SOP Sample for MS in Computer Science in USA

Statement of Purpose

# Introduction

I am [NAME], a student who has always been fascinated by computers and advancements in the world of computer science. My desire to learn about the nitty-gritty of how computers actually work had driven me to choose computer science as my major for my undergraduate studies. I am currently pursuing my under graduation from [UNIVERSITY], a prominent college in India, having good international reputation.

During the last three and a half years of my undergraduate education, I have developed a great taste for the subject of computer science in general, and Machine Learning in specific. Consequently, I am highly interested in pursuing a master's degree in computer science to further enhance my knowledge. I find myself capable of understanding various concepts of computer science. My diligence, technically sound knowledge, a burning desire to learn the subject deeply and my strong grasping abilities make me, in my opinion, a perfect candidate to pursue the Master's degree in computer science at [UNIVERSITY], one of most elitist universities of the world.

# Academics

Brilliance in academics requires a student who has a strong desire to learn, diligent and vigilant in his/her efforts, and one who is ready to overcome several distractions that might come up his/her way. In particular, I believe that pursuing a Master's level course in an engineering-oriented subject not only requires theoretical knowledge but the ability to utilize that knowledge, with analytical thinking to solve practical problems effectively.

During my undergraduate education, I have always tried to sharpen my problem-solving approach. I read several books and tried to work on a wide variety of problems. My approach was to hone my conceptual understanding in order to arrive at effective solutions to problems. My strong foundations in mathematics greatly helped me to understand many concepts of engineering algorithms. A thorough study of subjects like Operating Systems, Networking, Database Management Systems and Digital Logic helped me gain a strong overall foundation in the subject of computer science.

Programming courses in Java and C++ helped me understand the foundation and framework of writing efficient codes. I was especially fascinated to learn programs aimed at solving real life problems, such as appointments-scheduling for instance. Other subjects including Embedded Systems, Microprocessor and Soft Computing played a major role in understanding algorithms of computing along with computer hardware. I thoroughly enjoyed the course on microprocessor which taught us ways of virtually creating working models of different engineering systems including dynamos, induction motors etc. My continuous learning efforts and persistence to gain improved understanding has reflected in my improving grades with each passing semester. I finally scored a GPA of 8.22 in my last semester in the junior year.

# Research Experience

Research is a vital component of completing a Master's degree. It requires innovative thinking and experimenting with diverse aspects to address un-solved problems facing the engineering community and the society at large. I find myself to have a significant inclination towards research work and have developed a habit of reading research papers in areas which interest me (including natural language processing, artificial intelligence and deep learning).

I have worked as a research intern as part of the 'Surge Program' at [UNIVERSITY] under the guidance of [PROFESSOR]. During this, I worked on event analysis on GemOS. Our team developed a GUI that provides different functionalities required to manage the GemOS projects. The functionalities include options to create a new project, manage GemOS source code, add more functionalities to the GUI (like debugging) etc.

In addition, I have also worked on research projects in the area of machine learning/artificial intelligence. This has helped me learn and apply some of the important concepts of this rapidly evolving field to real-life problems. A summary of the major works is presented below:

1. I have written a research paper entitled "Educational Question Generation with Similar Difficulty Level". My research was based on improving the education testing standards. We used pre-trained models to create different sets of questions for a given exam. The datasets consist of semantic similar questions with equal difficulty levels. Then a new dataset was generated consisting of all the possible paraphrased variations of the same question. The study ensured that the question's actual meaning remains unchanged after using paraphrasing techniques.

2. I am currently working on using machine learning and natural language processing to develop new ways for automating the process of test assessment and evaluation with [PROFESSOR] at [UNIVERSITY].

Working on these research projects, as can be seen, has primarily developed my interests in the exciting fields of natural language processing, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Not only that, but I had the opportunity to develop sound skills of python programming, and high dimensional data visualization under guidance of [PROFESSOR], Assistant Professor at [UNIVERSITY]. I must mention that I could learn these skills, which are integrally essential for all kinds of research, has been possible with the help of a data visualization internship that I attended at the [UNIVERSITY].

# Cocurricular Activities

I have always believed that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body and learning is not just limited to classrooms. During my school days, I received semi-professional training in football and was part of my school's football team which won several zonal competitions. My inclination towards sports and academics helped me in getting several academic excellence awards. I always believed in developing my leadership skills. I participated in my school monitor elections came up second best candidate once and first the next year. During my school life, I was highly interested in playing music instruments and was an active member of school's music club. I played several instruments and was highly acknowledged by my teachers.

In my college initial years, I took Swachh Bharat (Clean India) as an elective course and learned various ways to help garbage management and cleanliness maintenance of my college campus and the city. Swachh Bharat is an initiative of Govt. of India started by [NAME]. Many cleanliness and sanitation drives were organised by me and I also organised and donated blood in Blood Donation Camp of [UNIVERSITY].

During college fest, I served as prime face for arranging sponsorships for my fest as I was secretary of Finance Committee of my college fest.

In student clubs, being the student coordinator of Nature and Trekking Club, I organised many trekking events and trips along with workshops and seminars. It was refreshing experience of working close to nature along with local NGOs working for welfare of environment. I have a desire to start something of my own, so I joined Entrepreneurship and Incubation centre of [UNIVERSITY]. It was great exercise of presenting ideas to investors who were well known from their respective business domains. I am fond of hackathons and participated in [COMPANY] Grid hackathons. Competitive programming and problem-solving experience were an exciting feature such competitions have.

Currently I am working as a Campus Ambassador Intern at [ORGANIZATION] where we are organising as well as attending workshops on world issues and bring youth together to learn and share from a diverse set of experiences and backgrounds where the Executive Board, International Press and International Delegates consolidate to learn about diplomacy, international relations and the United Nations.