Evaluation - SOP for MS in Computer Science

[medieval.anarchist]

Kindly evaluate my statement of purpose.

 

My objective for graduate studies in Computer Science is to develop skills and qualities which would help me stand out in the highly competitive IT industry. My primary interest lies in Algorithms and Database. It is my desire to pursue a career in these fields. A Bachelor’s degree from blahblah and a work experience of one and a half years as a software engineer has exposed me to a wide variety of subjects related to Computer Science and has provided me with a strong foundation.

 

Since the beginning of my school days, puzzles and problems intrigued me. As a result, Computer Science and Mathematics have always been my favorite subjects. During school days, I was consistently the top scorer in Computer Science, often securing 100% in the subject. In the 10^th grade, I secured 100% in Mathematics and I was awarded a certificate of merit for being among the top 0.1% students in the country by the Central Board of Secondary Education, India. After 10^th Grade, I took a certified course in C++. I completed the course with 94%. This motivated me to take C++ as my specialization subject in my Senior High School (11^th and 12^th grade). I secured 94% in the 12^th Grade which was the highest marks in C++ in the school.

 

I chose Information Technology as my Bachelor’s degree program at blahblah to acquire knowledge in subjects that are essential to meet the computer technology needs of business organizations. During the course of my Bachelor’s degree, I worked on several projects. I developed an online banking system which processed requests using Java Servlets and used Oracle Database for storing data. I also constructed an LED calendar using an 8051 microcontroller. The calendar had LEDs representing dates, months and days. As my mini project, I developed a two-dimensional side-scrolling game which had animated characters and sound effects. The game used collision detection algorithms for its primary functions.

 

After the sixth semester, I was selected to intern for one month at the Information Systems Department (ISD) of LTPMLC. Here, under the guidance of Mr UIO, Head of ISD, I developed an asset management system with a front-end to manage the assets of the company. I used efficient search algorithms to make sure that the retrieval of data was fast even when the amount of data was huge. I also learned about ERP systems during the internship.

 

For the final semester project work, I interned at GHJK. I worked in the HC department on a project named “SBF”. This was an innovation to help in the configuration of Healthcare machines like MRI machines, CT scanners etc. by providing a programmatic way to customize and validate the systems provided to business units. The team had six members and my job was to convert the existing manual extensions to programs so that the customizations were automated. C# was the primary programming language used. It was a remarkable experience as it demonstrated to me how a piece of code can be used to save lives. I also developed a tool which automated the process of document management for various projects. I even worked on a performance issue to improve a network export operation. For this, I learned various techniques and algorithms to improve database performance. The efficiency was improved by 20%.

 

Completing my Bachelor’s degree, I was ready to step into the corporate world. I joined GHJK as a software engineer in July 2011 and continued in the HC department. My work is concerned with delivering the generic components and platforms needed by all medical equipment. The applications aim at collecting, storing and managing information concerning patients and their disease conditions. This requires extensive research and innovative ideas in order to provide efficient mechanisms for image processing, database management and networking. WPF forms a large part of the user interface. I work on new enhancements which serve a wide array of customers. As an efficiency project task, I developed a tool which could detect failures in the “daily builds” of the platform software and could report the changes that caused the failures. It uses a mail client to send emails detailing the cause of the failures after analyzing them. This tool was integrated with the software where it continues to find the cause of failures in the “daily builds”.

 

Adventure sports and creating small video games are a few recreational activities that I indulge in. Some of those video games are available online. In college, I regularly took part in various programming competitions. I attended various workshops in college on subjects like Robotics, XNA programming, ERP Systems etc. to diversify my knowledge. To further enhance my programming abilities and to assist juniors, I co-organized a workshop to teach C++. In this workshop, students with no programming background were given tutorials on the fundamental concepts of C++. I was also a part of AIESEC (International Economic and Commercial Sciences Students Association). I have also raised funds for HelpAge India, which is a non-profit organization working for the well-being and health care of the elderly.

 

I understand that a Master’s degree is essential to have a firm understanding of the advanced concepts of Computer Science and it contributes substantially to one’s professional and personal growth. My keen interest to procure extensive knowledge and to explore new areas in the fields of Algorithms and Database makes University of XYZ the perfect institution for pursuing my Master’s degree. The courses in Computer Science provided by your university are extremely relevant to my field of interest and your institution provides an ideal ambience for learning. The research works of Prof. Abcd and Prof. Defg have been a great source of inspiration for me and I am eager to work under their guidance. This would pave the path to my dream of a successful career in the IT industry. My dream can only be realized if I am granted admission to your university. I assure you that I would pursue my Master’s degree with zeal and fervor and would strive to add value to your institution.