A good internship program with a limited intake is bound to have intense competition, and this is where a well-written statement of purpose (SOP) for an internship can make a huge difference. This guide will focus on how to write Statement of Purpose for Internship, with format and sample.
There is a high chance that an organization might be flooded with applications of equally adept candidates, but your SOP will act as a unique document that will reflect candidates’ skills over and above the degree or academic record.
The Statement of Purpose (SOP) is an essay that describes why an applicant is the most suitable for the position offered and what he/she intends to gain out of the experience, both personally and professionally.
A statement of purpose for internship should also include your educational qualifications, achievements, work experience if any, and professional goals. Now that we have an outline of what we should include while writing an SOP, let us try having an in-depth understanding of its format, followed by a sample SOP for internship.
Statement of Purpose for Internship – Format
A Statement of Purpose is written in short paragraphs. Though writing in bullets is not restricted, too much usage of it is discouraged. The font size is usually 12, and it is a 2-page long document. The document length can be between 800 and 1000 words unless it has been specified. Below is the format to write SOP:
- Professional Goals
Introduction and goals related to the internship should be discussed under here. An introduction about how the internship fits into your career goals should be written. Applicants need to discuss their academic record and how it is related to the internship. The short-term and long-term goals related to the internship should be discussed in the statement of purpose for the internship in about two short paragraphs.
- Education and Experience
Discuss your educational qualifications, degrees, training, past work experience, and past summer internships, if any. By doing that, it will help the selection committee ascertain if the current internship program is relevant to your education and experience.
- Relevance of the Internship
This paragraph will stress why an applicant needs this internship. Here is one of the winnings or losing propositions. Ensure you use appropriate vocabulary and be humble in making declarations about your interest in the internship.
- Express Goal Tangibility
Since the applicants will state their goals related to the internship in the SOP, this section will focus on how they intend to achieve them.
How To Write A Statement Of Purpose For Internship
While writing a Statement of purpose (SOP) for an internship, the candidate must ensure that the SOP includes his/her academic background and professional future plans with the knowledge she/he is going to gain. The SOP for internship is not similar to a resume. There is a misconception that SOP is about requesting an internship in an organization. But writing an SOP means presenting a candidate’s abilities, skills, and achievements in writing.
Below is a structure on how to write an SOP for internship:
- Introduction
An excellent introduction is what an applicant should strive for while writing an SOP. The section should be unique which makes a candidate stand out from others. The SOP must talk about the motivation behind a candidate’s selection for a particular field.
- Research Experience
An applicant SOP for internship should include a detailed description of research they have done in the past. Also, they need to write about how the internship is related to their career and education plans.
- Current Interests
Applicants should write about their current areas of interest and how it is related to the internship.
- Career Goals
In the concluding paragraphs of an SOP for internship, applicant should elaborate on why this internship is an important step to achieving his/her career goals. The candidate should describe this internship as a crucial part of the current education and training.
Statement of Purpose for Internship Sample
It is always better to get your statement of purpose for an internship proofread by an experienced professional, who can further guide you through the process.