SOP Sample for MS in Automotive Engineering in India - Fresher Profile

Statement of Purpose

My name is [NAME], a potential student aspiring to pursue MS in Automotive Engineering, specifically Motorsports or Race Car Engineering for the year 2022.

In my childhood I was deeply devoted towards my school. I distinctly remember when my parents left me for my first class, my eyes were full of water as they said goodbye. I went to my class and saw different people, assuming that they were aliens. The very first thing in class we did was our introductions, and then our teacher made us choose our bench partners to sit with. Then we were made to draw pictures of familiar objects, and my teacher recited rhymes in a calm and soothing voice. After the class when the bell rang, by the end of the day I began to love school, thinking to return as soon as possible. When I was returning home, I was thinking how fortunate I am to have begun with a good early education. As I grew, my interests and abilities were inclined towards the scientific nature of the environment and mathematics to be precise. Science and mathematics always bring some challenges and mystery. Learning became an important part of my life.

My keen interest in science and mathematics drove me to opt for math, physics, and chemistry in my higher secondary education. After completing my high school, the result I was hoping for was not that good and I felt low in life, thinking that engineering would not be the best option for me. But there is a scientific mind that reverted back my decisions, and I felt that engineering would be the area. At a very young age I decided that I would be working in an automobile industry which would give me the opportunity to learn and explore how the fundamentals of automotive engineering are applied to create cars for practical, real purposes and driving. Moreover, my strengths have always been leadership and the power of imagination, which made me take up a discipline that would allow me to pursue the best possible way. Thus, automobile engineering was a foremost option to study. The process of my studies included subjects like computer programming, machine drawing, manufacturing process, CAD/CAM, machine design, kinematics and dynamics of cars, applied thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, finite element analysis, and some management subjects were included. It looks easy, but it made me push my limits to the extreme to achieve my future endeavors.

We are standing at a point in our life where each and every minute counts as moving technologies and developments show their effect in the real world very fast. With keen interest in dynamics of the vehicle, IC engines, suspensions, braking systems, and steering parts are the major bits to study. What attracts me more is the braking system of the vehicle. As a school student, I have been a passionate follower of Formula One racing. Magazines and some books enhanced my interest towards the sport. At first I wanted to be a driver, but when I saw the eligibility criteria, it starts from a very young age and I am way older than that, so why not get in there as an engineer?

My interest in automobiles started during my high school years. It was the time when technology and new vehicles were introduced with impeccable designs. The revolution had begun to make an impact on the lives of people in India. Right since the beginning of my undergraduate study, automobiles is a subject that has fascinated me and made me hungry to learn more.

Till 5th standard I studied in my hometown in [SCHOOL_NAME]. After that my father sent me to a boarding school. I felt very depressed and angry, wondering why they were doing this to me. But as we grew up, people start to understand what the motive behind all this was—they wanted me to learn aspects of life. They were training me so that if they were not present, I would know how to make my way out. I was a brilliant student in boarding school, scoring wonderful grades and participating in co-curricular activities too. They decided to make me Sports Secretary at 9th grade, which helped me hone my organizational and interpersonal skills at [SCHOOL_NAME]. I returned to my hometown in 10th standard. As the competition was increasing, I thought it would be great to study in a big city. I got admitted in the same school where I completed my primary studies, but as we say that city air is polluted, my grades went down. Still, I was an average student, scoring 80% in 10th standard and 62.5% in 12th. I have been a part of my school cricket team and volleyball team.

It all started when I entered college, namely [UNIVERSITY_NAME]. I saw that people were taking the automobile branch to get into the college and then just score good marks, after which they apply for branch upgradation. At that point of time, CS and IT sectors had more jobs to offer with security. Nobody saw their future in the respective branch. It diverted me too, because to get into the automobile sector you need to apply thorough knowledge, and at some point you start realizing that things are getting tough and getting out of hand. One day at college, my fellow seniors and I were discussing the same thing. Then we decided we don't want to be a part of the flock. So we decided that we would stick to our plans, but to do so we needed some practical knowledge. The college only offered theory, so we started researching what could be done. Then some options came out. First and foremost was to find some crazy, enthusiastic students who were ready to get their hands dirty. Then we found out that there are some events going on in India related to the dynamics of the subject. Events are mostly organized by SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). We had a plan, but the execution was hard. In the beginning it was hard to convince students to see potential in it. Some joined us. Now the biggest hurdle was to form a team and explain their roles to them, because the level of study they needed to possess was of expert level—more than that of college books.

We began by participating in a Go Kart event where we succeeded and secured 1st in acceleration and overall 5th. It was time to jump to a higher level, so we decided that we were going to do Supra, a formula student competition where teams from all over India from different colleges participate, and you can meet some brilliant minds in this industry. As we got success in Go Kart, we were confident that we could do this easily. We didn't know at what point our confidence became overconfidence. We got an utter failure in our first time. We were losing hope. We thought that it's not easy to compete at that level. But the crazy always jumps out and pushes you to do the impossible. The next year, some fresh minds and some old school members were coping to do the impossible. We took the challenge and guess what—we succeeded and secured 35th out of 136 teams. In my point of view, we changed the view of the automobile branch. Then we as a team became a symbol to our college. But as we know that all good things come to an end, some of my seniors and batch mates left the team to focus on their careers. We handed our vehicle to some talented students to continue this culture. People don't say it, but in my point of view it was a revolution.

I strongly feel that the MS in Automotive Engineering program from the prestigious [UNIVERSITY_NAME] is a highly structured program because it provides the right balance between theory, practical work, and research. It would give me ample opportunities to apply my knowledge in related platforms where I see my future. I write to you with full honesty and earnestness that my background and qualifications will be found suitable for admission to this prestigious program, the MS Automotive Engineering program from your university. I am confident that I will do my best to make your institute proud.

In the future, I see myself as a committed professional who wants to make a difference to the automotive community. To achieve this, I would like to gain exposure to the full-fledged technologies in the area of automotive engineering.