I have completed my graduation in 2004 . My Toefl score is 97. I have a working experience of over 3 years in as a Process Engineer. Currently I am applying for a MS position in Chemical Engineering from a reputed US University in the coming fall. This is my sincere request to please review my SOP.
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"Chemistry is everywhere". My uncle's words kept echoing in my little mind as I stepped out of his laboratory. He had just explained me the simple chemical reactions in day to day life - rusting of iron, photosynthesis, my own respiration - and had planted a seed for my lifelong passion about chemical engineering.
I had got interested in science and mathematics right since school and furthermore the laboratory experiments in chemistry I had done at junior college, had left an indelible mark upon my mind. My ambition to work in science field has further been encouraged by my consistent academic success. I was ranked second (in a class of 200) in my high school with 92.50% marks (94% in science subjects). Chemistry being field of my interest, I enrolled for Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering at XXXX.
The courses I took like heat transfer, fluid mechanics, mass transfer, plant design and process control fascinated me no end. I visited Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) at Mumbai for summer internship during third year of engineering. It was at BARC where I got my first taste of research work. The practical training I went through was on desalination system using multistage flash distillation, reverse osmosis and solar treatment. I did mathematical simulation of the brine heat exchanger that is a part of the Multistage Flash Distillation plant. I was fascinated by the results of reverse osmosis process using semi-permeable membrane. This technology has proved to be a boon to rural and coastal regions of India where fresh water is scarce.
I am happy to say that my technical paper on "Desalination by multistage flash distillation", based on my research work at the BARC Mumbai, was presented and published in the annual technical paper meet (2003) of The Institution of Engineers India. I also presented an essay on "Role of polymers in aerospace, automobiles and building constructions" in Polyvision-2003 the national level technical article contest.
To continue my interest in scientific research I did a research project on solid state fermentation (SSF) as part of my final year curriculum. I carried out experiments in the laboratory to study the effects of micro-organisms and the substrates of tomato and pineapple waste used in SSF systems. I presented a report on SSF which focused on design parameters, heat and mass transfer, applications and future advances. Today with better understanding of chemical and biochemical engineering aspects, particularly on mathematical modeling and design of fermenters, it is possible to scale up SSF processes.
I was the topper of XXX University in Chemical Engineering (2004). My rank was one among 150 students with 82.58%. I was awarded three gold medals for academic excellence. Besides regular studies I participated in extra-curricular activities. I was member of college committee for two successive years. To fulfill my interest in computers I did "C" and Oracle certification with good grades. I am also an Oracle Certified Associate.
After completing Bachelor of Technology, I worked with XX India Ltd as a Process Engineer in Biofuel/ Natural Resources department. I worked mainly on production of fuel ethanol from cassava as a raw material using fermentation, distillation and dehydration processes. My responsibilities included complete designing and optimization of process using chemical process simulation software "CHEMCAD", Plate Heat Exchanger designing using Computer Aided Selector (CAS), XXX's design and selection tool and proposal preparation. While working in XXX I learnt that a process engineer's role is not only limited to designing, improvement and maintenance of processes, but also to ensure that the processes are operated safely, sustainably and economically.
After Alfalaval, I joined XXX Ltd India, where I worked as a Process Engineer in the Mineral Beneficiation and Pulp and Paper division. I worked on designing and engineering of plants. I understood the project execution - estimation, designing, procurement, construction, supervision and maintenance. In XXX I also worked on SAP for Sales Order Management. I represented XXX in Papertech 2008, an exhibition and conference on pulp, paper and the conversion industry where I presented a paper on Continuous Digester System.
Having real work experience, now I have a balanced view of my interests, potential contributions and priorities, which enables me to make a decision between pursuing a career in the industry or one in academia. I find the academic environment more appealing because of the high level of intellectual challenge and creativity associated with it as well as the opportunity it provides to follow my research interests. This constitutes the very motivation behind my present application for a MS program from the Department of Chemical Engineering at XXX University. With the experience that I have gained in process areas, I would like to do research in Product and Process Systems Engineering at your university under Prof. XXXX. I am mainly interested in research area of Plant-wide optimization in real-time. After completing MS my goal is to go for PhD.
With my research experience and industrial experience in process engineering, with computer knowledge and, more importantly, with the tenable base in chemical engineering I have developed, I feel fully justified in seeking now to attain full expertise in my chosen field and at the same time feel entirely ready to take on a demanding and challenging MS program.
