Hello,
I am applying for PhD in some top tier US universities on Machine Learning,Computer Science. And I would appreciate some constructive feedback on my SOP.
Assume the suggested word limit is 500 for the SOP.
Thank You Very Much
SOP for PhD in Computer Science with Machine Learning
In the field of computer science, Machine Learning(ML) is the buzzword right now. It is the sector where most of the research is focused right now and why shouldn't it be? Recent developments like Alexa, SIRI and peoples' increasing dependency on them show that the future is going to be driven by intelligent systems and computers. And the tool that will make that possible is Machine Learning. The prospect of this field intrigues me greatly thus I want my career to revolve around this field.
My immense interest in computers from early childhood resulted in me deciding to study Computer Science during my undergraduate degree. My first exposure to the concept of Machine Learning came during my 3rd year at X University. We had an 'Introduction to AI' course which gave us the glimpse of the future of computing and I was instantly hooked. As a result, I picked AI as my major during my 4th year at X University. As I took more AI related courses like Machine Learning, Pattern Recognition etc. and undertook some projects based on ML like 'Street sign detection using ML' I started to appreciate what a powerful tool ML is.
To broaden my outlook and to increase my knowledge about ML, I decided to undertake a thesis research topic which involved ML during undergraduate. This thesis research, which was done under the supervision of Professor A,University X and Professor B,University Y became my first publication. The research was mainly focused on Ubiquitous Computing but had elements of ML which allowed me to learn more about different models and algorithms of ML. After finishing my undergraduate degree at University X, where I graduated with honors, I started working as a Research Assistant under Professor B,University X on a project titled 'Machine Intelligence based diagnosis of Cervical Cancer'. This ongoing research is allowing me to strengthen my base on ML. Also, I am gaining decent skills in Computer Vision and Web Development. As I continue to delve deeper into the ML field, I am starting to develop preferences for various applied ML researches. Data Mining, Natural Language Processing(NLP) along with research involving using ML techniques on medical data to detect diseases and patterns fascinates me the most.
My short term goal after finishing studying is to work as a software engineer on ML related projects at a reputed company. My long term goal is to open my own startup which would be focused around ML. I don't feel like I am knowledgeable or experienced enough to jump into the corporate field yet. I think I have fairly good theoretical knowledge about ML, what I lack is experience in applying them. In order to gain more experience, I feel that more exposure to ML related research is necessary. That's why pursuing PhD on CS at a research oriented university, where there are top class researchers of ML, is my priority right now. The plethora of recent successful ML related researches on Health related data, Data Mining, NLP, etc. from University Z(desired uni) are evidence that this is the university that meets my criteria perfectly. Many of my seniors from University X are currently attending University Z and the general consensus is that the researchers at University Z are not only top class but also really helpful and they will definitely help me grow as a researcher as well as a person. I believe that University Z can give me the experience I lack and enrich my CS background which in turn will propel me forward in the later stage of my life. Even though I haven't personally contacted any professors of University Z yet, the research topics and interests of Professor C, Professor D, Professor E seem aligned to my research interests and I would love to be able to work with them. I would be grateful if I am given the opportunity to pursue my graduate study at your institution.@caspianprince
Hi there. Welcome to the forum. I wish you the best of luck in your application. I also wish that you find this feedback beneficial. If you do, please do not hesitate to come back to us for more information/inquiry on the text.
First and foremost, I find that the first paragraph doesn't quite mesh well with the other paragraphs that you have. The first paragraph appears to have a more intrigued and informal writing approach - whereas other portions of your essay appeared to be more systematized in introducing information. I would recommend that you either omit this portion or enhance its formality to better fit the purpose of the essay.
I find that the amount of detail that you have incorporated into the text is already quite excellent. I would only recommend that you try your best in order to have a more organized approach to writing. For instance, take a look at how you fade into the conclusion part of the essay. Because of how many information you've been trying to plug into the essay, the last portion has turned out to be rather off-putting because of the lack of detail to be found all over. In this part of the essay (considering it's the concluding remarks), you should be able to gradually fade into the genuine purpose and intention of your text - rather than needing to overtly explain your credentials repetitively.
@Maria
Thank you very much for the constructive feedback. How do you think it'd affect if I fully omit the first passage? In terms of word limit it'd put me closer to the desired limit of 500. But I just wanted this passage for preface, is it unnecessary?
Also by last portion do you mean the whole last passage? or the last few lines? even i feel that i rushed suddenly instead of gradually ending it, but I didn't want to cross the word limit by too much. Is that the part you felt off-putting?
Thank You
