Automobiles have fascinated and captivated my attention MS-Auto/MECH - SOP

Statement of Purpose

Automobiles have fascinated and captivated my attention for as long as I can remember. Today, in the 21st century, when the automobile industry is undergoing one of the most important transformations since its inception, newer technologies are being incorporated every year. The advent of hybrid cars has opened up a new future for an industry initially threatened by humanity's excessive consumption of natural resources. Many more innovations such as fuel-efficient engines, high performance aerodynamics, improved vehicle design etc., dominate the contributions of the automotive industry today. Pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering has helped me gain an overview of the many applications of mechanical systems in automobiles. Having had a taste of working with automobiles in my third year of study, I can safely say that I would like to pursue a career in the same. It has thus become my objective to achieve a master's degree in automotive engineering from Clemson University.

The main idea propelling my desire to work as an automotive engineer stemmed from my brief stint with the College 'SAE Baja' team. Students were required to build the 4-wheeled, single seat vehicles (All Terrain Vehicles). Well-known engineering colleges from over India take part in thisannual event held at Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, India and only the best teams last till the end. I had the privilege of leading the manufacturing team to fabricate parts such as the Brake Disc, Wheel Hub, Wheel upright, Gearboxof the vehicle. Having also designed the brake system myself, I was able to appreciate the technical risks and challenges of a real-world engineering assignment. I was also the representative driver from my college and must say it was an incredible experience. Our collective efforts awarded the Rs.50000 Raftar award, for overall dynamic performance. In this experience I developed many technical and soft skill such as team work, time management, multitasking.

My present job at Viraj Profiles as a Graduate Trainee Engineerrequires me to look after maintenance of a GyratoryForging Machine (GFM) that manufactures Stainless Steel rods. I also look after GFM's supporting machines such as EOT Crane, Cutting Machine, Straightening Machine (Press). I personally manage a team of around 6-8 workers, ensuring that manufacturing processes run smoothly. During the maintenance work I got the opportunity to analyze various mechanical and hydraulic systems. I understood the practical applications of engineering subjects such as Fluid Mechanics, Hydraulic Machinery, Theory of Machines, Metallurgy and Manufacturing Process. This job, in addition to giving me invaluable industry exposure, makes me self-dependent and tests my leadership skills. I am certain that my tenure here has honed the skillsets that will help me successfully complete a master's program in the United States.

The subjects and laboratories at VJTI have been very conducive to my dream of becoming an automotive engineer. While I majored in Mechanical Engineering, I was exposed to a lot of automotive industry oriented subject applications Internal Combustion, Dynamics of Machine, Design of Mechanical Systems etc.This was largely attributed to the fact that VJTI's mechanical engineering department is one of the best and oldest programs in the country. Being a kinesthetic learner, I also enjoyed pursuing a vocational course on Electrical maintenance whilst in junior college. This background permitted me to adopt an application-based perspective to complete my bachelor's program, as a result of which I was involved in numerous projects.

While my contribution to the Baja team of 2012 stands out, I also worked on numerous other projects, such as the development of a single stage scissor mechanism (capable of space-constrained load-lifting) for a mechanical engineering company, Esmech. Studying the design problems faced by the industry, we proposed an optimum pivot location for the actuators, selected a suitable cross-section and analyzed the effects of offsetting mount points of actuators from the centerline. Our Heat and Mass Transfer (HMT) curriculum required us to do a project on the convective heat transfer in brake disk and to deduce its heat transfer coefficient. To simulate the heat transfer process in automotive brakes, we heated both the sides of brake disc on a rectangular patch equivalent to the caliper pad area. Forced convection was achieved by blowing air from a table fan. Our supervisor, Prof. Swati Kulkarni greatly commended our work. My final year project, titled, "Assessment of Performance & Measures Taken to Improve Efficiency and Reliability of Boiler of m/s Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (R.C.F) Ltd." at Trombay, involves a case study in the boiler unit of RCF. We analyzed the correlation between maintenance work and boiler shutdown, by taking critical readings at suitable intervals. After a year of analysis, we also suggested a few practical improvements conducive to improving boiler efficiency. These suggestions were well received and implemented at RCF.

Having a large number of projects to my credit, I can now effectively address any problem analytically, and guide a team of individuals towards solving it. I have always given application-based learning a higher priority, which I feel is why my academic performance and grades do not reflect on my true potential. Working on a project completely driven by self-interest for almost 12-15 hours every day was no mean task, and I am quite proud of the honor we brought our college at the competitions we participated in.

Having studied in a school where the medium of instruction was not English, I sometimes found it difficult to communicate with my peers - a major reason why I did not consider applying abroad for my undergraduate admissions. However, having worked with so many people over the course of my bachelor's studies, I am now able to communicate better and this improvement has added to my resolve of achieving a post-graduate degree. With the impetus and expertise gained by higher education, I wish to someday start my own ATV building workshop.

My father often tells me that a person is a student throughout his life - I have found this to be true in many scenarios, and am completely aware that a master's program might just be the beginning of what is to come. But my resolve towards spending the next two years of my life studying, working with and developing automobiles is concrete. The coursework, research experience and exposure received at Clemson are among the best in the world, something of which I feel I am a part of. Moreover, the program stresses more on _______________.I thus wish to pursue the Master's degree in Automotive Engineering at Clemson University, because I know it will provide me with the skills and knowledge needed to pursue my educational and career goals.

It seems that you have a lot of work experience. However, people from the admissions office tend to see how much research experience you have. So try writing your experiences in a way that insinuates it leads to a growth in research skills, rather than creating descriptions of everything you did.

Also, you need to talk about WHY you want to pursue further education.

Oh, you also need to talk more about why Clemson would be a good choice. Talk a little about the facilities and the research carried out there.

as per your valuable feedback , i did few changes in my SOP. Please have a look. As of now my SOP looks pretty lenghty, pls tell me which points I can omit.

Statement of Purpose
I was always interested in machines and its mechanisms. My father is a Doctor, a Dermatologist. He has a complete setup of dermatology and cosmetic clinic but I never found interest in his field. I was always inclined towards engineering and hence I chose a vocational course instead of biology or language in my junior college. When it was time to decide on my undergraduate course, I chose Mechanical Engineering because it would provide me with a firm foundation in the basics of Engineering while allowing me to maintain flexibility with my graduate studies. After completing four years of this course I feel very pleased and satisfied about my decision of opting bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. The coursework I have taken, as well as the experiences I have had throughout my undergraduate years, have really inspired me to pursue further studies in Mechanical Engineering.

Bachelor program offered by Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the country. Subjects such as "Machine Tools", "Strength of Materials", "Production Process", "Theory of Machines", "Applied Mathematics", "Thermodynamics", and "Fluid Mechanics", and also practice with ANSYS, Catia, Gambit, Fluent, AutoCAD and Pro-E gradually helped me in building up a mechanical aptitude. Well-equipped laboratories and workshops as well as the industrial visits organised by various subject teachers helped me in improving my practical understanding of concepts. My years at VJTI helped me build the foundation to take the Master's course.

I believe that Mechanical Engineering would be a good pursuit for me because I like Practical application of concepts. In my first year of college, I represented my institution in a regional inter-collegiate robotics competition, where we were given the task of designing and constructing two level-one wired robots. The first one was a replica of an industrial crane capable of lifting 6 pounds. The second one was a manually operated off-road vehicle (a small robotic car) that was able to conquer artificially created off-road track and carry a load of 10 pounds, which was almost equal to the car's own weight. My curiosity about robots and participation in these events encouraged me to take Industrial Robotics as an elective subject. In this course, I studied the working and logic behind industrial robots, including robotic arms, which are extensively used in the Mechanical Industry. Most of the work needed in the industrial sector, such as painting, welding and assembly is automated, which is why I feel that my basic knowledge of robotics is absolutely essential.

The main idea propelling my desire to work as a Mechanical Engineer stemmed from my involvement with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) during my formative undergraduate years. SAE organized a number of academic seminars, competitions and conferences during my undergraduate years of study. During that time, I was selected as a co-speaker to guide junior members in the club through a number of seminars covering topics such as brake-system design, manufacturing methods employed and basics of automotive. This experience shaped my public-speaking skills and helped me develop my ability to adapt to new situations. SAE also organizes BAJA, a national level inter-collegiate All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV)-building competition well-known engineering colleges from over India take part in this annual event held at Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, India and only the best teams last till the end. I had the privilege of leading the manufacturing team to fabricate parts such as Brake Disc, Wheel Hub, Wheel upright, Gearbox of the vehicle. Having also designed the brake system myself, I was able to appreciate the technical risks and challenges of a real-world engineering assignment. I was also the representative driver from my college and must say it was an incredible experience. This was an excellent opportunity to put to practical use our knowledge of manufacturing techniques, material selection and heat treatments that we had picked up in our "Manufacturing Processes" and "Metallurgy" classes. In that one year of competition I mastered many skills such as time management, planning, multitasking, and team work. Vehicle designed and fabricated by us was quite simple although we had to utilise most of our knowledge and resources. The mechanism and technology used in real cars will be much complicated and to understand such systems I feel need of pursuing Master's in Mechanical Engineering.

Fresh and encouraged with the experience at SAE India, my next opportunity came in the form of Summer Internship project at consulting firm ESMECH, in May 2012. I worked on analysis of design problems faced by the organization in development of a Single Stage Scissor mechanism for an engineering firm. The 'scissor-lift' had to be capable of space-constrained load-lifting. Through use of CAD and CAM software; I proposed an optimum location of pivot for actuators, besides off-setting the actuator mounting points from the center-line, resolving the space constraint issue thereby. My final year project, titled, "Assessment of Performance & Measures Taken to Improve Efficiency and Reliability of Boiler of m/s Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (R.C.F) Ltd." at Trombay, involves a case study in the boiler unit of RCF. We analyzed the correlation between maintenance work and boiler shutdown, by taking critical readings at suitable intervals. After a year of analysis, we also suggested a few practical improvements conducive to improving boiler efficiency. These suggestions were well received and implemented at RCF. While working on industry based project I could resolve many doubts which I had during theory. This made me more curious about industrial work and practical world. I realized I need to gain actual work experience. Hence I took a job in Viraj Profiles.

My present job at Viraj Profiles as a Graduate Trainee Engineer requires me to look after maintenance of a Gyratory Forging Machine (GFM) that manufactures Stainless Steel rods. I also look after GFM's supporting machines like EOT Crane, Cutting Machine, Straightening Machine (Press) etc. I personally manage a team of around 6-8 workers, ensuring that manufacturing processes run smoothly. During the maintenance work I got the opportunity to analyse various mechanical and hydraulic systems. I understood the practical applications of engineering subjects such as Fluid Mechanics, Hydraulic Machinery, Theory of Machines, Metallurgy and Manufacturing Process. This job, in addition to giving me invaluable industry exposure, makes me self-dependent and tests my leadership skills. I am certain that my tenure here has honed the skillsets that will help me successfully complete a master's program in the United States. Few years from now, with the Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering I would love to see myself working in R&D department of a Mechanical Industry in USA.

In last four years I gained valuable experiences as well as knowledge. But my thirst for knowledge is not yet satisfied, in fact it has elevated. The machines or the mechanical systems which I analyse and get impressed by now in the industry, one day I want to design them. I want to have the deep knowledge of the concepts which are difficult to understand now. Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering at --------------- university will help me achieve my goal. Ongoing research on ------ and --------- matches closely with my interest. Moreover I would like to work with Dr.----------- since his research interests are in resonance with mine. I thus wish to pursue the graduate program at Clemson University, because I know it will provide me with the skills and knowledge needed to pursue my educational and career goals.

Aneesh Nabar

I was always interested in machines and its mechanisms(Try opening your essay with something more original ). My father is a Doctor, a Dermatologist. He has a complete setup of dermatology and cosmetic clinic but I never found interest in his field. I was always inclined towards engineering and hence I chose a vocational course instead of biology or language in my junior college. When it was time to decide on my undergraduate course(You can cut down on this ), I chose Mechanical Engineering because it would provide me with a firm foundation in the basics of Engineering while allowing me to maintain flexibility with my graduate studies. After completing four years of this course I feel very pleased and satisfied about my decision of opting bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. The coursework I have taken, as well as the experiences I have had throughout my undergraduate years, have really inspired me to pursue further studies in Mechanical Engineering.

Paragraphs 3,4 and 5 describe whatever experiences you have. You really need to cut down on the EXCESSIVE DETAILS about your work and study experiences, and talk more about how those experiences would help you in graduate school. For example, you mentioned that being a speaker for your club helped you build up public speaking skills. You need to talk a little about how better speaking skills will help you in grad school.


You need to talk more about the university itself and the possible classes you might take to add to your repertoire of knowledge and skills.

That's all.

Can I request you to review my SOP as well?