Statement of Purpose vs Personal Statement: What is the Difference between Personal Statement and Statement of Purpose?

A statement of purpose is usually a two-page essay encompassing your virtues as an academic candidate. You put forth various details like personality traits, achievements, goals, aspirations, background, challenges, etc. and draw a vivid picture of yourself as an individual. An SOP encompasses every aspect of your life that other official documents might have overlooked. 

An SOP is an important document for studying abroad. Be it a bachelor’s or a master’s program, every university requires you to write an SOP for them that helps them decide if you’re the better candidate in a group of options.  

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A personal statement is keenly different from a statement of purpose. You can consider it a summary, a brisker version of your SOP, that focuses mainly on your personal information, skills and talents, and professional strengths. A personal statement should be engaging, and crisp, and should convey to the reader exactly what they’re looking for. Minus all the unnecessary details. 

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Moving on, let us understand the difference between SOP and personal statement: 

We now have a basic understanding of what an SOP and a Personal Statement individually are. Let us go through the difference between personal statement vs SOP in a table:

In a gist, the situation you’re in and the program you’re applying to will decide whether you have to write an SOP or a personal statement. 

After seeing the difference between sop and personal statement, we know that while the two terms are distinct, there are certain similarities that compel users to use the two terms as synonyms. Here are a few aspects where the two closely resemble each other. 

1. Both reflect on your virtues and values, just in different tones
2. Both are required when applying to a university/immigration program
3. Both documents are smartly crafted
4. Both should be engaging and should compel the reader to read more
5. The documents often remain in a second-person tonality

An SOP is used to apply to graduate or undergraduate programs of study. These revolve around your virtues, academic achievements, talents, and why you should get admission. These will usually be more in demand for most of the programs you apply to. Any full-time degree course usually calls for an SOP, and you can always summarise and edit the SOP to make a personal statement.

On the contrary, a personal statement is used in gaps between employment, jobs, apprenticeships, internships, and a few academic fields. Personal statements might also be useful for certification and diploma courses. The program you apply to will usually clarify the nature of the document you need. 

It is advisable for students to go for a statement of purpose when choosing between a personal statement vs SOP. The latter is far more versatile and flexible and replaces a personal statement more often than vice versa.  

Now that we’re acquainted with the differences between an SOP and a personal statement, let us look at the tips you should keep in mind while crafting them to maximise your intake chances. 

Tips to write an SOP:

• Start with your introduction
• Talk about your achievements
• Talk about your talents and aspirations
• Give the reader a reason to consider you an able candidate
• Make the SOP look professional
• Use good vocabulary, structure sentences neatly, avoid fluff
• Break the content into paragraphs
• Make a connection with the reader and engage them 

Tips to write a personal statement:

• Start with your introduction
• Talk about your personal inclinations, motivations, talents, etc.
• Engage!
• Switch between tones as it feels natural
• Don’t overfill the content with uncommon words
• Keep gaps in between
• End and begin strongly

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An SOP and a personal statement are briefly distinct terms. Often misunderstood to be the same, the difference can be quite significant if you pay enough attention. While most people pass them to be the same, understanding the difference and crafting your letters specifically make a better impression of your profile as an able candidate. 

If you need professional assistance with your SOP or PS drafting and want to maximise your acceptance chances, enrol on our top-notch expert assistance for free now! Talk to experts, get your profile evaluated, and find more tips and tricks to make your SOP or PS groundbreaking.

Read More: 

• SOP Format for Canada 
• SOP for MBA in USA 
• SOP for the UK