STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The general purpose of the Statement of Purpose (SOP) is to indicate strong research interest and
your potential for advanced research. So, this document will have more technical information and
jargon. It will consist of your motivational story; education; projects--academic and professional
-- to show your expertise in the subject ; why you want to pursue the degree now; short and long
term goals; why this school and lastly why you are a good fit for the school.

The accepted SOP format is given below:

1. Introduction
2. Academic Background
3. Research/ Practical Experiences
4. Work Experience
5. Why MS? Why now?
6. Post MS Goals (This is what the SOP is all about—[after all it is a goals essay])
7. Why this particular university?
8. Extracurricular Activities/ Community Service (Optional)
9. Conclusion
You need to create a draft of about 800-1000 WORDS

HOW TO CONSTRUCT YOUR SOP

To make this task easier for you, here are some questions, tips and guidelines that will help
extract the right content from you.

Stage 1
Intellectual Origin Story
Goal: To generate and organize the experiences that will make up the body of your statement of
purpose

1) What is the Statement of Purpose?

Typically, graduate programs want to know four things in addition to seeing which of the five
traits you possess:
 Why you're interested in your field
 Why you're qualified for graduate study in your field (this is the most important part!)
 What you'll contribute to your class
 Why the school is a good fit for you

In this section, we'll start laying the groundwork

1) Intellectual Origin Story
Graduate programs are interested in your experiences in your field of study. We call these
experiences your intellectual origin story because they show how your interest and ability have
grown over time. The origin story lays the foundation for your essay and also forms the crux of
your SOP’s introduction.
2) Components of a Story
You're about to explain the most important events in your intellectual development. We've
categorized these experiences to help you align your brainstorming with what schools want to
see. You'll discuss:

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 Catalysts: Experiences that sparked or confirmed your interest in your field.
 Academics: Experience in your field of study in an academic setting.
 Practical Experiences: Related to the curriculum
 Work: Experience in your field of study at work, if you've had a chance to work in it.
 Independent Learning: Experience in your field of study that you've pursued on your own time.
 Next Steps (essentially, your GOALS): Connecting your past experiences with your future as a
graduate student and beyond.
3) Limited Space
There are at most four answer slots per category. Aim to fill all of them. Later, we'll prioritize
these responses to include only the most important experiences in your essay. We will also help
you identify the experiences that best showcase your traits, and we'll ask questions to help you
expand your ideas.

In this modern age, technology plays a vital role in society it iteratively standardizes our
ability to simplify life in ways we never would have imagined. With the increase in the
number of tech companies and startups every year, people all over the world select
Computer Science for a Stable and Successful Career. Despite choosing Computer Science I
have no intensions in settling for a stable career, instead a have nurtured an interest in the
Innovation, Capitalization and Research side of Technology. The career path is I have chosen
for myself is highly competitive and challenging, however I have resolved myself to this
endeavour.

Stage 2
Catalyst
*Describe the experience(s) that sparked your interest in seriously pursuing this field.

 Something from your personal experience that sparked your interest:

Experimenting with technology has always been my interest, ever since I tried to code at
the age of 13. I was mesmerized by the idea of Combining Mathematics, Technology and
Logic to build an application that millions of people use. The Concept of people for pixels,
to me is baffling and puzzling at the same time. I believe that I have a competitive
advantage over my peers when it comes to creating applications with code and applying
them in creative and effective ways. These are the reasons for choosing a Computer
Science Major Tips: Try to avoid early childhood anecdotes, unless they are very unique
and fundamental to your story— readers will assume that most people applying to this
program were interested in the field when they were younger. Instead, you might focus
on more recent moments that confirmed your commitment to the field.

 Something from your academic experience that sparked your interest:

When I was in 8 th grade, I was first introduced to a web application called Scratch, which
is a graphical user interface tool used to teach kids how to code. It was my first personal
experience that sparked my interest in Computer Science. Later I learned that Scratch
was just the tip of the iceberg so, I decided to go down the rabbit hole of Computer
Science.

Tips: An academic catalyst is a moment within an academic setting that sparked your interest in
the field—this could include a class you took, a professor who inspired you, a group project, or
research you conducted on your own. The important thing is that this moment inspired you to
learn more about the field.

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 Academic
*List and describe the academic steps you have taken to grow your knowledge, in chronological
order (e.g. relevant high-level coursework; research; conferences, mentorships, etc).

 Your first academic step.

My first academic step towards my career goal is choosing Math with Computer Science
Course in 11 th and 12th Grade. During Covid times I spent hours reading articles on
Technology and Computer Science.

 Your second academic step.

My second academic step was to learning to code in programming languages outside the
scope of my syllabus by talking online courses. Programming Languages aside from C and
Python such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Golang, Ruby.

 Your third academic step.

My third academic step was learning how to use frameworks and CS Libraries that are
used to make applicable projects in the real world. Frameworks like (NumPy, TensorFlow,
Node.js, Express, Pandas etc.)

 Your fourth academic step.

My fourth academic step was to applying what I learned online into Intermediate Level
Projects and upload them to my github profile for other to refer into.

Stage 3
Why this course?

 In 1-2 sentences, describe why you are prepared for this course of study, and what you hope to
get out of the program.
American Universities host Hackathons, Tech Conferences, and Computer Science
Fairs. These events draw attention from people who are like minded to me and I
would love to know more about what projects they work on and discuss topics on or
related to Technology. I hope to gain a diverse range of knowledge and experience
by enrolling myself into this course.
 What motivates you to pursue your degree?
In this modern age, technology plays a vital role in society it iteratively standardizes
our ability to simplify life in ways we never would have imagined. With the increase
in the number of tech companies and startups every year, people all over the world
select Computer Science for a Stable and Successful Career. Despite choosing
Computer Science I have no intensions in settling for a stable career, instead a have
nurtured an interest in the Innovation, Capitalization and Research side of
Technology. The career path is I have chosen for myself is highly competitive and
challenging, however I have resolved myself to this endeavour.

 What do you plan to specialize in within your course of study?

I plan on specializing in Cyber Security as it has a wide range of research opportunities
that have yet to be relevant.

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 Stage 6
Goals

 What are your goals immediately after graduation?

 What do you hope to have achieved 5 years after earning your degree? How about 20 years?
 How will your values, skills, and traits impact your future classmates?

The career path I choose for myself is Technology, Computer Science to be more
specific. I spent refining my Programming Skills as much I can during the Covid times.
My approach to Learning a skill is different to what other people typically do. At first
when I start to learn the skill, I use eighty percent of the time in learning the skill and
the remaining twenty percent in applying the skill into a project where I am
challenged down to my core.
After I gain a decent level of proficiency in said skill, I switch it up by applying eighty
percent of m y time onto projects and the rest on learning and filling in the gaps of
knowledge that may be present. By using this method, I am able to learn any skill
that requires practical application efficiently.

However, now I have come to the realization that in the real world a person is valued
on how big of a problem they solve as opposed to their skill. Now, I have optimized
my approach to pursuing my dreams. This means I have to put myself in a position
that allows me to capitalize on the problems I solve. My Iterative and Flexible
approach allows me to keep up with competitive peers as well as be an asset to my
future classmates.

Stage 7
Why this University?

 What other classes, clubs, or opportunities within this specialization does the school offer?
I would love to engage in social service activities such as volunteering, and I would also
enrol in clubs related to technology.
 Does the school offer unique or specialized coursework that is not typically offered in similar
programs? How does this coursework directly align with your experiences and interests?
 Which classes, faculty members, or other opportunities will help you address this interest?
 What additional research or hands-on opportunities does this program offer? How will these
opportunities help you build your understanding of your research interest?
theme?
 Which classes, faculty members, or other opportunities will help you address this interest?
 What additional research or hands-on opportunities does this program offer? How will these
opportunities help you build your understanding of your research interest?

 Will this program allow you to work closely with faculty? If so, how will this help you reach
your academic goals?

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 The main reason I choose University of New Orleans is because of the accomplishments of
its students. It offers scholarship for students that perform well and they have faculty that are
active contributors and problem solvers who would make great mentors for me. The
achievement I find most impressive is that of the Computer Science Professor Phani Vadrevu
being Awarded $1.2M NSF Grant to Combat Social Engineering Attacks, and this is just the
tip of the iceberg. University of New Orleans also offers a wide range research opportunities
for its students. Its students are well placed in good corporations, while the students who are
not interested in employment pursue entrepreneurship. UNO has a great Infrastructure that
students get access to in case they want to try research on Cybersecurity, Networks, Machine
Learning, Robotics and many more. Yes, this course will allow me to work closely with my
designated faculty.

Other Things to Consider

WHAT COLLEGE WANTS FROM YOU
1) Your Primary Goal?
Graduate admissions are complex, and every program has its own way of weighing certain
aspects of the application. There's no way to predict what thousands of admissions readers are
looking for in your application.
Or is there?
The answer is simple. Throughout all of your application materials, you should have one main
goal: *To PROVE you will be SUCCESSFUL in grad school and beyond
Make this your mantra!

2) How Programs Define you?

Graduate programs want to be sure that:
 You will graduate
 You will perform well in your classes and in any research you do
 Your graduate experience will help you achieve your goals
 You'll have a positive impact on whatever you choose to do in the future

3) Proving you’ll be successful?

Of course, there's no way to know for sure what the future holds for anyone. Instead, graduate
programs look for key personality traits that many successful candidates share.

THE FIVE TRAITS ARE:

 Drive
 Intellectual Curiosity
 Initiative
 Contribution
 Diversity of Experience

4) How we’ll use the traits?

The rest of the modules are designed to help you showcase your most important traits in the
context of your experience. You don't have to obsess over the traits, because we've done the
hard work for you. However, you will write stronger content if you understand these traits and
keep them in mind.

CONTRIBUTION

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 Applicants who contribute are always coming up with ideas to improve everything they touch.
Then, they act on those ideas in a way that is noticeable by their peers.
 They can proudly say “I made this happen,” or “I made this better than it was before.”
 These applicants may hold leadership positions in their universities or work environments, and/or
they may make substantial contributions to other communities.

DIVERSITY OF EXPERIENCE
 Applicants with a diversity of experience have a background, upbringing, or other life
circumstances that have fundamentally shaped how they see the world.
 These experiences could be cultural, ethnic, religious, geographic, socioeconomic, or any number
of factors that contribute to their unique perspective.
 These experiences can also be related to an applicant’s professional or academic interests—i.e.,
taking atypical academic or professional paths on the way to this degree.

DRIVE
 Driven students push themselves to succeed no matter the odds.
 Driven students usually have confronted difficult situations and emerged stronger, wiser, and
determined.
 They are confident in their ability to solve new challenges.

INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY
 Intellectually curious applicants can point to academic and/or professional examples of times
when they sought more than just the required knowledge needed to meet a goal.
 These applicants will go above and beyond their coursework to gain a deeper understanding of
the subjects and topics that interest them.
 They love finding unique connections between their areas of interest and formulating new ideas.

INITIATIVE
 Applicants who take initiative are not willing to accept the status quo, but instead aim to
challenge it, do things to improve, and generate outcomes.
 They are proactive in finding solutions and putting them into action.

SUMMARY
[The 5 Traits: Contribution, Drive, Intellectual Curiosity, Initiative Diversity of Experience]
We suggest having one to three traits rated higher than the others – after all, everyone has their strengths.
Be honest with yourself, and don’t worry about what other people would think. These traits will play a
critical role in the content of your essays, and it’s important that they accurately reflect who you are.

Regarding my Characteristics, I am usually an introvert, but that doesn’t mean I am socially

awkward or anything like that. When I started high school as a Freshman, I wanted to make
the most out of my high school days even if I couldn’t find a
sports/academics/extracurricular activity life balance. Basically, I did a little bit of
everything, later on I understood that to be successful in the real world, it is better to be
extremely good at one thing rather than being somewhat good at everything. So, unlike the
first two years of high school where I was a jack of all trades, master of none I decided that I
need on one skill that will define my future. ( Computer Science )