Sample SOP For MS In CS: How To Write Rewarding SOP For MS In Computer Science

Writing A Great Computer Science SOP: What To Write In A Computer Science SOP?

To start writing your Computer Science SOP, collect your thoughts. Your SOP is a dive into your life, academic background, career goals, hobbies and more. So, refer to this effective format and the sample SOP for MS in Computer Science given below to impress the admission jury:

Introduction

• Begin your introduction with an attention-grabbing fact, quote or dialogue that resonates with you.
• Keep the short, crisp and smart.
• Introduce your interests and motives behind choosing the course.

First Paragraph

• Point out your interest in Computer Science. Touch upon a few course specifics. Maybe bring up a professor’s or student’s research work to add brownie points.
• Basically, present an answer to Why you chose that course and university?

Second Paragraph

• In the second paragraph, add details about your academic achievements.
• Avoid going overboard or accidentally sounding arrogant in your SOP. Nevertheless, if you just made the cut or have lesser scores, you should mention that too.
• If you have relevant work experience, add it in the second paragraph. Talk about interesting projects you worked on or relevant college experience worth sharing.
• Make sure that your experiences align with your interest in Computer Science. Take the help of the below Sample SOP for Computer Science to get a knack at presenting your experience.

For instance, if you are applying for MS with work experience in the field. Then, write your SOP for MS in CS with work experience along with details of working dates and roles. 

Third Paragraph

• When you refer to the statement of purpose sample for masters in computer science, you’ll notice that the third paragraph talks about extracurriculars.
• Remember that the Universities are interested to know more than just academics. So, go ahead and speak about your hobbies, social work etc here.
• You can include any of your volunteer work, extra courses, workshops etc in this section.

Eg: For instance, if you’re interested in android development, talk about any ideas for new apps that you might have. Or, in the case of data science, how you can analyse data from a different point of view.

Fourth Paragraph

• In the fourth paragraph, talk about your short and long term career goals.
• In case you have an interesting life goal to achieve, you can write a line or two about it too.
• Make an effort to understand the values of the university and write your SOP accordingly.

Conclusion

• Your conclusion needs to be equally engaging as your introduction.
• Finish with mentioning that you’re a capable student and that you can be an asset to the university.

To gauge how exactly you can write your SOP like the above format, look at the sample SOP for Masters in Computer Science and get an idea. 

 

Do’s and Don'ts for a Computer Science SOP 

Your SOP needs to be truthful, concise and well written. This leaves no space for grey areas. While going through the sample SOP for MS in CS, you’ll gauge the language and format better. However, follow these Dos and Don’ts in your SOP:

Should you write your SOP in active voice?	✔️
Should you include your name in your SOP?	❌
Should you discuss other universities?	❌
Should you go above the word limit?	❌
Should you be completely formal?	❌
Does the SOP have to be original?	✔️
Should you include IELTS, TOEFL, GMAT or other test scores?	❌
Should you be honest about your strengths and weaknesses?	✔️

 

Soft Skills To Include In Your Computer Science SOP

Computer Science is a popular and fascinating field of study. From IT consultant, game developer, technical writer to multimedia programmers, the career options are vast.

Therefore, to make your Computer Science SOP unique, highlight these soft skills in your SOP for MS in Computer Science with work experience: 

• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Knowledge of Programming languages
• Coding scripts
• Experimentation

While these are the important inclusions to make in your SOP there are a few things you must know before writing your SOP.

 

Top Universities for CS & their Criteria

Most universities abroad share their SOP expectations with the top universities abroad. And so, we’ve listed out the required pieces of evidence you must include in your Computer Science SOPs abroad:

 

Computer Science SOP For Oxford University

If you are applying for CS at Oxford University, follow this:

• Reasons for applying
• Evidence of motivation for the proposed area of study
• Commitment to the subject, beyond the requirements of the degree course
• Capacity for sustained work
• Reasoning ability
• Ability to absorb new ideas.
• Your SOP for Computer Science should focus on why you think this course is the right one for you.
• 1000-1200 words

 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology CS SOP Format

Follow the bellow SOP format to study CS at Massachusetts Institute of Technology:

• 1000-1200 words
• Motivation for choosing university and course
• Uniqueness & suitability
• Non-academics, life goals, hobbies, passions etc
• Work experience in the field of computer science

 

Stanford University CS SOP Requirements:

While composing your SOP for Stanford University, write according to the below format:

• Two pages
• To the point
• Relevant information on academics
• Hobbies, co-curricular and personality traits
• Work done in the Computer Science field

We understand writing an SOP can be daunting. Don’t worry, the sample SOP for MS in CS by Yocket is easy to understand and accurate in terms of format and guidelines. Moreover, the writing style for most countries remains the same. In the case of an exception, the sample SOP for MS in CS with work experience will guide you.

In case you have expert advice, you can reach out to Yocket counsellors for a free 15-minute consultation.

 

Sample SOP for MS in Computer Science with work experience

I came across a computer application in the school computer lab that accepted two names as input and generated an estimated percentage that represented the appropriate love factor between the names provided. I was astounded not just by the fact that I could type in my crush's name and figure out if we were destined to be together, but also by the idea that my buddy had created such an incredible application with very rudimentary programming expertise in Grade 9! That fortuitous event in the lab utterly surpassed the contours of my imagination from that day forward, while only being exposed to a restricted curriculum where all we did was develop a programme that chose a colour by entering a number was a Sequence of characters or not.

My Engineer sister, seeing my interest in programming, pushed me to challenge myself intellectually beyond the bounds of my course and begin learning online. She recommended that I take XYZ's introductory Python course, 6.0001. Completing the course gave new aspects to my limited understanding of the subject. I knew I'd found something I could do for the rest of my life and make a profession out of it. I decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in Information Technology because of my passion and desire to study the huge computer resources (IT).

Throughout my undergraduate programme, I had exceptional grades in all of my Computing classes. The lab facilities, such as the 'ELAB,' assisted me in improving my Data Structures and Algorithms skills. When I initially used the 'Siri' feature on a friend's iPhone, I had no idea what Machine Learning (ML) was. I was really engrossed, and this prompted me to do additional study, which is how I came upon the nitty-gritty of ML. I subsequently took some online classes to understand more about it. My enthusiasm for machine learning grew as I learned about the wide range of applications available, and I ultimately came up with a project proposal. I asked Prof. XYZ to collaborate with him and utilised machine learning to forecast the weather using a huge number of characteristics. We needed more precise forecasts than typical forecasting systems could provide, and we were able to anticipate up to 37 different weather situations. The project was a success: it was approved for presentation at a conference and will be published in the "XYZ" soon. My Mentor's Profound Learning experience was quite helpful in helping me obtain a thorough understanding of the subject. Apart from technical elements, I learnt about working in a team and how to take on extra duties to get things done in a timely manner as the Project Lead.

While working on my final year project, I also had the opportunity to intern at XYZ, where I learned about the software business, gained Web development skills, and worked with cutting-edge development tools. There were also educational seminars dubbed "Tech Sessions" during my internship, during which a volunteer would offer their subject knowledge and expose the audience to various topics and technology. There, I also gave talks on machine learning and web development.

My career ambition is to work as a machine learning engineer. The many applications of machine learning have compelled me to seek a master's degree in computer science (CS) in order to get in-depth technical knowledge and assist in the solution of real-world issues. Hate speech and fake news on the internet are two very real and pressing concerns that many people are dealing with. I've lately become interested in ongoing research on utilising machine learning to effectively diagnose cancer in a patient or forecast the likelihood of an oncological recurrence. I want to address such challenges immediately, using my engineering skills: it fits nicely with my aim of producing real social impact.

Your MS curriculum's multiple electives will allow me to explore new disciplines and use my skills. Furthermore, the coursework's practical and flexible approach, as well as the many resources provided, will enhance my learning experience. In addition to academics, the acclaimed XYZ School of Engineering has a varied student community with which to learn and collaborate. It will undoubtedly broaden my network, both professionally and personally. The MS in Computer Science at XYZ is excellent and meets all of my expectations for a graduate degree. I feel that XYZ will be the best venue for me to become closer to my long-term research objectives.

Sample SOP For MS In Computer Science

Studying for the Computer Science exam in standard 9, I gained an interest in problem-solving through tackling mental ability and math questions. Throughout that voyage, I saw a significant development in my analytical ability. I learned how my 'Seniors' used analytical principles in programming to solve various use-cases from them. I spent the following two years of high school learning about various computer science (CS) applications and practising coding in C/C++. I, therefore, opted to major in computer science as an undergraduate. In college, I concentrated on honing my problem-solving abilities and working on data structure challenges to meet my immediate objectives.

Following my undergraduate studies, I worked to obtain a better understanding of the subject I intended to pursue as my graduate emphasis. XYZ Company selected me as a Software Engineer after numerous personal interviews. At XYZ, I worked on real-time use-cases that needed AI-based solutions and used Big Data technologies for infrastructure, governance, and data preparation for almost 7-8 hours five days a week. This encounter inspired me to pursue a master's degree in computer science with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI).

I enrolled in 'XYZ's' six-month online course, 'AI for Trading,' to learn more about AI for sophisticated financial use-cases such as quantitative trading. There, I learnt about the 'XYZ' trading platform, as well as the 'XYZ' back-testing engine and factor return analyzer. For my study, I also learnt how to use of the XYZ to get financial datasets. I created a framework that leveraged the sentiment stability of a financial 10-K report over time as the trading signal, drawing inspiration from the coursework and research paper, 'Lazy Prices' by XYZ (alpha-factor).

I want to promote more women into the field of technology and encourage them to write technical papers to communicate their thoughts. I conducted technical writing workshops for three months in order to enhance XYZ employee involvement in prominent conferences like the XYZ. We were able to submit 40 articles to a technical summit in 2020. As a result, I want to use a 'Teaching Assistantship' to gain more teaching experience throughout my graduate studies.

I am convinced that the XYZ is best equipped to assist me in achieving my objectives. Under the direction of Professor XYZ, I am resolved to join the 'Center of Machine Learning at XYZ' to undertake my research on information retrieval, question answering systems, and automatic document summarization. I've been following Professor XYZ's research work at the XYZ's 'Artificial Intelligence Research' programme since I'm interested in delivering AI-based financial services.

I am confident in my ability to keep up with the rigorous education offered by XYZ. I further feel that, as a result of my industry and research expertise, as well as my passion for utilising language technology for financial services, I can offer creative ideas to your institution's relevant research efforts. To strengthen my research career competence, I am well-prepared and devoted to completing my graduate degree in computer science with a speciality in AI at XYZ.