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Table of Contents
Overview
Perhaps the most challenging part of writing a college application is writing an effective statement of purpose. And yes, you have to be extra careful when writing an SOP for UK universities. So, before you start writing the SOP to pursue cybersecurity for your dream university, make sure that you take a quick look at our 4-step guide. We assure you that by the end of this guide, you will be able to craft a perfect SOP that will get you into your desired university.
Toolkit for SOP for cybersecurity
We have compiled a toolkit sectioned into 4 paragraphs for writing a university SOP, along with examples that will help you write an SOP for cybersecurity.
| Action Item | Points to be considered | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction (motivation and goals) | What drove you towards cybersecurity? | The prospect of getting a specialised degree in cybersecurity to upgrade my skills as a network engineer OR The realisation of the need for legal individuals working against cybercrimes |
| What special skills are possessed by you? | Basic network management skills OR Knowledge of legal frameworks and laws | |
| What do you intend to achieve? | To become a network security engineer OR To become a cybercrime advocate | |
| Body paragraph I (learning, execution, and impact) | Mention your academic background | Completed Bachelors of Computer Applications from Bangalore University OR Earned a B.B.A. L.L.B degree from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, took Harvard University’s CS50's Introduction to Computer Science course |
| Mention your professional background | Worked as a network engineer at CN Labs for two years OR Did a law internship at HK Associates during the final year of college | |
| Mention your academic and professional accomplishments | Won U15 and U17 hockey tournaments in the south India zone, key responsibility at work was to monitor, configure, and maintain the computer network in an organisation OR Learned the practical application of legal databases and became proficient in conducting search through the same, developed the basic knowledge of Python, HTML, and CSS | |
| Body paragraph II (why course, why university) | Why do you want to earn the chosen degree (bachelors/masters/diploma)? | Getting a specialised degree in cybersecurity would accelerate my career as a network engineer OR To understand the technical know-how of cybersecurity to work as a cybercrime advocate |
| What motivated you to choose your course? | The course curriculum will help understand the theoretical concepts by implementing them with a range of technologies OR Impressed with the programme’s course content, which covers a vast number of modules totaling 180 credits over the course of one year | |
| What motivated you to choose your university? | Impressed with the university’s Cisco lab, which has been accredited by Cisco- the market leader in the field of networking OR The college’s support for international students, facilitating part-time work opportunities is a relief for international students like me | |
| How can you be a valuable asset for the university? | Can become a part of the hockey team and play for the university’s hockey team OR By volunteering in the organisation of art exhibitions and events of the university’s Art Society | |
| Conclusion (closing statement) | Mention your short-term goals | To work as a network security engineer for a renowned IT company OR To get an entry-level job in a law-firm that specialises in cyberlaw |
| Mention your long-term goals | To advance towards a leadership position as a network security engineer within my company OR To work for a law firm in a good position as a cybercrime advocate | |
| Mention your future contribution to society with cybersecurity | By preventing any instances of cybercrime from occurring in the future OR By fighting against the misuse of data on the internet |
Sample SOP for a student with a background in cybersecurity
“Security in IT is like locking your house or car – it doesn’t stop the bad guys, but if it’s good enough they may move on to an easier target.” - Paul Herbka
Inspired by my father’s career as a software engineer, I also wanted to follow the same pursuit of working in the IT field. Although I’ve always enjoyed using computers, it was not until high school that I decided to study computer science that I started to marvel at the prospect of making a career out of it. Consequently, I learned about the programming basics and enhanced my technical aptitude as a college student. As I knew that I wanted to build a career in the field of computer science; however, the nature of my study was not decided until high school. Reading ‘Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World’ by Joseph Menn helped me realise the need to protect our privacy in times where our sensitive data is just a click away. This gave me a totally new perspective towards computing information and I decided to delve deeper into network management and get a specialised degree in cybersecurity, hence upgrading my skills as a network engineer.I believe that my technical aptitude paired with my analytical and problem-solving skills would help me to build a fulfilling career as a network security engineer.
While attending school, I was an ardent student who performed well in academics as well as sports. As a student, I have been an active hockey player and participated in inter-school hockey tournaments at both city and state level. I was the goalkeeper of my hockey team and our team has won U15 and U17 hockey tournaments in the south India zone. I then went on to pursue Bachelors of Computer Applications from Bangalore University, where I gained knowledge about programming languages such as Javascript, Python along with computer systems, which interested me greatly.After completing my BCA, I completed two years of work experience as a network engineer at CN Labs, where my key responsibility was to monitor, configure, and maintain the network. I particularly enjoyed working in the networking field, however I realised my limited skills and career scope at the same time.
As a network engineer, I realised that network management is a vast field, and getting a specialised degree in one of the areas of network management would accelerate my career.For the same reason, I decided to apply to Coventry University’s Cyber Security MSc program. I believe that Coventry University’s Computing, Mathematics and Data Science Faculty will give me access to the best coursework. The course will help me not only to understand the theoretical concepts of network security, cryptography, secure design, and development but also to learn the practical techniques used in addressing the relevant issues.As an aspirational student who looks forward to working as a network security engineer, I am highly impressed with the university’s Cisco lab, which has been accredited by the market leader in the field of networking, Cisco. During my time at Coventry University, I also hope to become a part of the hockey team and play for the university’s team, owing to my previous accomplishments as a hockey player. Receiving a masters degree from Coventry University will help me gain more hands-on experience while studying to become a network security engineer and participate in a range of activities and competitions that will help me broaden my perspective and knowledge.
After completing my master's programme, I intend to work as a network security engineer for a renowned IT company. I believe my job role would provide me with the opportunity to apply my knowledge of programming languages and incorporate it with ethical hacking and legal frameworks, which I will learn during my masters.In the long term, I aspire to advance towards a leadership position within my company.On a bigger note, I feel that working as a network security engineer will help me contribute to the betterment of society by preventing any instances of cybercrime from occurring in the future.I therefore feel that a Cyber Security MSc program from Coventry University, London, will help me move a step closer to my ultimate goal of working against the increasing tide of cybercrimes and help make the world a better place for our future generations.
Sample SOP for a student with a different background
“Privacy – like eating and breathing – is one of life’s basic requirements.” - Katherine Neville
From an early age, my journey has been shaped by a profound interest in law and driven by the passion to bring justice to the masses. As I progressed in my legal studies and gained practical experience, I found myself drawn to the dynamics of cybersecurity. I believe that cybersecurity in today’s world poses challenges that demand legal expertise. With the increasing number of cyber crimes, many individuals and businesses have been threatened. I believe that as a law professional who aims to work as a cybercrime advocate, I need to get a strong understanding of cybersecurity. By learning the basics of data and related crimes, I can comply with my legal knowledge and understand legal infringement in the digital realm. In addition to this, I need to first fully understand how the systems operate, from the highest level of user interaction to the lowest level of machine code unseen by most people. The decision to transition from law to cybersecurity mainly stems from the realisation of the need for legal individuals in this field. For the same reason, I have decided to pursue a postgraduate degree in cybersecurity, which I believe will become easier for me with my foundational knowledge of computer systems and law coupled with my strong work ethic.I aspire to be a cybercrime advocate and provide legal help and consultation to clients related to cybercrime.
I hold a B.B.A. L.L.B degree from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies. My educational journey in law has equipped me with a strong foundation in legal frameworks, ethical considerations, and the basic understanding of data protection laws.In terms of professional experience, the internships during my college years have helped me to diversify my skill set and learn about the industry. My law internship during the final year at HK Associates provided me with the platform to hone my skills as a lawyer. It was during my internship that I also learned about the practical application of legal databases and how to conduct searches through them. This made me proficient in finding relevant statutes, case law, and legal commentary to support the ongoing cases.In addition to this, at the onset of working in cybercrime, I took Harvard University’s CS50's Introduction to Computer Science course to build my foundational knowledge of computers and programming. The course helped me develop my basic knowledge of the Python programming language coupled with CSS and HTML.
Nonetheless, I still lacked the technical know-how of cybersecurity to work and advocate for cybercrimes and realised the need for a postgraduate degree.I chose to apply to the Cyber Security MSc programme at King's College London, as it is the perfect course for me to fulfil my career aspirations in a shorter time period. I was particularly impressed with the programme’s course content, which covers a vast number of modules totaling 180 credits over the course of one year. Furthermore, the college’s support for international students, facilitating part-time work opportunities, is a relief for students like me, who belong to middle-class backgrounds and are burdened with the expenses. I look forward to joining the university’s Art Society, where I can use my artistic abilities alongside my studies. By being an active participant in the Art Society, I wish to contribute by volunteering in the organisation of art exhibitions and events.
I feel that my postgraduate degree at King's College London will pave the way for a successful career in law. After completing my degree, I aim to get an entry-level job in a law-firm that specialises in cyberlaw. I feel that working in a law firm would help me solidify my knowledge of cybersecurity while combining it with my previous legal knowledge.Nonetheless, in the long term, I intend to climb the corporate ladder and work in a good position as a cybercrime advocate for a law firm.With my career, I believe that I can not only fulfil my career aspirations but also add value to society by fighting against the misuse of data on the internet.In order to achieve my short and long-term goals, I believe that studying the Cyber Security MSc programme at King's College London will help me achieve them.
How to write an SOP for cybersecurity
Here, we have provided you with an in-depth explanation of how to write an SOP for cybersecurity.
Introduction (motivation and goal)
An introduction to a statement of purpose should always begin with a hook that interests your reader. Now, when it comes to writing an SOP, there aren’t many options to hook the reader as they might make your SOP sound unprofessional, so in order to be on the safe side, hook your SOP reader with something related to your field of interest.
Then, talk about your motivation to choose cybersecurity as your field of study. As you plan on moving ahead, you must consider listing your unique skills that show the SOP reader that you’re the perfect fit to pursue cybersecurity.
Checklist for writing introduction:
- Hook (quote related to cybersecurity)
- Source of motivation
- Long-term goal
- Reason to pursue the course
- Unique aspects about your personality
- Future goals
Body paragraph I (learning, execution, and impact)
Going further, the first body paragraph will discuss your academic and professional background. In this paragraph, make sure that you explain the learnings that you’ve had over the years of your education and work experience. Then delve deeper into how you executed those learnings into your life. Lastly, discuss how these experiences shaped your personality and life.
Checklist for writing body paragraph I:
- Academic accomplishments
- Professional accomplishments
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Impact of all the cumulative experiences
- In case of a fresher, talk about internships and volunteerships
Body paragraph II (why course, why university)
The second paragraph is mainly based on your chosen university and course. Your aim in this paragraph is to convince the admissions committee that you’re the perfect candidate for their university.
Be straightforward and upfront about your achievements and goals that relate you to the university’s course. Also, make sure to give them a reason on how you will be a valuable asset to the university other than your academics.
Checklist for writing body paragraph II:
- The skills and knowledge you know related to cybersecurity
- Why this particular college/university?
- What do you like about the university?
- How can you be a valuable addition to the college/university?
Conclusion (closing statement)
The closing statement will be focused on your career goals after you complete your course from your chosen university. To explain your career trajectory, talk about your short and long-term goals that you wish to achieve upon completion of your course. Then, state a way in which your professional career will contribute towards the betterment of the society. Before finalising your SOP, take a quick read and be mindful of some dos and don’ts on how to write a statement of purpose.
Checklist for writing conclusion:
- Path to achieve your career goals (short-term and long-term goals)
- What after the course (long-term goals)
- Contribution towards the society
Wrap Up
To conclude, an SOP for cybersecurity is written in a paragraph format with four important paragraphs: an introduction, which includes your motivation to study cybersecurity; a first body paragraph, which includes your life’s learnings, its execution, and its impact upon your life; a second body paragraph, which includes your reasoning for choosing a particular course and university; and a conclusion, which includes the closing statement for your statement of purpose. By following these steps, you can craft your own SOP and get into the university of your dreams.
FAQs
Why choose cyber security as a career?
With increasing opportunities unfolding in the IT landscape, it has become increasingly important to have safe and secure computer environments. There are over 800,000 cyberattacks happening every year, out of which 2,200 attacks happen every single day. In such a scenario, cybersecurity has been growing a lot faster than ever with an increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals. Because of these reasons, considering cybersecurity as a career path might help you create a worthwhile career.
Why SOP is important?
A statement of purpose allows you to introduce yourself to the admissions committee in your own words. As admissions officers have too many applications to check in one single day, an SOP helps to provide them an essence of your life with respect to your course, university, past experiences and future goals.
What is the word limit for sop?
An ideal statement of purpose should be written anywhere between 600 to 1000 words unless it is particularly stated by the university.
What should be the tone of an SOP?
As your SOP paints your entire personality in front of the admissions committee, the first thing that you will have to make sure of is that you come across as a competent student who has the potential to become a part of their university. Maintain a conversational tone throughout your SOP in a way that doesn’t sound informal. In addition to this, write an SOP that is readable and uses simple language instead of singing praises about the university.
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