Graduate / 'Mathematics and Pakistan' - my SOP [3]

During school, I always struggle to maintain high grades. I had to take that extra step to get an edge over my class-mates. At that time I was interested in Electrical Engineering and I used to question myself as to how could small bulbs, huge motors, big plants and other electrical appliance perform their work? My hard work during school, coupled with self-confidence, rewarded me with high scores in Physics and Mathematics.

In my country Pakistan, computer science was a fascinating field at that time. My brother, who was in a multinational company, advised me to pursue studies in this interesting field. I was confused about choosing Computer Science or Electrical Engineering. I made a search, and I found that Computer Science is a broad field consisting of many branches and several applications in other disciplines, from Anthropology to Zoology. So I decided to pursue my undergraduate studies in computer science.

I have completed my BSCS degree, attaining 2nd position in the university, and then got government fellowship for MS systems engineering leading to the prestigious job in government's research and development organization. My graduate studies, research projects, work experience, teamwork skills, and personal interests all support my decision to study Computer Vision and leads me to believe that I would be successful both as a PhD student and later as a researcher.

I wish to earn PhD Computer Science at XXX in the field of Computer Vision. The purpose of my doctoral studies is to serve my nation by imparting the latest knowledge in my field of specialization and to involve in research work for my country. My area of interest and research is specifically related to Computer Vision, which is the latest growing field, but unfortunately we don't have many experts in this area in our country. My research interests are motivated by a curiosity regarding the applications of Computer Vision in fields including Pattern Classification & Recognition, Robotics, Digital Signal Processing, Medical Imaging, Image Processing, Bioinformatics, Access Control System and a growing range of other areas over the last decades. Overall I have been the distinguishing student through out my academic career. I have strong research skills and have been involved in various research projects in the area of Computer Vision.

Therefore, I believe that the culmination of my undergraduate, master's studies, and three years professional experiences has molded me psychologically and has been an underpinning of immense step up over my analytical skills along with interpersonal abilities, which will play a vital role in helping me get a better exposure in the field of my choice through research. I have conviction that this environment will be ideally suited to realize my goals.

I have found that King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals is one of the top ranked universities in the world, particularly in the field of Computer Science. However, what make me to choose it to follow my education in are its great labs with its up-to-date research facilities and the varied and profound courses. Moreover, I took a look at the research interests and some publications of faculties of Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the field of computer vision and have found my objectives in accordance with interests of the faculties, especially, of Professor XXXXX. One last attracting point about King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals University is the cultural diversity of the students, making it a natural choice for someone who was not born in Saudi Arabia. I hope that my work experience and qualifications are found suitable for a PhD in Computer Science at XXX.