Each university in the UK has its own requirements. Some universities ask for only the SOP, while others ask for only Essay questions. For example, Oxford University asks you to simply enlist a Statement of Purpose along with essay questions regarding your short term and long term goals, whereas the Cambridge Judge Business School would ask you a specific essay question along the lines of, “What actions will you take before and during the MBA to contribute to your career outcome?”

Statement Of Purpose

A Statement of Purpose is a document that gives you an opportunity to highlight formative parts of your life, your past academic experience, reflect upon your choices and talk about your future goals. It is also the space where you can showcase your research by highlighting the Professors, Courses and Clubs that you may be interested in. Your personal statement is where you can showcase your strengths, achievements, accolades and more. 

Sample Essay Questions

Each university that you apply to will have one, or more unique essay questions that you will have to write. Here is where you show the admissions committee, parts of your personality that they haven’t seen elsewhere in your application, thus making your application stand out in a unique way. 

A sample question may be something such as “Why do you want to pursue an MBA or a master’s degree?” 

Another question can be something along the lines “What is your most significant achievement so far?”

There is no thumb rule as to what question each university may ask, and questions differ from university to university. The word limit for university-specific questions may vary depending on the university. For example, some may require a 500-word Statement of Purpose while others may ask you to respond to a specific question. There are also some universities that may ask you to write both a Statement of Purpose as well as answer a specific question. 

Although the essay questions vary, they cover three areas, which include:

1. Tell us what makes you unique
2. Why would you be a good fit for the program, and why would you want to pursue it at this moment?
3. Why would you like to join the university?

Some Important Tips

However, while answering the essay questions and writing your SOP, there are a few tips to keep in mind: 

• Tip #1: Structure your essay well. Form an outline, and make sure you answer each aspect of the question asked.
• Tip #2: Make your essay unique to the course and university that you are applying to. For this, you will have to thoroughly research the university and your course. 
• Tip #3: Talk to current or past students who have graduated from the university you are interested in to get valuable insights. 
• Tip #4: Reflect on your story to make it stand out. Choose an experience from your life, and reflect on it. Describe your learnings and experiences rather than narrating a simple story.
• Tip #5: Be authentic to yourself. Admissions committees have read a plethora of essays and can see through inauthenticity. Make sure that your story is yours alone to tell.
• Tip #6: Start early. Don’t just write down the first thing that comes to your mind, but ensure that you revise your essay through multiple drafts to get that perfect essay.
• Tip #7: Ask for feedback. Get a second opinion or a fresh pair of eyes to look at your essay so that they give you relevant feedback and you can incorporate the feedback to further improve your essay.

Make sure you get people who know you well to have a look at your essay. This will ensure authenticity and that you have presented yourself in a concise yet the best way possible. 

At UniRely, our counselors have been successful in helping students get accepted to top universities abroad. Our university-specific mentors will also help you with your essays and personal statement. To get more information about how to apply to universities abroad for your master’s degree, please visit our website – www.unirely.com.