Statement of Purpose - MS in Statistics
Hello guys, I am applying for a statistics graduate program and I would like some advice on my sop. This is the lengthy version, I plan on shortening this essay for universities requiring 500-600 words SOP.
One summer break, as I was sitting in my room watching my country's election coverage, I realized that the coverage lacked any substantive information. As an avid follower of international politics, I expected the networks to cover information on policy proposals, the future impact of those policies, and most importantly, polling data. However, the information presented was very trivial. This realization inspired me to scour through swathes of data from a wide range of sources and try to understand it and interpret it to come to a meaningful result. As I was going through this process of collection and interpretation, I realized that I loved it, and as I began looking into issues I felt they had a deep impact on my country's development but received very little statistical research. Issues such as floods, earthquakes, and landslides were highly relevant, and social issues such as discriminatory practices received very little attention. So, I wanted to do something that could help prevent such disasters and bring those neglected social issues to light. Even though I was pursuing an engineering degree, I felt that my true potential lied in the Statistics field, and thus, decided to pursue a Master's degree in Statistics.
With a keen interest in Science and Mathematics, I always wanted to pursue a career in a STEM field, and I was fortunate enough to secure a merit-based scholarship from the Government of XXX to study Aerospace Engineering. During my undergraduate years, I strengthened my mathematics foundation, where I studied topics such as Advanced Calculus, Ordinary Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Probability, and Statistics. I feel the mathematical courses that I studied have adequately prepared me for further graduate studies in statistics.
The experiences I had during my undergraduate years have a profound effect on my life and career goals. My initial exposure to inferential statistics was during a small class project, "Aircraft Systems and Instruments", where I collected data regarding aircraft crashes in the past few years in my country, XXX; and tried to find a correlation between them. Even though it was a small scale project, I was proud of the work that I had done. While studying engineering, I was further able to understand the power of statistical science. I learned about the use of statistics for risk assessments and quality control. In addition, I gained knowledge about the use of predictive analysis for satellite collision and avoidance systems and predicting the trajectory of space debris and meteors.
While going back and forth between country X and country Y, I experienced the effects of disasters such as floods, cyclones, landslides, earthquakes, and other severe effects of climate change. And I felt that climate models could have been formed using concrete ground data, which could have been utilized to predict the effects of climate change and provide forewarning to the people in affected areas. Similarly, the massive problem of caste and gender discrimination pertaining to all of South Asia can be brought to light with proper statistical research. I see statistics as a field of science that can overcome various scientific constraints and provide effective results.
In my few weeks interning at XXX Airlines, I mostly worked at the data collection division under maintenance and engineering. During the internship, I learned a lot about data classification on an industrial scale and the real-life application of the data. The work mostly comprised recommending the maintenance engineers the need for periodic checks and replacement of parts based on the provided data.
In line with my preparatory work for graduate studies, I took a "Data Science with Python Specialization" course through Coursera to further my knowledge in the emerging field of data science. Here, I got an introduction to machine learning, data mining, social network analysis, and data visualization using Python. Besides Python programming, I have programming experience in simulation software ANSYS, MATLAB, SQL, and C++, which I feel will be an asset during my graduate studies.
As the world continuously becomes more data-centric, I feel that my limited knowledge of statistics will inhibit my ability to further my goals, and the arrival and haphazard management of the COVID-19 crisis has further ignited my thirst for statistical knowledge. In this data-centric world, high-level decisions are being made and will be made based on complex models, and I want to be in the center of such a decision-making process.
I intend to work professionally in my country's federal government and aid the government in various developmental works through data analysis based on advanced statistical methodologies and algorithms learned during the MS program.
The MS degree in Statistics at the University of XXX will provide me with a platform to realize my goals and enhance my statistical skill set. Your program offers rigorous coursework and provides a wide range of research and training opportunities. I would be able to work with leading scholars and academics having a wide range of interests and perform real-world data analysis and research. With a multicultural environment and vibrant outlook, I feel that the University of XXX will be an ideal environment for me to pursue a Master's Degree.
To conclude, with my strong mathematical background and passion for statistical research, I believe I am ready to pursue a graduate degree in Statistics.