SOP Sample for MS Environmental Science in UK

Statement of Purpose

My interest in environmental science and management goes back to the 10th grade when I worked on a waste management project that earned me a lot of appreciation. It is this interest that motivated me to take up a Bachelor in Education in Nature Science and it is this same interest that today motivates me to apply to the Master in Environmental Management program of [UNIVERSITY].

Even though my parents weren't much educated and always had to struggle to make ends meet, the education of their children remained one of their top priorities. This rubbed on me and since a young age, I tried my best to make the most of the limited opportunities that were available to me. In school, I was a diligent student and scored well in the exams. Outside academics, I actively participated in cultural activities and festivals of school and won many prizes. In the tenth grade, I was part of a waste management project where we visited a neighboring rural area, spoke to the inhabitants there, understood their problem, and put forward a few suggestions for waste management—like using an incinerator for waste management, recycling of reusable waste materials and systematic sorting of waste as degradable and non-degradable—in front of the management committee.

After completing my senior year of school, I wanted to study environmental science for my undergraduate degree. However, the only college close to my home did not offer the subject and I settled on studying Botany. During this program, I enjoyed studying subjects such as Plant Science, Biotechnology, and Environmental studies. I enjoyed working on the projects such as herbarium and assignment on taxonomy during the undergraduate program. I also attended seminars and community service initiatives. After completing my undergraduate program, I wanted to study for a Master in Environment. However, I didn't want to ask my father to finance my Master's and therefore decided to take up a job and save for my dream Master's degree. Thus, I started working as a Customer Care Executive. While I was working here, I had an arranged marriage and had to take a career break due to family responsibilities.

Fortunately, my husband too is a firm believer in the value of education and working towards one's dream. With his encouragement, I decided to take the leap of faith towards my dream of higher education and enrolled for Bachelors in Education in Natural Science. This program was a breakthrough for me toward the teaching profession. It gave me immense knowledge in various fields like natural science, child psychology, philosophy, etc. As a part of the course, I have also done community service through visits to camp, old age home visits, charity programs for orphanages, and visiting historic places in our district, and conducted awareness programs on the conservation of such places. The program also gave me an opportunity to teach in a public school for 40 days.

During the B.Ed. course, we had a module called environmental management and this module reignited my interest in that part of science which had caught my attention a few years back. I learned that this field has a wide scope in different areas like environmental conservation, agriculture, farm management, sustainable urban development, energy conservation, sustainable planning for the future etc. and I wanted to learn more about it.

Even though my desire after the B.Ed. was to pursue masters in science from a reputed university abroad, family constraints did not permit me to do that at that point in time. Not wanting to lose the teaching exposure, I took up a teaching job and started working as a Teaching Assistant and worked in this role for four years. At both the schools I worked for, I was involved both in teaching as well as helping students with their extracurricular activities. I have taken after-school sessions for academically weak students and mentored them to perform very well in the final examination. Managing students' academic as well as extracurricular activities simultaneously was a challenging task for me but I handled and enjoyed it quite well. While I was happily working as a teacher, a family emergency didn't allow me to continue the full-time teaching. Not one to give up, I decided to work as a part-time teacher and started taking personalized tuition for students while also working as a volunteer teacher in collaboration with [ORGANIZATION].

However, even while teaching, my mind constantly wandered towards a Master in Environmental Science and Management and I wanted to learn and do more in the field. Now that things are favorable in my family, I feel that I can finally pursue the Master's and work towards my dream. I believe that there is no right or wrong time to pursue our passion and we should strive hard towards our dreams and grab every opportunity that comes our way. Now, I wish to combine my passion and knowledge gained from the Master's with my education degree and start an institute where children will get more opportunities to connect with nature. Along with formal education, I would like to educate them on how to be more responsible towards our environment, how to live harmoniously with nature, how to lead a sustainable and futuristic living, how to be more independent and self-reliant by using their own talents, skills, and values.

I wish to learn about this field in a global context and believe that UK is the best place for my Master's as it has a number of world-renowned universities that are known for offering quality education. The student-friendly environment and the excellent facilities and learning experiences offered in this country excite me. Thus I apply to the Master's program of [UNIVERSITY]. I am eager to learn modules such as environmental management tools and methods and understanding and managing changes, and make the most of the program by choosing the electives ecology and conservation, agriculture and environment. And see it as an invaluable opportunity to build on my experience. I assure the selection committee that I would leave no stone unturned to prove to be a worthy addition to the program.