Ever heard of “The elves and the shoemaker”? – the set of fairy tales comprising of a poor shoemaker receiving much required help from three helpful elves. Well, guess what? When it comes to building a winning application for your dream university, Golden Draft is the elf for you!
Golden Draft presents to you a comprehensive set of general rules that if paid attention to, will help you in avoiding common mistakes committed by students all across the globe.
1] Rewrite! Revise! Repeat!
Even though it can be extremely tempting to send the same application everywhere, it is of utmost importance that you customise your submissions based on the unique requirements and opportunities related to that particular university. It is a wise decision to modify and assemble your Statement of purpose based on the university you’re applying to, the course you intend to get into and in some cases, even the professor you wish to study under. All of this needs to be written within the specified word-limit which may differ from college to college.
2] Too many cooks will definitely spoil the broth
It is understandable that you wish to leave no stones unturned in the process of drafting that winning application. However, cramming your essays and Statement of Purpose with too many projects and achievements will inevitably lead to cluttering which will in turn drive you away from your goal. Choosing three to four experiences and elaborating on them will give your application a crisp presentation and provide you enough space to explain every single one of them in depth.
3] Unleash your poetic demons!
When you’re planning on jotting down your entire life on a piece of paper, it is essential to keep the audience hooked to your story from the very start. In your case, the audience is a bunch of really smart people spending 15-20 minutes on a single application. Your story is expected to maintain a smooth flow with crystal clear comprehensibility. One of the most challenging parts of the entire process proves to be when you’re forced to fit all the information within 600-900 words, but this step is crucial in giving your application it’s required shape. So, tap into your inner Shakespeare and compose an engaging masterpiece.
4] This is not the time and place to get risky
If there’s just one thing that you take home from this entire blog, it would be the need to proofread your essays. There is absolutely no room for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes when it comes to writing the winning SOP. Thinking that exaggerating your core story or relying on your sense of humour for bagging a spot in your dream university, is a common rookie mistake and you can avoid that by being honest and straightforward with your words. The selection committee is presented one piece of paper to comprehend your entire life and it is your responsibility to make the reading as easy and effortless as possible.
5] Answer all the whats and whys
The main body of your application should focus on answering all the questions that can arise from the experiences you choose to mention.
For example,
Why this university?
Why should they select you?
In what way do you add value to their institution?
What are your career aspirations?
While there is no single list including all the do’s and dont’s involved in drafting the SOP of your dreams, we at Golden Draft have your back. Feel free to browse through our blogs on studying abroad where we answer most of your university and application related queries!
