伯克利大学官方SOP写作要求及写作建议
如何写SOP？我们一般会做的是查找百度、论坛、知乎等，这些虽然有一点效用，但一般会造成信息爆炸、知识点混杂等缺点；其实，我个人倡导的最直接的方法是直接查申请院校的官网要求，这些搜索能够让一头雾水的申请者稍微摸清点脉络。
所以在本文主要写一下伯克利大学SOP要求。
伯克利大学原文如下，链接在此https://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/apply/statement-purpose/
The statement of purpose should convince readers– the faculty on the selection committee– that you have solid achievements behind you that show promise for your success in graduate study. Think of the statement of purpose as a composition with four different parts.
（看吧，这句话也在暗示，他们需要的是未来可能会成功的人）
Part 1: Introduce yourself, your interests and motivations
Tell them what you’re interested in, and perhaps, what sparked your desire for graduate study. This should be short and to the point; don’t spend a great deal of time on autobiography.
（兴趣与动机，这部分一定要简短，不要写成一篇个人传记。我们的CV已经是对我们这几年人生的概括了，在SOP里切记不要重复CV，你要在SOP里突出你CV里没有的细节！！举个例子，你CV里只介绍了xx年参加的一场实习，但你可以在SOP里写细节，如实习里发现的什么激发了你对某个方向的热情，之后你自己看书查资料，这里可以列举一两本重要的书或paper；随着兴趣的浓厚，你打算继续学习做研究巴拉巴拉）
Part 2: Summarize your undergraduate and previous graduate career
a) Research you conducted. Indicate with whom, the title of the project, what your responsibilities were, and the outcome. Write technically, or in the style of your discipline. Professors are the people who read these statements.
b) Important paper or thesis project you completed, as well as anything scholarly beyond your curricular requirements.
c) Work experience, especially if you had any kind of responsibility for testing, designing, researching or interning in an area similar to what you wish to study in graduate school.
（这里虽然让你总结之前的经历，而且要求看上去像是重复CV，但一定不要这么干！无论是实习经历、研究还是文章项目，你在SOP里一定只挑选最能突出你的能力、热情和兴趣的经历，且最好跟老师的研究方向match，只挑选一两个例子，展开写，比如列举看的重要的文章名称；花费的时间；结交的人人脉之类的）
Part 3: Discuss the relevance of your recent and current activities
If you graduated and worked prior to returning to grad school, indicate what you’ve been doing: company or non-profit, your work/design team, responsibilities, what you learned. You can also indicate here how this helped you focus your graduate studies.
（这个是针对非应届的小可爱们，如果你是毕业之后再申请的话，请说明你之前都在干什么，你学到了什么之类的。我虽然没有相似的经历，但我建议大家在写这部分的时候，从工作到继续读书之间要形成一个自然的过渡，如你选择继续读书的原因，是工作时发现有现在的能力无法实习的一些任务，所以选择深造。如果你是因为厌倦工作，那我也不建议流露太多的负面情绪。无论怎么样，最好不要编造信息和理由，可以调整措辞和说法，但要保证真实性。）
Part 4: Elaborate on your academic interests
Here you indicate what you would like to study in graduate school in enough detail to convince the faculty that you understand the scope of research in their discipline, and are engaged with current research themes.
a) Indicate the area of your interests. Ideally, pose a question, define a problem, or indicate a theme that you would like to address, and questions that arise from contemporary research. This should be an ample paragraph!
b) Look on the web for information about departments you’re interested in, including professors and their research. Are there professors whose research interests parallel yours? If so, indicate this. Check the specific program; many may require you to name a professor or professors with whom you might work.
c) End your statement in a positive manner, indicating your excitement and readiness for the challenges ahead of you.
（研究兴趣，这是SOP的重点！我个人认为，外国人大概比较爱看问题问句以及问号，比如我们系里的外教就特别想看到你的研究中有一个具体的问题且以问好结尾。兴趣点最好跟老师match，如果之前的研究和现在要申请的研究有出入，那写一下为什么会有转折？再者，请一定要突出的是自己的能力，老师们不一定特别在意你之前的研究方向，他们更在意你的研究能力和热情。比如，如果你在SOP里陈述一个困难，以及你解决困难的过程和结果收获，那么这就是一个具体的例子，能够展示你的能力——不过这只是个例子，并不一定要这么写，而且事情一定要真实，真实才会有真情实感。）
（以及，最后结尾，要积极向上的。以及最好表明你以后要回国，可以建立合作之类的，他们会倾向于未来的人脉。）
Essential Tips
1. What the admissions committee will read between the lines: self-motivation, competence, potential as a graduate student.
2. Emphasize everything from a positive perspective and write in an active, not a passive voice.
3. Demonstrate everything by example; don’t say directly that you’re a persistent person, show it.
4. If there is something important that happened to you that affected your grades, such as poverty, illness, or excessive work, state it. Write it affirmatively, showing your perseverance despite obstacles. You can elaborate more in your personal statement.
5. Make sure everything is linked with continuity and focus.
6. Unless the specific program says otherwise, be concise; an ideal essay should say everything it needs to with brevity. Approximately 500 to 1000 well-selected words (1-2 single space pages in 12 point font) is better than more words with less clarity and poor organization.
（这是一些他的小建议，无非几点：①积极乐观的态度②用例子来讲，不要空谈③简洁明了。）
以上就是伯克利官方SOP要求与写作建议。希望大家都能展示出最好的、真实的自己，一定要简洁。希望你的SOP是一个引人入胜的好故事，注意信息的真实可靠。如果需要SOP写作服务，请咨询网站客服，我们将根据每一位客户的背景量身定制独一无二的SOP，长达90的互动编辑模式，行业首创双重审议模式，确保为大家完成高质量SOP写作服务。
