How to write a Statement of Purpose / Motivation Letter for German Universities | Sample SOP

How to write a SOP for German Universities

Writing an excellent SOP is an art. Statement of Purpose or Motivation letter is one of the most important documents in your application to the Universities. It can ''make" or "break" your application. This is the document where you explain the admission committee about your motivation towards the course and the reason why you want to study this particular course in this particular university. 

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Let us go through a scenario from the Admission committee's point of view. When you application documents arrive at their table, they will open your application with all the supporting documents and start going through your application. First and foremost, any normal person will verify whether your profile matches all the admission requirements listed in the course website. After that, they will check your grades, experiences, etc., So till now, they know about your professional side but, still do not know anything about your career goals. Now they would take your SOP and start reading it. As a person who is going to grant an ADMIT, they will think "Why would this student want to study this course in our University?", and "What benefit will this student get by studying in our course?". "Why should we give this student an ADMIT and not other 1000 students who have applied?".

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How to write a good SOP?:

Before I begin to explain how to write a SOP, I would like to inform you that all the suggestions below are based on my experiences and observations. There is no 'hard&fast' rule that, you should only follow this method or I do not guarantee that, if you follow this method you will get ADMIT. This is just to clarify the nominal way of writing a SOP.

The length of the SOP can be one or one and half pages long, at times it can also go till 2 pages also. Do not write stories about your personal life or things that are not related to your professional career. The above 'infographic' will give a better overview of what, how, why, dos and don'ts, etc.,

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Introduction:

Begin your SOP with a short introduction about yourself, why you chose the particular field for your career. For example, if you are into Mechanical engineering try to give a short explanation about why you chose Mechanical engineering and what are your aspirations, etc., 

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Bachelors studies:

Following your Introduction, start telling about your Undergrad studies and the subjects that you are more interested in; do not forget to mention some names of the subjects so as to give a feel of your favourite subjects. Then you can mention the course that you are applying for in the German university and explain that the course is more related to your career goals and your background. 

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Work experience:

If you have work experience related to your field, then you can mention here and name some of the projects or work that you have accomplished during your job.

If you do not have work experience related to your field, then try to explain the positives of what you had learnt in that job and also what new things you learnt in the same. 

If you did not work before, then you can mention your Internships, In-plant trainings here and explain what you have learnt from the same. Also, you can tell about your mini-projects and final year projects that you did in your Bachelors studies and explain your interests towards the subjects.

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Extra curricular activities:

Mentioning the extra-curricular activities will also give a boost to your explanation, because it shows that you are an all-rounder and not just a book worm. But, it is suggested to mention activites like sports, extra courses, etc., Do not mention about your singing talents or your love for dogs, etc.,

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 Give them a reason:

After explaining your career path in the previous paragraphs, it is time for you to explain your career goals and how getting an admit in this course will help you to achieve it. You can also mention some modules/subjects in the course and tell how these subjects will help you gain more knowledge in the areas that you are interested in. You can also say that, how you can contribute to the research and development in the university/department.

Conclusion:

End your SOP on a confident note, stating that you are sure about your contribution and professional goals; thus getting a chance in their university and this particular course will definitely help you grow better on a professional note.

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Things you shouldn't do:

• Do not take reference or copy from someone else's SOP
• Never elongate your SOP to more than 2 pages
• Do not tell your personal stories

Always know that, the people in Admission committee will have more than 1000 applications to evaluate and thus, they shall spend not more than 2-3 minutes to read your SOP. Therefore, try to make it more easier for them by explaining only the key features of your profile. SOP is the only document, where the admission committee can get to know about the seriousness of your career and it is the only way you can communicate with them. So, make the most out of it.