SOP Sample for MSc Computer Science in UK - Fresh Graduate

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Ever since my childhood, I have always been fascinated and interested in how computers and software work, and how games and apps are developed. Later when I grew up, I was impatient to make a fully functional game on my own. I did everything that was prerequisite: searching for the assets, animations, creating the backend of the game, and finally when the product was completed, I got a developer account on the play store and uploaded it. That was a moment when I felt like I was on cloud nine. I now know that Artificial Intelligence has been predicted to become "essential" to competitiveness and will have a dramatic impact on businesses in the future. My fascination in this area began when I saw films such as Iron Man and The Matrix.

I took a year off after earning an 8.2 CGPA in both 10th and 12th grades to prepare for KEAM and JEE entrance exams. Complemented with my passion, proclivities, and capabilities, I opted for B-Tech in Computer Science and Engineering. Calculus, Differential Equations, Machine Learning, Operating Systems, Linear Algebra & Complex Analysis, Object Oriented Design and Programming, Programming Paradigms, Data Mining and Warehousing, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering Physics, Engineering Mechanics, Introduction to Computing and Problem Solving, and Engineering Chemistry were some of my favourite subjects in undergrad.

During my undergraduate years, apart from attending classes on a regular basis, I was involved in a variety of extracurricular activities. I took part in the Game Begetter competition in Techfest conducted by [UNIVERSITY_1] (Asia's largest Tech-fest). I had just a month to finish the final product which was an android game app. Though I was mediocre in this field, I wanted to win. I devoted most of my time after college hours on this, and in the end, I came in third place. This was certainly a proud moment for me. In another instance, I won the first prize in a game development competition conducted by the IEEE society of [UNIVERSITY_2]. Later, brimming with confidence, I led my team (which consisted of four members) in the 10th CSI-InApp International Student Project Awards 2021. We had to give a presentation to a group of engineers and researchers who were experts in their fields. We collaborated well under my supervision and advanced to the finals. My partners and I also took part in a competition held by the [UNIVERSITY_3] CSE department during the last semester and we came in second place for the Best Projects award.

My first internship, which was at college and run by [COMPANY_1], occurred while I was in my fourth semester. During this time I learned Git, Latex, Bootstrap, Kali Linux for basic ethical hacking, Web networking, and IPC. I was intimidated at first as I was new to all these technologies. But I persevered, and upon completion, I was awarded the Advanced Certified Secure Computer User credential. I then enrolled for an NPTEL certificate for The Joy of Computing Using Python, conducted by [UNIVERSITY_4]. Working out many programming questions, and completing the mandatory projects, I became a python expert and aced the final exam, after which I received a Certificate of Completion. Another course Programming in Java, conducted by [UNIVERSITY_5] on the same platform (NPTEL) drew my attention and I completed it in a short span of time.

My leadership abilities were displayed in the fifth semester when my colleagues and I were required to make a PPT presentation as a group. Barely had we decided on who should do what when we had a fallout. So I stepped in and took the initiative to complete it and present it on my own.

Sixth semester saw me adding onto my interests. Earlier, I was all about developing software, but at this point, I became fascinated with Artificial Intelligence (AI). I took the initiative to learn a variety of machine learning courses from Youtube, Coursera, and other websites. Using all that I had learned, in my final year, I submitted a project - Hyperface Implemented Multiplayer TPS game in the domain of Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Game Development (Unity), and Deep Learning (CNN). It is based on the paper "Hyperface", which outlines four technologies, but only three of them are used in the project: face detection, landmark localization, and gender detection. These technologies are used to make the character inside the game perform specific actions. Gender detection is carried out by training a model on a deep convolutional neural network (CNN algorithm), the dataset used to train the model consists of about 3000 photos of men and women obtained from Kaggle. Face detection and landmark localization are done using OpenCV and Dlib libraries. This Hyperface model is then included into a TPS (third-person shooter) game and improved with networking capabilities via the Photon server, allowing multiple players to play at the same time. The Unity engine is used to create the game, while the backend is written in C#. The game's assets and animations were sourced from the asset store and mixamo websites. I was also working on a personal project in Android Studio at the start of the covid outbreak, constructing an Instagram clone with Kotlin and Firebase as the backend. I also got familiar with MERN stack during this period.

[UNIVERSITY_6] (Coursera) has awarded me a certificate for Front-End Web UI Frameworks and Tools: Bootstrap 4. It was quite easy at first because I was already familiar with web development, but I learned about the node package manager (npm) and its usefulness, as well as the need of using Git and Github during a project. Despite the fact that I was previously aware with topics such as supervised and unsupervised learning, classification, and clustering (thanks to my 7th semester studies), I thought I lacked the skills to apply them in a practical setting. As a result, I enrolled in [COMPANY_2]'s Machine Learning with Python certificate programme. It far exceeded my expectations, as I could learn in well-equipped labs. Building a classifier to predict whether a loan case will be paid off or not was my next project. I used k-Nearest Neighbour, Decision Tree, Support Vector Machine, and Logistic Regression algorithms. To measure their accuracy, I used the Jaccard index, F1-score, and Log Loss. I did this using python and jupyter notebook on [COMPANY_2] Watson Studio which helped me gain real-world experience.

Because of my leadership skills, and the faith that my classmates and teachers had in me, I was the class rep of our CSE batch for 2 years (4 semesters) which helped in molding me to become a more responsible person. I got an opportunity to do community service when a flood occurred in Kerala. As part of [ORGANIZATION] (Kerala Catholic Youth Movement), I went all out to help people get to reach safety. Once the worst was over, I helped in cleaning their houses. This made me understand that living in this world is not only about you and your family but also about helping others in need.

I currently wish to continue my academic career by enrolling in [UNIVERSITY_7]'s MSc in Artificial Intelligence programme. The United Kingdom provides a full ecology in which potential students can thrive. Access to internships and employment possibilities at some of the world's leading technical companies, as well as top-notch teachers, outstanding facilities, and diversity. As a result, studying here was an obvious choice for me.

After giving the matter some thought, I've determined that attending [UNIVERSITY_7] will be extremely beneficial to me. The training will enable me to acquire advanced concepts and develop me into an industry-ready professional by allowing me to learn from the best. I opted to study at this university because it conducts cutting-edge AI research, which aligns with my research interests. The university also has a world-class infrastructure and a diversified multi-cultural student body. I'll be able to experience the best of international standards if I study here.

After completing the programme, I would like to work for a company that is built on innovative technology, such as [COMPANY_3] or [COMPANY_4]. They're now working on cutting-edge technology like self-driving cars, [COMPANY_4] Assistant, and [COMPANY_4] Brain, which I'm quite excited about. I am convinced that the excellent erudition I will obtain at [UNIVERSITY_7] will assist me in effectively achieving my objectives.

Thank you!