Can anyone please review my SOP

[chalasaniraj]

It would be really great if some one can help me out with this.

In today’s world, information technology has become a vital and integral part of every business plan. Information technology involves more than just computer literacy; it also involves how computers work and how these computers can further be used not just for processing of information but also for communication and problem solving tasks as well. Having had the opportunity of being part of this environment it has fueled me with determination to explore the inherent challenges of excelling and contributing to the development of this dynamic field. To help me better manage information and learn how to use it constructively for decision making, a Master’s degree in Management Information Systems would provide me the necessary skills to play a critical role in today’s knowledge-based society. This along with my Undergraduate degree in Computer Science would provide an amalgamation of business and technology and arm me with the knowledge and skills that organizations worldwide currently seek.

In my opinion a strong grasp of the fundamentals, curiosity for knowledge and sound analytical abilities form the essence of research. The experiences at various stages of my life have helped me acquire and develop these attributes. I associated myself closely with Science and Mathematics, and was ranked in the top 5% at my school in Central Board of Secondary Education. This was instrumental in identifying my flair for sciences and spurred my zeal for a career in engineering. I had no second thoughts in dreaming to get into the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), the best and highly selective technological institutes in India. After burning the midnight oil poring over mathematics, physics and chemistry for about two years, I cleared the engineering entrance examination and secured admission into the bachelors program with Computer Science & Engineering as my major.

My undergraduate degree at Vellore Institute of Technology University helped me hone my skills in the field of computers and gave me a sense of understanding that technology is a vibrant field and the potential to diversify into many other technologies is huge.This eventually led into building and developing projects, along with my classmates, which later enhanced my proficiency in areas such as Internet Programming, Object Oriented Programming, Database Management Systems, Decision Support System and Embedded Systems. But at the same time I had to integrate all these essential components that I had learnt and utilize these skills on a substantive basis. Recruited for internship by a premier company, a leader in the field of providing services for Legal and Financial Transactions, “Merrill Corporation” helped me meet my objectives. It provided me with not only an opportunity to be a part of a dedicated engineering and top notch financial team but also helped me in understanding the key responsibilities, ethical values and functioning of an organization. The company had played a key role in allowing me to experiment my theoretical knowledge in areas such as Software Engineering, Management Information systems and Computer Architecture and Organization. Merrill Corporation thus served as a key ingredient in helping me realize that by bridging the gap between management and information systems, any organization can deliver great products and services.

A job at “Bank of America”, where I was selected, as a potential candidate from a pool of 500+ applicants in VIT, came as a blessing in disguise. I was rigorously trained and certified by “Institute of Financial Management And Research” in the field of financial markets and Risk management, which gave me an overview on how companies mitigate or secure themselves from many forms of risk exposures on Derivative products that they have in both OTC and exchange markets. These helped me in building a strong fundamental approach towards regulatory norms such as Basel and also helped me understand various risks a Financial Institution gets exposed to during any trade or derivative transaction. After rigorous training, I was aligned to work on a proprietary platform which is used for trading and positioning data repository that services enterprise wide business functions. I had to quickly take ownership of the project since experienced people were leaving the organization. This enabled me to exert effort in order to accomplish stringent deadlines and extend myself to take over from much more experienced people. This period of intense learning made me tougher and ready to face any challenge even when I had no one to fall back. My tasks involved designing, evaluating, implementing, managing and supporting systems, which store and process every single OTC trade performed by Bank of America worldwide. This proved to be an important foundation and I played a significant role in projects such as “Global Allocation Netting Engine”, “Data Lineage” and “Margin processing”. I was put in charge for “Financial and Regulatory Reporting” which involved generating around 500+ reports which senior management use daily to gauge risks in derivative contracts, VaR(Value at Risk) reporting and hedging activities. I took the lead role for designing and implementing “Threshold Check System” which involved collaborating with teams spread across geography like EMEA(Europe, Middle East and Asia), US(United States) and UK (United Kingdom). My work was appreciated and acknowledged by top level executives, who saw me showcase my skills and utilize it to the fuller extent. Because of my exceptional work, Bank of America awarded me with laurels in the form of Gold and Silver awards for my leadership role in the team and going beyond just the call of duty.

Apart from my academic years and professional accomplishments, I played a key role as an organizer in an event management committee for “PHREAK”, a national level technical symposium at our university. My event “GeoTag”, a geographical quiz which required participants to identify and tag locations on Google Earth, played a vital role in the success of the fest. In my professional years I am also active in organizing “Blood Donation Camps” within the organization, which is my way of shouldering social responsibility. I am currently active in “Teach for India” which is in collaboration with Bank of America and working towards eliminating educational inequity in India. This enabled me to achieve innovative teaching strategies to maximize the effectiveness of teaching in the classroom.

My experience in Bank of America and graduate years in Vellore Institute of Technology has provided me with a strong foundation in my field of interest, and Management Information System would help me enhance my skills. According to me, knowledge and scientific growth is the most important tool for innovation. I believe that I am adequately prepared and confident that MS degree in my chosen field of Management Information Systems (MIS) will provide me the right skill and inculcate in me a creative instinct combined with practicality.