SOP Sample for MS Literature | Fresher Applicant Example

People across the world explore endlessly in the pursuit of the "right" thing for them, to find their true passion. In our daily lives, we come across many who are unhappy with their work and can't catch a break from the recurring disappointment and demotivation precipitated due to a lack of interest. Since a young age, this seemed perverse to me and I abhorred the spirit. I wanted my passion and interest to align with my true calling and build a career of it, or at least keep trying till I do. My life, until mid-teenage, was spent in a sequestered environment and was rather trite. Soon, I started believing that passion and career are disparate and earning money is of utmost importance, as that was the definition of success instilled in me. Having passion being denominated as a mere hobby and being ingrained that following them is a far-fetched construct, especially for middle-class teenagers, I stopped pursuing ways to align mine and rather started tailing towards what seemed like a viable career choice based on the advice of my elders and the internet.

After grade 10, I chose Commerce, seemingly the "only" option for the ones not keen on becoming a doctor or an engineer. Arts as a field was ostracised and often shunned away even in career counseling sessions where the ones keen and talented were advised to first have a back-up ready before they get the foot in the door towards their calling. My unflinching, no-questions-asked naivety made me rest my career decisions with my parents and I merely complied with what they thought was best for me. Over time, I truly understood the predispositions of people and the value they attach to what is out of their comfort zones. I decided that I had to make the most of the situation and break out these shackles and take control. However, this epiphany made its debut only after I took up business and commerce believing that earning money is all that matters and is the only "safe" way forward. I wouldn't say that I disliked it or resented my parents for it, rather I realised, somewhere deep down, I bought into the dogma and let my prejudices take over my sensibilities. What kept me going was my curiosity and my insatiable desire to learn new things and understand the true working of an enterprise, after all they can be personified as humans and are made by people within.

As I moved to college, I was struggling with my inner-self to identify and decide my path forward. I continued my journey in management and business studies but resolved into following my passions and interests. Soon, I was in pursuit for opportunities which would help me at least dabble and explore my passion. In the freshmen year, I started interning in the largest youth run organisation, [ORGANIZATION_NAME], as a part of the department which dealt with research and content curation where my primary role was to devise and conduct research on a plethora of topics, and to draft and vet papers. Everyday, after a hectic schedule in college, I travelled to what became my second home, our office and worked till I could make it back home in the evening, just in time before my curfew. The passion and zeal that I felt towards the work was unmatchable. It was not just the people but it was the work which appealed to something untapped in me. As weeks passed, I started realising that literature and language studies was my true calling, my knight that I had to rescue. All the years spent in libraries, reading and writing articles made absolute sense now. The epiphany was now out there, that one need not follow the bandwagon of what life is and how it should be lived, rather it's a journey which is different for everyone with varying paths to follow.

I furthered my frontiers by enrolling for a course by [UNIVERSITY_NAME] on Masterpieces of World Literature where we voyaged from the inception of English Literature with [AUTHOR_NAME], went along to the three and a half millennia old saga of Gilgamesh, dived into the odysseys of Odysseus, explored the tale of Genji, learnt the enchanting tales of Scheherazade in 1001 nights, enjoyed the satire of [AUTHOR_NAME] in Candide and many more books. Post this course, I also engaged in the classical works of [AUTHOR_NAME], the [AUTHOR_NAME] sisters, [AUTHOR_NAME], [AUTHOR_NAME] and enjoyed the modern works of [AUTHOR_NAME], [AUTHOR_NAME], [AUTHOR_NAME] and many more! Every book that I have read has left a vivid and distinguished impression on me. Debating and discussing these authors and their evergreen art is my absolute favourite thing to do.

To further explore and learn, I conceptualised and spearheaded a magazine, [MAGAZINE_NAME] at [ORGANIZATION_NAME] which became the largest student magazine in India with it being distributed in over 7500+ schools within the first three months of its launch. This monthly magazine completes its year this February and has featured luminaries from different walks of life. Managing a team of writers and designers, editing the content and designing the magazine, reaching out to guest writers and celebrities for cover and for featuring theme relevant veterans, marketing was headed and overseen by me. I had the good fortune of interviewing Olympic Winners, Indian Chief of Army Staff during India's last war (i.e., Kargil War), Permanent Indian representative to the UN- [NAME], child prodigies, and a lot of people who have made a tangible change to this world at large.

The past three years of my life have been completely dedicated to studying literary works, writing on various topics ranging from different fields, managing teams of writers and designers. I am now the Head of Substance Department with around seventy people working under me on research material for our International, National and UN conferences, content, designing, public relations for our magazine, training of hundreds of students on a weekly basis on various topics, interviews and appointment of Chief Moderators and much more. Simultaneously, to further learn about researching, in academia, my capstone was a study on Behavioural Finance and Stock Markets. For the same, I used primary, secondary and tertiary means of researching involving—conducting a firsthand study of over 150 people on topics relevant to my research paper, conducting literature review, performing analysis and writing observations after extensive research and interviewing two experts from the field.

There is so much more that I can write to convey what my purpose is but what is better than me talking about my journey towards discovering my passion and to show that I am willing and happy to continue on this path, overcoming the hurdles, conquering my fears and learning from my failures. While life has adventurously taken me through a quandary of streams, I found my calling, albeit later than most. To make this future a reality, I need to start, keep walking, climb the ladder and keep at it. I have taken the first step, now it's time to pick up the pace from the baby steps and start a new phase of my life with one of the top institutes, pursuing literature, academically and hopefully, professionally as well under the guidance of veterans in the field. Literature is my passion and indubitably will be a huge part of my future and my journey towards it. I am certain that there are many exemplary candidates per contra, there are only a few who are not just willing to put in the hard yards but are also not afraid to take risks even if it means changing their field after their bachelors.

Best Regards, [APPLICANT_NAME]