SOP Sample for MS Project Management in USA | Business Background

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

As an aspiring student of your esteemed institution, I, [APPLICANT NAME], am writing this application essay to elucidate my interest in studying under the prestigious course of Project Management at [UNIVERSITY NAME], Boston. I strongly believe that this course would broaden my horizon and will help me to achieve my future endeavors in my budding career.

Born and brought up in a family of business professionals, I opted for the commerce stream in high school and completed my grade 12 in March 2016. High school helped me understand the basics of business and management. Further, in order to gain in-depth knowledge about the same, I chose to complete my undergraduate degree in Business Administration from [UNIVERSITY NAME], Delhi, which is a renowned institution affiliated with [UNIVERSITY NAME], Delhi.

While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I was exposed to various facets of management like Marketing, Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, and many other important concepts that provided me a strong foundation in management as a discipline. Studying in detail about every field helped me understand, compare, and test my potential for each domain.

To put my classroom learning into practice and explore my newly found interest in management a little more, I worked as a marketing researcher with [COMPANY NAME]. It is an Indian multinational electrical products manufacturing company headquartered in Delhi, India. As a market researcher, I was responsible for collecting and analyzing data and information to present to the senior leadership of the marketing team. The exposure helped me explore customers' opinions about the products. The experience became my first ever practical brush with the field of marketing. The opportunity not only helped me have a closer look at the field of marketing but also fine-tuned my presentation and communication skills along with my ability to innovate and be creative, which I believe are essentials to become a successful business professional.

I successfully completed my bachelor's degree in May 2019 with an overall score of 77.7% and proceeded in the direction of my goals.

I started working as a Software Associate at [COMPANY NAME] in June 2019. Corresponding to the said role, I was responsible for providing assistance with technical support to the employees of [COMPANY NAME] working from different locations, contacting us for any technical issues or faulty devices in branch. I mapped clients' requirements and provided best services to suit their requirements and utilized analytical and technical expertise to provide insight and proposals to support business improvement. I was responsible for interacting with customers on a daily basis. Being part of the system, Client Relationship Management was an important part of my key responsibilities, where I was required to maintain healthy rapport with existing clients. Following up with clients in order to take feedback and assist management in taking corrective measures, if required, was another important area that I was allowed to venture into during my stint at the [PROJECT NAME].

However, after 1.5 years, I switched projects and roles. I moved to a Business Analysis role ([COMPANY NAME]), where I manage important reports relating to the project significant to the senior leadership. I also handle critical SLAs and analyze the risks associated with the SLAs. I work on data extraction and data mining for accurate reporting. Coordinating with different teams, organizing research, analyzing results, preparing concise presentations, and presenting to senior executives—while working in this role, I found my interest in managing projects. To align with the role, I completed online trainings (Excel Skills for Business, ITIL 4, PowerBI Report Development, and Agile Software Development), all being part of my job and contributing to managing the project.

My exposure provided a logical extension to my academics. It helped me to enhance my analytical skills, business communication skills, and knowledge about the ITIL process. The exercise made me aware of the existing strengths of my present professional portfolio and also highlighted the areas I need to work upon to become a successful Project Manager, which pushed me to look for options that can help me fulfill this.

After a careful evaluation of my present profile and the growing opportunities available in my chosen area of interest, I have decided to take an academic leap in my career and bridge the gap between my existing knowledge and the proposed one. To meet this objective, I have finalized a Master's in Project Management from [UNIVERSITY NAME]. The program is a perfect fit for my aspirations. The industry-oriented coursework will equip me with skills and knowledge relevant to the IT industry. With emphasis on practical skills, the college encourages studies through work placement, case studies, and group work on real projects that help students practice their classroom learning and identify their individual skills and strengths. Brainstorming in groups helps one enhance his reasoning abilities and leadership skills as well. The full-time program offers a mix of fundamentals of project management, risk and quality management, project stakeholder management, strategic management, and integrative experiential learning—subjects that collectively provide a range of essential business skills and specialized knowledge that are necessary to excel in the global business environment. With familiarity of the focused nature of responsibilities that management takes care of, such as organizing, leadership, methodologies, and many other relevant areas, the course would help me touch base with each and every aspect of project management, making me a specialist in the same. This confirms that my decision to take up higher studies at [UNIVERSITY NAME] will prove to be the most rational step taken in the direction of my goals.

Moreover, studying in the USA will offer me a competitive edge in my career. Interacting with a diverse range of people while studying in the USA will enhance my ability to interact with people from other cultures and analyze issues with a global perspective. I plan to do it at a place where diversity inspires people's thoughts and creativity and provides them a peaceful environment where they are taught to embrace differences and develop the ability to adapt to dynamic situations. All these factors made me finalize the USA for my academic pursuits. I am assured that the exposure I will gain at [UNIVERSITY NAME] in the USA will act as a catalyst in my academic and professional career.

I thank you for your time and patience and humbly request you to consider my application for a USA study permit favorably to help me take a step closer to achieving my goals.

Yours Sincerely, [APPLICANT NAME]