Please kindly help me with my SOP! As I am changing my field, I have to declare why I intend to do so./
I was born to the time of war and odd experiences into a higher educated family. My childhood is filled with rows of books around the house and nights of fabulous stories, which piqued my excessive curiosity for reading. My enthusiasm could not wait until my seventh birthday and the school time, therefore with the help of a daily TV program, I read my first words in the newspaper at the age of five and that was the beginning of a new life with hundreds of books to absorb and enjoy in during the war of Iran-Iraq.
I was one of the top three students during the eleven years of my education and I passed Student's National Olympiad in Literature. I was delighted to have small articles, published in Teen's magazines and attended writing workshops held by Iranian Authors. With this background, I passed the most competitive exam in Iran, National Entrance University Exam with the notable rank of 198 amongst 67153 other applicants in Literature. I was admitted with a full academic scholarship to the University of Tehran , the oldest, largest and most prestigious university in Iran. I also was chosen to study for a second Bachelor's degree but my decision was to spend a part of my time on tutoring and gaining job experience. At University of Tehran, I have been chosen as one of the top students for four times, based on the total GPA of the semester.
With that experience behind me and the opportunity to continue my studies at University of Tehran, today I look forward to a change in my curriculum from literature to Psychology. I am grateful for the previous academic years and believe the experience and knowledge gained in my pursuit of undergraduate degree in literature, with its rich contents in history, Sociology and philosophy, will enhance and enlighten my study of psychology at Groningen.
The basic curiosity in this field was established when I visited an art gallery which presented drawings by schizophrenic patients. It was a breathtaking discovery as I was introduced to their mind, and their abstract delusions and experiences. It broke my heart but also, I could not help appreciating their alien universe. I wanted to know more, so I dropped by the faculty of psychology and started reading their academic books. Through the basic studies, I read a summary of the Split Brain and watched a video tape of an experiment named "Split brain", conducted by Sperry .It was amazing how both conditions could change one's perception and life. It certainly brought a unique perspective to my idea of Mind and what I knew as me and others. The whole idea encouraged me to read more about the brain functions and with Atkinson, I was introduced to the magical world of the human brain. In the mean time, back at the university, Literature of the twentieth century was representing geniuses like Plath and Woolf who struggled with bi-polar disorder, the School of Surrealism was forming based on free associations and we studied about Sigmund Freud. After the third year of my Bachelor's studies, I found a major conflict for my future, I had to choose between psychology and literature, whilst the first one, needed much sacrifice and hard work. I am grateful for the encouragements by my professor, Dr. E..., who has known me for five years now. He told me about Psychology open courses at Yale University, presented by Professor Bloom and helped me choose my dream and start all over again.
At the end of my bachelor's studies, I was pleased to have the basic knowledge to write my dissertation, on both psychology and literature with what I had gained during previous years of self studies, in addition to the skills I had learned in analyzing and critical thinking. The efforts were worth and my dissertation received a full grade of 20/20 for analyzing a piece of art with the help of a piece of mind. In this paper, my major concentration was on the pathology of the main character, using several theories and references and combining them in a comprehensive and cohesive pattern. It was a joyful effort admired by my professor.
As I have decided to start all over again, I am determined to pursue my studies to higher degrees, hence in my spare time; I attend the Workshops held by Iranian Psychological Association . My primary career wish is to focus on Personality disorders, especially Schizophrenia and suicide intervention methods during their post schizoid depression. My second but not least interest is in Bi-polar disorder as one of the growing and most affective disorders. I hope to be able to use non-medical methods such as CBT in order to improve their lives. I am looking for research-oriented environments to gain demanded knowledge through professional experiments. It is my goal to participate in clinics and hospitals to have constant interaction with people whilst it is especially important for me to be able to bring out my knowledge as a mean of help and treatment to other people.
Groningen is the principal reason which determines me to leave my home and family and reach for a fantastic opportunity over the seas. Such opportunities are rarely available for me in my homeland and having read "Relations between the Pleasant Events Schedule, depression and other aspects of psycho-pathology" and "The effectiveness of lithium prophylaxis in bipolar and unipolar depressions and schizo-affective disor-ders" by Professor Bouman, I found Groningen most fulfilling and progressive where I can prove my merits and in return, learn how to be a perfect Psychologist. I also share profound interests with Groningen's K&O division as a unique opportunity for research-oriented students like me to fulfill a bachelor's program rounding out my future studies. In addition to the particular course of study at Groningen, I am seeking for a university with diverse facilities to offer a variety of activities.
Hence, I am choosing to learn Psychology and Neuroscience, to carry out my dream and find answers to the questions which can certainly make a change for people who are suffering from mental disorders. Studying and continuing this field of science brings me a dual satisfaction, first, it is my wish to be able to focus on what I adore, and as for the second bliss, knowing that I can use and expand it for others.
I was born into a time of war and odd experiences, and I faced high standards set by a highly educated family. My childhood was filled with rows of books around the house and nights of fabulous stories, which piqued my...
...rank of 198th amongst 67,153 other applicants
Use a comma:
...years of my education, and I passed...
...I attend the workshops held by...
...my studies to higher degrees; hence, in...
My avid curiosity in this field was established when I visited...
The appeal of Groningen is the principal factor that compels me to leave my home and family and to reach for a fantastic opportunity overseas. over the seas .
Very impressive! You must be some kind of genius. always be thankful for your aptitude!!
