To start writing your statement of purpose for accounting and finance, brainstorm, free-write sample SOP for accounting and finance, and collect your thoughts. Your SOP should be a dive into relevant life experiences, academic, and professional background (if applicable), career goals, co-curricular activities, volunteering/community involvement, and more.
So, refer to the effective guidelines given below to draft a sample SOP for accounting and finance.
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What motivated you to choose accounting and finance as your interest? What is the strongest experience that led you to choose this field? For example, I hail from a family of business managers as my mother is a qualified chartered accountant, and my father is an experienced investment banker. Since my childhood, I have seen the discussions related to business accounts and functioning of the tremendous international companies between my parents. This increased my interest in the Accounting and Finance domain.
- Begin your introduction with an attention-grabbing experience that is evocative of your journey into the field.
- Alternatively, you can also begin with a research problem statement that you consider exploring in your MS in Accounting and Finance course.
- This is because some programs directly seek an statement of purpose for accounting and finance that is more of a research proposal than otherwise.
For example, The University of MIT — clearly instructs applicants to devise the statement of purpose accounting and finance in the form of short answers and questions. For Example:
Q1. Please discuss your past academic and professional experiences and accomplishments that will help you succeed in the Master of Finance program. Include achievements in finance, maths, statistics, and computer sciences, as applicable.
Q2. Tell us about your short-term and long-term professional goals. How will our MF degree help you achieve these goals?
Q3. What personal qualities will enable you to contribute to the advancement of our mission?
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You can build on the onset of interest in accounting and finance by discussing relevant academic and life experiences that have augmented it. How has each of these experiences pivoted your enthusiasm, streamlined it, or transformed it?
- Here, you can discuss relevant undergraduate experiences or courses in which you developed a particular interest. For example, “My problem-solving and critical thinking are two skills that are intrinsically interwoven in this subject.”
- Touch upon a few course specifics and how these led you to develop your portfolio and inspired you to work on projects relevant to these interests.
- You can discuss interesting projects you have worked on or relevant co-curricular experiences worth sharing. Make sure that your experiences align with your interest in the course you’re applying for.
For instance, if you are applying for an MS in Accounting and Finance, your project must showcase your accounting and business skills. You can also present various internships related to the course.
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Have you faced any setbacks in your academics? If you just made the cut or have lesser scores, you can mention that here.
- Have you faced other unique challenges or setbacks that have redefined your perspectives or interests?
- How did you overcome these challenges and what is/are the positive outcomes of these experiences?
- It’s essential to reflect on the lessons from these experiences to underscore your resilience.
You can discuss extracurriculars in this paragraph. Remember that universities are interested to know more than just academics. So, go ahead and speak about your hobbies, social work, volunteering, etc, here. You can also discuss workshops or certifications which you have taken to upgrade your skills.
However, it’s very important to not make the SOP an embellished version of your resume.
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If you have work experience, add it here. If you do not have work experience, you can also discuss your internship experiences, reflecting on your specific learnings and take-aways. Identify a knowledge gap and the need for you to go for MS in Accounting and Finance.
- How has the work experience/s influenced your career goals? Why do you wish to go for an MS in accounting and finance now?
- Define your short-term and long-term goals.
- How will the MS in accounting and finance program from a specific accounting school help you achieve these goals?
- How does the program align with your areas of interest?
Universities with MS in Accounting and Finance like to assess your conviction in applying to their programs. Justify your reasons for the choice of the school and the program. Make an effort to understand the values of the school and devise this paragraph accordingly.
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Lastly, your conclusion needs to be equally engaging as your introduction.
- What capabilities equip you to contribute to the university?
- How can you be an asset to the university?
- What activities, clubs, sports, student associations, groups, etc, piqued your interests?
- What diverse experiences do you bring to the graduate community?
Sign off with your expectations from the program and how you look forward to receiving, assimilating, and contributing to new knowledge at the university.
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Suggested: Sample SOP for Undergraduate Courses
Now you know how to draft a statement of purpose accounting and finance. However, to avoid any mistakes, let’s check the do’s and dont’s as well!