Hi.. please have a look at my SOP. It has been put hastily, and may contain errors..
Statement of purpose for MS in Petroleum Engineering
At the age of eleven, I had the first glimpse of the energy crisis facing the world when there was a petroleum shortage in our country. All means of transportation froze, causing great hardships to the people. It sparked in me a strange inquisitiveness, and I started to read all I could about the petroleum crisis. It was just the beginning of a lifelong interest with energy and the ways to solve it. As I was growing up, I realized that I could make a difference in people's lives and also contribute enormously towards solving the energy crisis faced by the world. That is why I have chosen to purse my career in petroleum engineering.
I believe Geosciences is one of the key fields of science, which has a direct correlation with the challenges of petroleum exploration. With this in mind, I joined the prestigious Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, and chose to major in Earth Sciences without hesitation. I have always been interested in the part of earth sciences that involves engineering applications, especially with respect to petroleum. It was during this time that my interests in the various facets of petroleum engineering deepened. As part of my course, I read two books which interested me a lot, viz. Elements of Petroleum Geology by Richard C. Shelley and Petroleum geoscience by Jon Gluyas and Richard Swarbrick. These books greatly motivated me to study petroleum geoscience in great depth, and to pursue my career in this interesting field. Studying in a Research institute, it has always been a strong motivation for me to pursue research.
During my undergraduate studies at IISER, I have gone through interdisciplinary courses in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Computer Sciences during the first two years of my studies. The courses in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geodynamics, Structural geology, Seismology and Petrology have provided me a strong background in the fundamentals of Geosciences. As part of my course, I undertook two seminar courses on the applicability of biomarkers in petroleum exploration. This coupled with courses like Introduction to Computing (JAVA and MATLAB programming), Statistics, Classical Physics, Calculus & other interdisciplinary courses ensures a strong background for research work in the field of Petroleum Engineering. I would like to mention that I have maintained a CGPA of 8.16 (Absolute Grading is followed at IISER-Kolkata).
At the undergraduate level, I have had diverse research experiences. In the summer of 2011, I got an opportunity to join the lab of Prof. XXX at Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique at Quebec, Canada. I studied the changing hydrology and climate of Northern Canada using long sediment cores in the ARCHIVE project, which is funded by the petroleum industry. In the summer of 2010, I worked with the Tibet Research Group, University of Hong Kong on a project investigating the timing of formation of the Himalayan mountain belt. My Master's project in which I am studying the biomarkers in lake sediments is being co-supervised by Dr. XXX (IISER Kolkata, India) and Prof. XXX (Linkoping University, Sweden). At the National Environmental Engineering and Research Institute (INDIA), I worked on a UNICEF funded project to develop a Fluorosis risk map for the state of Rajasthan by analysing the geohydrology of fluoride contamination in groundwater. I studied both geogenic and anthropogenic sources of fluoride, and used GIS software to produce a risk map. These works enhanced my ability to grasp something that was new and introduced me to research at the under-graduate level. Having worked under the guidance of Professors from various countries, I believe my experience in research during my undergraduate studies has been multi-faceted. It has given me the oppurtunity to collaborate with researchers from disparate backgrounds and work cultures, where common interest transcended language and cultural barriers.
I believe my extensive knowledge in petroleum geosciences; outstanding capabilities of research, and superior mathematical ability and logical thinking have paved a path for me for research in petroleum exploration. However, I realized that I need in-depth knowledge of Petroleum Engineering to be able to come up with novel solutions and to achieve better results in my field. Hence, I wish to pursue a Masters in Petroleum Engineering at the Texas Tech University, which is among the best universities in the United States to study Petroleum Engineering. I believe pursuing my Graduation with the Petroleum engineering group at the Texas Tech University is a logical step ahead for me and that it will help me realize my long term goals. After completing my Masters, I wish to further continue to a PhD and work towards developing new methods for petroleum exploration, combining my knowledge of geosciences and petroleum engineering. The problem of petroleum crisis is especially important in the Asian subcontinent, where a small change in petroleum supply leads to big socio-economic changes. I hope to make my research useful in discovery of petroleum in the unexplored regions of my country, and thus contribute to the nation's economic growth. In the long run I see myself as an active researcher, deploying my newly acquired scientific knowledge to address problems of practical importance.
11th January 2011
Statement of purpose for MS in Petroleum Engineering
At the age of eleven, I had the first glimpse of the energy crisis facing the world when there was a petroleum shortage in our country. All means of transportation froze, causing great hardships to the people. It sparked in me a strange inquisitiveness, and I started to read all I could about the petroleum crisis. It was just the beginning of a lifelong interest with energy and the ways to solve it. As I was growing up, I realized that I could make a difference in people's lives and also contribute enormously towards solving the energy crisis faced by the world. That is why I have chosen to purse my career in petroleum engineering.
I believe Geosciences is one of the key fields of science, which has a direct correlation with the challenges of petroleum exploration. With this in mind, I joined the prestigious Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, and chose to major in Earth Sciences without hesitation. I have always been interested in the part of earth sciences that involves engineering applications, especially with respect to petroleum. It was during this time that my interests in the various facets of petroleum engineering deepened. As part of my course, I read two books which interested me a lot, viz. Elements of Petroleum Geology by Richard C. Shelley and Petroleum geoscience by Jon Gluyas and Richard Swarbrick. These books greatly motivated me to study petroleum geoscience in great depth, and to pursue my career in this interesting field. Studying in a Research institute, it has always been a strong motivation for me to pursue research.
During my undergraduate studies at IISER, I have gone through interdisciplinary courses in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Computer Sciences during the first two years of my studies. The courses in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geodynamics, Structural geology, Seismology and Petrology have provided me a strong background in the fundamentals of Geosciences. As part of my course, I undertook two seminar courses on the applicability of biomarkers in petroleum exploration. This coupled with courses like Introduction to Computing (JAVA and MATLAB programming), Statistics, Classical Physics, Calculus & other interdisciplinary courses ensures a strong background for research work in the field of Petroleum Engineering. I would like to mention that I have maintained a CGPA of 8.16 (Absolute Grading is followed at IISER-Kolkata).
At the undergraduate level, I have had diverse research experiences. In the summer of 2011, I got an opportunity to join the lab of Prof. XXX at Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique at Quebec, Canada. I studied the changing hydrology and climate of Northern Canada using long sediment cores in the ARCHIVE project, which is funded by the petroleum industry. In the summer of 2010, I worked with the Tibet Research Group, University of Hong Kong on a project investigating the timing of formation of the Himalayan mountain belt. My Master's project in which I am studying the biomarkers in lake sediments is being co-supervised by Dr. XXX (IISER Kolkata, India) and Prof. XXX (Linkoping University, Sweden). At the National Environmental Engineering and Research Institute (INDIA), I worked on a UNICEF funded project to develop a Fluorosis risk map for the state of Rajasthan by analysing the geohydrology of fluoride contamination in groundwater. I studied both geogenic and anthropogenic sources of fluoride, and used GIS software to produce a risk map. These works enhanced my ability to grasp something that was new and introduced me to research at the under-graduate level. Having worked under the guidance of Professors from various countries, I believe my experience in research during my undergraduate studies has been multi-faceted. It has given me the oppurtunity to collaborate with researchers from disparate backgrounds and work cultures, where common interest transcended language and cultural barriers.
I believe my extensive knowledge in petroleum geosciences; outstanding capabilities of research, and superior mathematical ability and logical thinking have paved a path for me for research in petroleum exploration. However, I realized that I need in-depth knowledge of Petroleum Engineering to be able to come up with novel solutions and to achieve better results in my field. Hence, I wish to pursue a Masters in Petroleum Engineering at the Texas Tech University, which is among the best universities in the United States to study Petroleum Engineering. I believe pursuing my Graduation with the Petroleum engineering group at the Texas Tech University is a logical step ahead for me and that it will help me realize my long term goals. After completing my Masters, I wish to further continue to a PhD and work towards developing new methods for petroleum exploration, combining my knowledge of geosciences and petroleum engineering. The problem of petroleum crisis is especially important in the Asian subcontinent, where a small change in petroleum supply leads to big socio-economic changes. I hope to make my research useful in discovery of petroleum in the unexplored regions of my country, and thus contribute to the nation's economic growth. In the long run I see myself as an active researcher, deploying my newly acquired scientific knowledge to address problems of practical importance.
11th January 2011