What should be included in a statement of purpose ?

roni

Cornell FE
Joined
3/19/09
Messages
608
Points
38
Are there specific points one should include in his/her SoP ?

The thing is that there is so much to write and I don't know what do select. I don't really want to make it longer than 2.5 pages (actually, I think some school require it to be no longer than 2 pages).

So, what should be included in a successful SoP ?

Here is what I included :

* why financial engineering ?
First, I'm coming from a biz school (not very quantitative) and I've been always attracted to math and programming (went to a science high school- field of study was computer science). I also spent time talking about why I chose to pursue a BBA degree. So, this program will integrate everything I want into one field.

In my opinion , this part (which took me a little more than one page) is too banal. I assume a lot of applicants say something similar. Should I still keep it or should I try and think of a different opening.

*Why grad school ?
Well, I think this is a very important part. First, I said because a master's will help me be qualified for the job function I'd like to do, and another undergrad degree won't give me the required set of skills.
I shouldn't say that a master's degree is more marketable ( right? ).

what else can I mention here ?

* Why XYZ school ?
well, I'm pretty set for this part and this part is kind of personal. But how long should this part be.

*what do yo want to do upon graduation ?

I'm pretty good with this part too. But, should I go into details to show my knowledge of the field/ job function or being general is good enough ?

* should I mention somewhere in the middle why I'd make a successful grad student ? and then mention my mathematical/programming skills ? I think this part is not necessary because they have my transcript + resume. What do you say ?


I would appreciate any help.

By the way, i think this thread can be helpful for everyone since we are yet to have a discussion on how to write a SoP (or we have ? :\ )

Thanks very much.

Roni.
 
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