Interview & SOP Prep Tips (Part 1)

Interviews and your SOP (Statement of Purpose) are really both ways for the committee to get to know you

That's why interview questions and SOP points often overlap a lot

The key, though, is connecting all these dots into a whole and telling your own story with confidence

The big picture

Highlight what makes the program distinctive and your plans for the future

Make the goals in your SOP more achievable and more impactful

An SOP usually covers short-term and long-term goals,

and in the long-term part, we can take on broader social issues

to add impact, which also earns extra points.

For example:

Say you're applying to a graduate program in international relations. Your short-term goals might be academic achievement and internship experience.

Your long-term goal is to become an international relations expert working on the challenges posed by global climate change.

You can talk about your passion for and interest in this issue, and why you believe climate change is one of the major problems facing the world today. Going further, you can also discuss which theoretical and practical tools the program offers that will help you make real progress in the climate change field.

Here are two ways to brainstorm so you can write an SOP with more depth!

1. Explore three "whys":

1. Why now? Why is this the right time for me to study abroad?

Bridge the past and the future: connect your past experience & motivation to your short-, mid- and long-term goals

2. Why XX school?

Why am I the best candidate for this opportunity?

The school's strengths and values match your background, interests and goals.

You can draw on teaching quality, faculty expertise, research resources, campus environment and so on to explain why these features make the school the best choice for reaching your goals

3. Why XX department?

Why will this department help you reach your goals?

Focus on the course structure, research areas and academic resources,

and how they relate to your interests and goals

and stress that the department will give you the resources you need to reach your goals

2. Use the five whys technique to dig into your motivation for studying abroad

Step 1: Define your goal

I want to study in a certain department at a certain school

Step 2: Ask the first question

Why do I want to study in this department at this school?

Step 3: Keep asking

Building on your answer to Step 2,

ask the next question: why does studying in this department at this school matter to me?

Step 4: Keep digging

Using the Five Whys method,

keep asking questions,

each one building on the previous answer

For example: "Why am I so passionate about how important this goal is?" "Why am I interested in this field?" and so on

Each time, push as deep as you can to uncover your deeper motivations

Step 5: Analyze your answers

Pull together and analyze your answers from the previous steps

Look for common threads, connections and what matters most

and think about how these answers reflect your personal values, interests and abilities