I am making a switch from Electrical to Petroleum; SOP

Hello! I graduated from NEDUET in Karachi, Pakistan with B.E. in Electrical Engineering concentrating towards Power and Energy systems. Few Years ago, I migrated to Texas, USA. Now I'm planning to get into graduate school and most probably into the graduate program of Petroleum Engineering (PE) at UT Austin. As I am making a switch from Electrical to Petroleum, I'm in a state of confusion as how should I write an appealing SOP to convince the PE admissions committee? The problem with me is that I have never worked in an oil & gas industry (OGI) or any thing close to petroleum engineering. The reason I want to study PE at graduate level is purely because I'm fascinated by the dynamics of OGI. Somehow when I moved to Austin a year ago, all the friends that i made were studying petroleum engineering. Whenever we sat down everyone was telling about their research/field/internship/job experience and the benefits that come with it. I was always surprised to find how rewarding this field is and the perks their employees get.

Now only a month is left before the deadline and I'm unable to come to a convincing conclusion to satisfy the admissions committee. I can't tell them that I want to get into this field just because most of my friends belong to this field or I want to earn a six figure salary. So please help me out here, especially those guys who have switch fields within engineering or those in PE. I would really appreciate any advise from anyone or any templates for SOP. Thank you and have good day.

Hello,

The best thing to do here is draw upon your background. Have you ever worked in the electrical engineering field? One thing about engineering that might work in your favor is that there are elements of various sectors that overlap. If even a small portion of your previous work in engineering involved Oil/Gas/Petro you can easily leverage that experience to show how you are really fascinated by that sector. Then build your story around wanting to be a career switcher. Many of my past clients have successfully accomplished this. -AAO

Hope this helps

The best way is to go ask the university directly. Call them, email them or go pay a visit. They'll give your more information if it's the right program and the requirements. I think 1 month is too short...especially if you have to do entrance testing like GRE's, GMATs or others as lawyers take the LSAT or doctors take the MCAT. Maybe for the Spring 2014 term will give you time to prepare.