SOP Sample for MS Social Policy in the UK - Fresh Graduate

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

[PERSON] once said, "Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand." In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis and other fiscal and demographic pressures like economic crisis, migration, etc., there has been a dramatic reversal in health and social mobility advancements, making it an exciting and pivotal time to study these issues. Growing up with a strong desire to positively impact society, I now have a deep desire to explore the policy aspect of society further. As an aspirant to devote my knowledge towards the benefit of people in need, I anticipate calibrating my capabilities to the maximum with a Master's degree in Social Policy from [UNIVERSITY].

As far back as my early education, I was admired for my ability to communicate incisively and follow through with a goal intelligently until completion. A great familial upbringing and focused academic nurturing at school contributed to the development of these character traits in me during my foundational academic years. My academic framework consists of a Bachelor's in Life Sciences from [COLLEGE], [UNIVERSITY], and a Master's in Anthropology from [UNIVERSITY]. While pursuing the under-graduation degree, I was exposed to various facets of Anthropology like Archaeological Anthropology, Modern Biological Anthropology, Genetic Perspectives on Modern Human Origins, and many other essential concepts that provided me a strong foundation in Anthropology as a discipline. Studying in detail about every field helped me understand, compare, and test my potential for each domain. Thus, I have firm underpinning in the concerned discipline and can demonstrate a set of skills such as adept research skills, analytical skills, communication, and problem-solving skills, etc.

As part of my academic curriculum, I have worked on several projects such as "Internal Migration for Education- Challenges Faced by Young Students Migrated to Delhi NCR" and "Youth Perception on Online Teaching: Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdown on Higher Education". Furthermore, for my dissertation, I worked on a project called "Open Defecation Among Rural Western Uttar Pradesh- Analysis of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan," for which I have conducted rigorous ethnographic fieldwork in four districts of Uttar Pradesh to study the prevalence of Open defecation and impact of Government policies. Undertaking these projects has helped me understand the various factors underpinning different social issues and enhanced my qualitative and quantitative research skills and tools to a great extent, and all of them are in the final stages of publication in esteemed journals. I have also volunteered for an NGO called [ORGANIZATION], where I led a team of ten volunteers and conducted fieldwork for collecting data of underprivileged youth and interview data of the transgender community to develop various plans and policies for their empowerment.

As a student, I have always attempted in all my capacity to derive value and outcome from every opportunity facilitated to me. Thus, I have been involved in various cultural, sports, and leadership activities throughout my academic endeavor. At college, I was elected as the student representative for sports and a member of the core organizing and management committee for annual cultural festivals and even volunteered for social service in the National Service Scheme. Furthermore, during the master's program, I was the winner in an international literature festival and first runner-up in the following year. I also led the chess and basketball team as a captain for the annual sports festival. I have learned and grown a lot from both these activities. The roles, responsibilities, and exercises helped me inculcate leadership, problem-solving, sportsmanship, teamwork, time management, and communication.

Having accomplished my postgraduate program with an overall CGPA of 9.02 (First Division with Distinction), I am now looking forward to embarking on a new academic onset to undertake a Master's program in Social Policy. In this effort, I have decided to apply to [UNIVERSITY] to pursue this propitious program, because it seems perfectly suited to help me accomplish my academic aspiration. Your esteemed university has a regional reputation for facilitating one of the best higher educations. Therefore, I am confident that undertaking a master's at your university would be the right course of action for me. In addition to this, I am keenly interested in learning modules such as Understanding Poverty and Social Inequality, Comparative Social Policy and Social Change; and Social Theory and Social Policy: Rethinking Welfare. This confirms that my decision to take up higher studies at [UNIVERSITY] will be the most logical step towards my goal.

In addition to all these, studying in the United Kingdom would be a life-changing experience because it has countless opportunities for personal growth and intellectual enhancement. With the region's reputation of proffering one of the best technical and higher education worldwide, securing and earning a degree from the UK would be a milestone achievement for any scholar and student. Moreover, the region has a culturally diverse and peaceful environment, perfectly suitable for learning and imbibing values.

After successfully completing the course, I would like to work in a well-known governmental research organization like [ORGANIZATION] in India, which is one-of-a-kind in the world offering. I realized the value of the research support [ORGANIZATION] provides to policymakers in order to minimize policy-paralysis and policy gaps from the report "Impact of COVID-19 on MSME, Media and Hospitality sectors" by [ORGANIZATION]. With the changing socio-economic and political conditions in the country, I would like to keep myself up to date with information regarding new and advanced knowledge to undertake policy analysis and make policy recommendations to address those changes. In the long run, I intend to create a distinctive research eco-system that will serve as a support system for decision-making among political leaders, as well as documenting policy innovations and propagating best practices related to government and public policy.

For me, attending the Social Policy studies is an obvious next step, one for which I will work diligently and expeditiously. I would be delighted if the Admissions Committee could share my enthusiasm and accept my application. The opportunity to present my candidacy at your prestigious university is an honor, and I look forward to hearing from you.