Dear friends, I have drafted my SOP for applying for a Masters in Petroleum Engineering, and I would be really grateful if you could tell me my shortcoming and help me make it better.
Please keep in mind
1)My current job is not directly related to petroleum industry(though it is in many ways), and I wish to pursue a career in oil and gas sector, hence this application is crucial for me. Please help me convey this point better,
2)This is my first SOP and I am sure it must have flaws, since I might have missed out some important requirements in an SOP, so please feel free to correct and criticise it positively, I shall be really thankful.
W.J. Brian once said, " Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." I find this remark particularly germane, as my desire to be a petroleum engineer, which sparked of with my childhood fascination for the awe-inspiring oil rigs, has manifested itself into a resolute ambition to pursue a career in the field of up stream Oil and Gas Sector. My father, himself working in a leading Engineering Services firm of India, used to visit oil platforms when I was in school and bring back photographs and stories of life on an offshore rig. Those narratives of glitzy engineering feats of petroleum engineers have intrigued me for long and I have fostered an innate interest for petroleum and its extraction. According to me crude oil is the world's most precious resource; the list of indispensable petrochemicals we use in our day to day life ranges from gasoline, to jet fuel to simple household cleaners. The Petroleum industry is one industry of the world which, despite its colossal operations in the deep sea beds and underground wells, touches every human being on this planet in one way or the other. At a time when the world is reeling under the looming cloud of depleting fossil fuel resources and climate change, I feel exhorted to become a petroleum engineer who is instrumental in the sustainable extraction of crude oil and is able to do his bit for bringing this precious resource to the surface of the earth in harmony with the environment. My lucid but resolute ambition is the primary impetus for me to apply for a Master's Degree in Petroleum Engineering at the XYZ university.
I chose to pursue Instrumentation and Control engineering at ABC university to gain a multi-faceted knowledge base in Thermodynamics, Engineering Mechanics, Fluid Mechanics, Engineering Mathematics, Industrial Instrumentation and Control Theory. Graduating from one of the top-ranked engineering institutions in India, I got a chance to get plenty of hands-on engineering experiences along with a sound grasp on classroom concepts. A lot of it is credited to my professors who have guided me through me technical projects which gave me a chance to become adept at engineering tools such as MATLAB and LabView. I explored the possibility of a State Derivative feedback mechanism to induce stability in systems, and verified its viability using MATLAB simulations, for my final year thesis and I went on to fabricate a second order system to demonstrate my findings. Writing a paper for the same has been an extremely enriching experience and I long for more research oriented engineering experiences to expand my horizons. Moreover, hard work and teamwork are two of the priceless traits I imbibed during my under graduation. As a department head of ABC Motorsports, a collegiate team which designs and fabricates All Terrain vehicles for SAE Mini Baja competitions worldwide, I learnt the nuances of leading a team in pressure situations and meeting deadlines. While taking part in three SAE Mini Baja events (one in South Africa and two in India), I sought to satiate my desire to work on real world engineering projects and experienced the joy of working diligently.
In my senior years of under-graduation, my industrial training with the instrumentation department of Guru Gobind Singh Refinery Project at Engineers India Ltd (EIL)and my apprenticeship at Rockwell Automation re affirmed my conviction to chose Petroleum Engineering as my line of higher studies. I worked at EIL during the setting up of Guru Gobind Singh Refinery and studied orifice design, venturimeter design and Piping and Instrument Diagrams. My apprenticeship with Rockwell Automation gave me a wonderful overview of the role of Programmable Logic Controllers and design of SCADA Systems in Industrial automation. These experiences have made me develop a healthy regard for a career on an engineering site and given my fascination for oil rigs, I aver that working in the up stream oil services is the career I wish to pursue. I understand that undergoing such a course in the top-ranked university of the world will entail perseverance and commitment to research, and I am devoted to giving my best. As I say this, I am reminded of another saying, "Do what you love, and you will never have to work a single day".
I am currently working with PQR, which is India's largest power plant equipment manufacturer with operations in the manufacturing of deep drilling rigs for oil and gas sector. I was selected from campus in my 4rth year of under-graduation as an Engineer Trainee and my training program at PQR has given me an opportunity to spend a considerable amount of time at PQR's Heavy Electricals Plant(HEP) at Bhopal, which is the mother of all its manufacturing units. Turbo generators, heat exchangers, turbines(hydro and steam), oil drilling rig equipments and Diesel generating sets are some of the equipments in HEP's product range. Apart from power plant operation, erection and commissioning, I am undergoing courses on economics of power generation, oil extraction, and human resource development. Since I wish to channelize my energies towards a full-fledged career in the research and development of international up stream oil and gas sector, I wish to pursue my Masters in Petroleum Engineering and realize my dreams.
I have held several positions of responsibilty such as the chief Editor of my school and college publications and was conferred a Gold Medal for academic excellence at school apart from being a member of my school and college's cricket team. I enjoy sport, traveling to new places and photography. Maintaining a healthy balance between academics and extra curricular activities, I also make efforts to do my bit for the society. Having worked as a volunteer for AID(Association for India's Development), an NGO with a worldwide base, I have had the opportunity to teach underprivileged children of construction site workers during my spare time. Seeing the glitter in the eyes of a poor child when he learns about simple concepts in physics, it often dawns on me that there are many children who are still deprived of quality education. This thought enjoins me to continuously strive to make myself worthy of my qualifications and be instrumental in developing a better tomorrow.
My decision to apply to XYZ university for my post graduation required no second thoughts. Since I wish to rub shoulders with the best in the business, and learn from the best minds in the field of Petroleum Engineering, I have held aspirations to study at this esteemed university since my sophomore years. My propensity to challenging real world engineering problems and my burning desire to work and experience life on an oil-platform, I feel, will make me an asset to your institution and enable me to channelize my energy towards pursuing my dream career. My application is a crucial step in the realization of my dreams and I am confident that I shall live up to the reputation of your institution as a worthy student.
