SOP Sample for MS in Computer Science in USA - Fresh Graduate

Statement of Purpose

"Integrity is the seed for achievement. It is the principle that never fails." A straightforward yet insightful quote by [NAME] that I abide by through thick and thin. I strongly believe in the principle of honesty and have implemented it since a young age. With a character like integrity instilled in me, I know that I have nothing to dread. My integrity has helped me make the right choices, one of which is pursuing a master's in Computer Science. But before I explain why I opted to study Master's further, let me narrate what the driving force was to make a career in Computer Science.

It all started during my school days when I was intrigued by how computers functioned. I discovered my profound inclination for computers when I had the opportunity to learn HTML along with MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, and other fundamental aspects of computer and their applications. With the desire to study more about computers manifested in me, I wasted no time opting for Computer Science as my elective course in high school. Doing so opened the gateway to learning the programming language C++, which is a core requirement in the corporate world. Learning about data structures helped me to broaden my knowledge and understanding. Furthermore, I worked on a Student Record Management System project using C++ that started my journey to work on real-life projects. [NAME], my high school teacher, is mainly responsible for my success and determination to pursue a computer science stream. He was a significant influence in my career choice, and thus, I opted for Computer Science Engineering for under-graduation that would provide me with excellent knowledge in the field of my preference.

My undergraduate degree helped me shape my mind regarding choosing the subjects that aligned with the career I aimed to pursue. It was here that I realized my exceptional interest in subjects like OOPs, C++, Engineering Mathematics, OSS Development, DBMS, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence. Nevertheless, absorbing the theory made me impatient to apply its usage in practical life. As a result, I started working on several academic projects, one of which was 'Online Shopping Management System.' The aim was to develop an online platform for a shop that could easily be handled by its owner. I used SQL to create a database along with ER (Entity Relationship) diagrams for better understanding. Customers with an account could add the products to the cart, buy them, and get the shipment. The admin/shop-owner side manages the application and keeps the products up to date. Normalization is used on the database to ensure data organization. I facilitated my growth as a leader and a team player by working on projects.

I then turned my attention to researching and started a Machine Learning and Deep Learning project, 'Cancerous and non-cancerous cell detection.' My team and I have collected biopsy images of uterus cancer and biopsy images of the non-cancerous cells for our dataset. After staining the cells, we did a microscopic biopsy image analysis, categorized the sample based on the proportion of nucleus to the cytoplasm, and compared them with commonly used methods found in previous research papers. Our next step is to follow an approach of pre-processing, image segmentation, feature extraction, and classification. Apart from this, I am simultaneously working on a review paper on 'Study on DevOps process and its current research direction.' My friend and I have collected 20 quality research papers on DevOps and tabulated the main points—title, author, publisher, techniques used, advantages, and limitations/future work. The focus is on which DevOps tools are suitable for which software industry task.

Marching ahead, with a zeal to endorse textual knowledge into a working environment, I did a 2-month Machine Learning internship at [COMPANY]. I implemented various ML algorithm applications while working on several projects. I developed a system to predict the quality of wine using relevant features. I followed this up by working on another project called 'MNIST (Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology database) digit recognition.' This project aimed at implementing a K-Nearest Neighbors classification algorithm to recognize handwritten digits (0-9). I used the MNIST train dataset to train the model to recognize handwritten digits and then tested the findings with the MNIST test dataset. My success here was when I achieved an accuracy score of 96%.

As I took my academic trajectory to a level further, I started my research for a meaningful curriculum helping me challenge myself with the in-depth modules in the field of Computing, and came across the structured curriculum of the [UNIVERSITY]. My purpose behind applying for a postgraduate degree at your esteemed university is to gain all the essential and cutting-edge next-gen competencies and enhance my critical thinking and analytical skills. With elite modules and a practical learning approach, this program will help me take a step forward towards my passion and equip me with a better perspective of Data Structures and Algorithms, ML, Data Science, and AI. During my time at the university, I want to get an on-campus job, such as the position of GSA/Grader, to meet my monthly expenses. I am inspired by the research work of [PROFESSOR NAME] on Deep Active Learning for Image Classification, as it is aligned with my interest and project area. I want to join the [UNIVERSITY] Machine Learning club to broaden my network and learn more.

Following the successful completion of my Master's in Computer Science, I am sure that this international experience will be instrumental in enhancing my knowledge base and add value in realizing my professional ends. Upon completing my program, I intend to work in a product-based company as a software engineer, ML engineer, or data scientist to create software and applications that benefit society. As I extract every bit of learning being imparted to me, I will rise to the university's standards and contribute meaningfully to the tide.