SOP feedback for MS in Electrical Engineering

[Akhilesh7]

  Please provide your valuable feedback on my SOP and any necessary fine tuning of it. Thank you!                                            

 

 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

 

Gutta Akhilesh

MS, Computer Engineering

 

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”- Malcolm X

My area of interest is VLSI Design & architecture. I wish to pursue my graduate studies at the Arizona State University, as I believe that your Master's program backed up by excellent lab facilities and well reputed faculty, will help me to realize my ultimate goal, which is to develop myself as a well-trained semiconductor design engineer and establish a career in the VLSI design industry.

  

My actual area of interest has been Natural Science during my early school days. But, this changed when I attended a science expo in my school where I came to witness a prototype of electric motor where an electric wire would rotate around a permanent magnet because of the current passed in it. From there on, I developed an interest in physics and mathematics –the subjects which I excelled at ever since. However, the concepts of physics at school level were limited to basic electric circuitry and Newtonian mechanics. It was in my intermediate education that I came across various advanced concepts such as semiconductor devices, electricity & electromagnetism etc., of which Semiconductor devices and their wide range of applications particularly received my appreciation. Also the access to the advanced laboratories helped me understand the practical importance of theoretical concepts.

 

The zeal I had for electronic devices since my intermediate education persuaded me to take up Electronics and Communications Engineering in my undergraduate level at Vignan Institute of Science & Technology affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad. During the four years of my under-graduation, I was exposed to various concepts of Electronics & Communication fields with subjects such as MicroProcessors & MicroControllers, VLSI Design, Pulse & Digital Circuits, Linear & Digital Integrated Circuits, Switching Theory & Logic Design, Computer Networks, Analog Circuits, etc. This was coupled with the basic training in various programming languages like C, C++, JAVA and simulation tools like MATLAB, Multisim, Xilinx. I stood among the top 8% in my department. Apart from this, I have also participated in organizing various college events which helped me improve my leadership skills. As part of my under-graduation, I have also attended various chip fabrication industries. The penchant for practical applications of the concepts I have learned during my under-graduation course has impelled me to work on live projects.

I have done a MINI project on “MOBILE CONTROLLED ROLLING SCREEN” which was assigned to me by the Head of the Department. This project insists on the use of DTMF technology. The microcontroller is programmed in such a way that it receives the DTMF tones from decoder and acts accordingly on the motor. The commands for opening/closing the screen are given through mobile phone in the form of DTMF tones. This project helped me in putting my coding skills to practical purpose. Here I gained a considerable strengthening of my team skills as well as an appreciation of the importance of a professional and a methodical way of operating. I have also done a MAJOR project on “AID FOR BLIND PEOPLE USING IMAGE PROCESSING’ which involves developing a navigation aid using image processing techniques. While doing these projects I was particularly curious about the working of the micro chip and its design characteristics which has directly led me to take up masters in VLSI Design field.

 

I feel the need to take up Graduate Study for the following reasons-

1. It would take me closer to the kind of technical expertise I require, to fulfill my professional desires, 2. It would enable me to specialize in one specific area of Electrical engineering that I am engrossed with, i.e., VLSI Design.

 

In selecting the Arizona State University, I have done proper research on the course structure, faculty areas of research, research centres. The ”VLSI and architecture” course structure under the Computer Engineering program matches my areas of interest. Particularly the research activities at “Connection One“ centre in the field of Digital, VLSI design overlapped with my area of interest. I am positive that the knowledge I have acquired during my education career coupled with solid foundation in fundamentals of VLSI design concepts would help me do my utmost best in excelling at your graduation program and bring credit to this esteemed university.

 

I believe that the broad overview gained during graduate study will give me front-line exposure to the technological advances that will be made in the field of VLSI Design and allows me to contribute to its immense development.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Akhilesh7

[Akhilesh7]

I modified the opening paragraph slightly in this way

 

 “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”.- Malcolm X

 

The field of VLSI has been making rapid strides in the advancement of every field world wide . Especially the invention of High performance & Low power VLSI has increased the processor speeds while reducing the power dissipation. I wish to pursue my graduate studies at the Northeastern University, as I believe that your Master of Science program backed up by excellent lab facilities and well reputed faculty, will help me to realize my ultimate goal, which is to develop myself as a well-trained semiconductor design engineer and establish a career in the VLSI design industry. My area of interest is VLSI Design & architecture.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Akhilesh7

[Akhilesh7]

Please evaluate my sop as i'm going to start my application process, anu help would be greatly appreciated,thank you !

[MaryShelley]

  Please provide your valuable feedback on my SOP and any necessary fine tuning of it. Thank you!                                            

 

 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

 

Gutta Akhilesh

MS, Computer Engineering

 

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”- Malcolm X

My area of interest is VLSI Design & architecture. I wish to pursue my graduate studies at the Arizona State University, as I believe that your Master's program backed up by excellent lab facilities and well reputed faculty, will help me to realize my ultimate goal, which is to develop myself as a well-trained semiconductor design engineer and establish a career in the VLSI design industry.

  

My actual area of interest has been Natural Science during my early school days. But, this changed when I attended a science expo in my school where I came to witness a prototype of electric motor where an electric wire would rotate around a permanent magnet because of the current passed in it. From there on, I developed an interest in physics and mathematics –the subjects which I excelled at ever since. However, the concepts of physics at school level were limited to basic electric circuitry and Newtonian mechanics. It was in my intermediate education that I came across various advanced concepts such as semiconductor devices, electricity & electromagnetism etc., of which Semiconductor devices and their wide range of applications particularly received my appreciation. Also the access to the advanced laboratories helped me understand the practical importance of theoretical concepts.

 

The zeal I had for electronic devices since my intermediate education persuaded me to take up Electronics and Communications Engineering in my undergraduate level at Vignan Institute of Science & Technology affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad. During the four years of my under-graduation, I was exposed to various concepts of Electronics & Communication fields with subjects such as MicroProcessors & MicroControllers, VLSI Design, Pulse & Digital Circuits, Linear & Digital Integrated Circuits, Switching Theory & Logic Design, Computer Networks, Analog Circuits, etc. This was coupled with the basic training in various programming languages like C, C++, JAVA and simulation tools like MATLAB, Multisim, Xilinx. I stood among the top 8% in my department. Apart from this, I have also participated in organizing various college events which helped me improve my leadership skills. As part of my under-graduation, I have also attended various chip fabrication industries. The penchant for practical applications of the concepts I have learned during my under-graduation course has impelled me to work on live projects.

I have done a MINI project on “MOBILE CONTROLLED ROLLING SCREEN” which was assigned to me by the Head of the Department. This project insists on the use of DTMF technology. The microcontroller is programmed in such a way that it receives the DTMF tones from decoder and acts accordingly on the motor. The commands for opening/closing the screen are given through mobile phone in the form of DTMF tones. This project helped me in putting my coding skills to practical purpose. Here I gained a considerable strengthening of my team skills as well as an appreciation of the importance of a professional and a methodical way of operating. I have also done a MAJOR project on “AID FOR BLIND PEOPLE USING IMAGE PROCESSING’ which involves developing a navigation aid using image processing techniques. While doing these projects I was particularly curious about the working of the micro chip and its design characteristics which has directly led me to take up masters in VLSI Design field.

 

I feel the need to take up Graduate Study for the following reasons-

1. It would take me closer to the kind of technical expertise I require, to fulfill my professional desires, 2. It would enable me to specialize in one specific area of Electrical engineering that I am engrossed with, i.e., VLSI Design.

 

In selecting the Arizona State University, I have done proper research on the course structure, faculty areas of research, research centres. The ”VLSI and architecture” course structure under the Computer Engineering program matches my areas of interest. Particularly the research activities at “Connection One“ centre in the field of Digital, VLSI design overlapped with my area of interest. I am positive that the knowledge I have acquired during my education career coupled with solid foundation in fundamentals of VLSI design concepts would help me do my utmost best in excelling at your graduation program and bring credit to this esteemed university.

 

I believe that the broad overview gained during graduate study will give me front-line exposure to the technological advances that will be made in the field of VLSI Design and allows me to contribute to its immense development.

 

 

  Please provide your valuable feedback on my SOP and any necessary fine tuning of it. Thank you!                                            

 

 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

 

Gutta Akhilesh

MS, Computer Engineering

 

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”- Malcolm X

Do you really believe a quote is necessary? These are someone else's words, not yours. An SOP is about you. What are your  thoughts?  

My area of interest is VLSI Design & architecture. I wish to pursue my graduate studies at the Arizona State University, as I believe that your Master's program backed up by excellent lab facilities and well reputed faculty, will help me to realize my ultimate goal, which is to develop myself as a well-trained semiconductor design engineer and establish a career in the VLSI design industry. Good goal, but this is almost everyone's goal. Everyone wants to be well-estalished in the industry. How does your goal set you apart?

  

My actual area of interest has been Natural Science during my early school days. But, this changed when I attended a science expo in my school where I came to witness a prototype of electric motor where an electric wire would rotate around a permanent magnet because of the current passed in it. I'm sure the adcomm knows how a motor works. Explanation unnecessary.From there on, I developed an interest in physics and mathematics –the subjects which I excelled at ever since. A little brow-beating here. Besides, don't include high school/intermediate unless it's something extraordinary. However, the concepts of physics at school level were limited to basic electric circuitry and Newtonian mechanics. It was in my intermediate education that I came across various advanced concepts such as semiconductor devices, electricity & electromagnetism etc., of which Semiconductor devices and their wide range of applications particularly received my appreciation. Also the access to the advanced laboratories helped me understand the practical importance of theoretical concepts. Again, dwell less on subjects, more on what you did in these labs. Some experience where you learned something? Where you applied a simple equation to a real-world problem?

 

The zeal I had for electronic devices since my intermediate education persuaded me to take up Electronics and Communications Engineering in my undergraduate level at Vignan Institute of Science & Technology affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad. Affliation and college name makes the sentence too long. Cut down on emotive words like zeal, passion, etc. Express that zeal through something you've done there. This sentence is unnecessary.  During the four years of my under-graduation, I was exposed to various concepts of Electronics & Communication fields with subjects such as MicroProcessors & MicroControllers, VLSI Design, Pulse & Digital Circuits, Linear & Digital Integrated Circuits, Switching Theory & Logic Design, Computer Networks, Analog Circuits, etc. This was coupled with the basic training in various programming languages like C, C++, JAVA and simulation tools like MATLAB, Multisim, Xilinx. They will see you had all these subjects in your transcripts. Same goes for the tools. Not necessary. I stood among the top 8% in my department. Apart from this, I have also participated in organizing various college events which helped me improve my leadership skills.How did they improve your skill set? Did you organize an event? Did you start something that wasn't there till then?  As part of my under-graduation, I have also attended various chip fabrication industries. Again, what did you learn/see there?The penchant for practical applications of the concepts I have learned during my under-graduation course has impelled me to work on live projects. Penchant-strong word. Use it if you must, but "penchant I have learned" is wrong usage.

I have done a MINI project on “MOBILE CONTROLLED ROLLING SCREEN” which was assigned to me by the Head of the Department. Why did someone have to assign this to you? What did you really want to work on? Someone assigning you a project sounds like you weren't thinking for yourself, as harsh as that may sound.This project insists on the use of DTMF technology. The microcontroller is programmed in such a way that it receives the DTMF tones from decoder and acts accordingly on the motor. The commands for opening/closing the screen are given through mobile phone in the form of DTMF tones. This project helped me in putting my coding skills to practical purpose. Here I gained a considerable strengthening of my team skills as well as an appreciation of the importance of a professional and a methodical way of operating. I have also done a MAJOR project on “AID FOR BLIND PEOPLE USING IMAGE PROCESSING’ which involves developing a navigation aid using image processing techniques. While doing these projects I was particularly curious about the working of the micro chip and its design characteristics which has directly led me to take up masters in VLSI Design field. Not convincing enough. Try re-writing the statement. A simple curiousity about design characteristics of a micro-chip might not have led you to pursue your Masters' degree. Why masters in USA?

I feel the need to take up Graduate Study for the following reasons-

1. It would take me closer to the kind of technical expertise I require, to fulfill my professional desires,Try choosing an alternative for professional desires....the two don't go together. 2. It would enable me to specialize in one specific area of Electrical engineering that I am engrossed with, i.e., VLSI Design. Engrossed with is wrong usage. It is engrossed in. But you don't seem to have driven home the point about how you are engrossed. read the SOP again(think you're on the Adcomm) and you'll know what I'm talking about.

 

In selecting the Arizona State University, I have done proper research on the course structure, faculty areas of research, research centres. The ”VLSI and architecture” course structure under the Computer Engineering program matches my areas of interest. Particularly the research activities at “Connection One“ centre in the field of Digital, VLSI design overlapped with my area of interest. I am positive that the knowledge I have acquired during my education career coupled with solid foundation in fundamentals of VLSI design concepts would help me do my utmost best in excelling at your graduation program and bring credit to this esteemed university.

 

I believe that the broad overview gained during graduate study will give me front-line exposure to the technological advances that will be made in the field of VLSI Design and allows me to contribute to its immense development.

Remember, write an SOP that is less about what you want them to hear and more about who you really are. An SOP should be answer "Why Masters, Why this field and Why this school".  What sets you apart. Engineers are aplenty these days, so excelling at a few subjects is hardly something to screech about. Top 8%? That is more impressive. At the same time, don't make it sound like a revelation here and there sealed your decision. That's way too dramatic. Instead, express your revelations through the experiences that taught you something. Knit them to make a sweater that fits, not a piece of cloth that has all the elements but doesn't piece together.

[Akhilesh7]

@Cariqueen

Thank you for that comprehensive evaluation! I have made several revisions before I settled for this one. Please evaluate it.

 

I want to pursue an MS degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering with a specialization in digital VLSI design as it will help me realize my goal of becoming a chip design engineer with the versatility to handle front-end and back-end VLSI designs in the near future. I am passionate about innovating high performance and low power VLSI systems and find the process involved in generating new digital logic techniques to be extremely challenging and fulfilling.

 

My under-graduate program in Electronics & Communication at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad covered various core topics namely VLSI Design, Electronic Devices & Circuits, Pulse & Digital Circuits, Microprocessors & Microcontrollers etc. This was in conjunction with the lab courses on Digital Signal Processing, Analog & Digital IC applications and Microprocessors & Microcontrollers. Furthermore, the work I did during the senior year in designing & simulating the analog and digital integrated circuits using Pspice and Xilinx ISE software provided me with a good overview of VLSI design, synthesis and implementation processes. The well thought-out course structure enabled the smooth transition between theoretical and practical courses and helped me score 72.54 % with distinction.

 

The skills that I have developed so far have motivated me to work on a project that underscored the importance of digital VLSI in the evolution of memory chips and microcontrollers. Our team successfully implemented the major project “Aid for blind people using image processing” which involved developing a navigating aid using functions of OpenCV library for real-time image processing. With the familiarity gained on microcontroller architecture and its interfacing with various modules such as keyboard, USART using assembly language and C programming in keil, we interfaced the 32-bit ARM9 with LCD display, Analog-to-Digital & Digital-to-Analog Converters, Universal Serial Bus, UART and RS232 serial port. As the project team-leader, my primary task was to design a 6 layer printed circuit board for 32-bit ARM9 microcontroller using Cadence. With my project advisor’s assistance in layout & routing techniques for high-speed design, I succeeded in reducing the noise to some extent (< 20dB) and crosstalk by assigning separate ground planes under the analog & digital partitions and increasing the distance between parallel traces & decreasing the distance between trace and ground plane.

 

Apart from providing me with the teamwork skills and hands-on experience in physical design automation, the project work also exposed the gaps in my knowledge in the domain of advanced VLSI design concepts such as Design methodologies -programmable logic devices (PLDs) like FPGAs, Complex PLDs; standard cell, full-custom designs; CMOS/BiCMOS technologies-their layout techniques & their role in the development of high noise immune & low power VLSI circuits and Physical Design Automation. The VLSI Design, Design & Analysis of Digital Integrated Circuits, VLSI Architecture courses taught at the **** University cover many topics that help address the gaps in areas where I lack the necessary expertise.

 

The graduate studies would also give me more exposure and greater understanding of topics like Digital Application Specific Integrated Circuits Design, Reconfigurable computing involving Field Programmable Gate Arrays and System on Chip (SoC) design. A thorough knowledge of these specialized topics would help me pursue my immediate career goal of becoming a back-end design engineer working on physical VLSI design and digital timing & control logic designs.

 

I choose **** University as my desired destination for pursuing graduate studies because of its excellent in-depth course structure and alignment of my professional interests in areas of digital front-end and back-end designs of CMOS based high performance and low power VLSI with the work being carried on in the fields such as Digital CMOS design, Physical Design Automation, High Speed Digital Systems.

 

The research activity at **** Lab on Low-power and High-speed VLSI design and Physical CAD tools will help me study in-depth the design of Low power High performance VLSI systems and Physical Design Automation. The advanced skills I would pick up here would give me the expertise to fulfill my career aspirations.

 

I am positive that the firm grounding I have received so far in concepts of microcontroller architecture and VLSI design would help me be successful in master’s program in Electrical & Computer Engineering at **** University.

Edited July 3, 2013 by Akhilesh7

[Akhilesh7]

Hello, someone please evaluate my SOP and give me your valuable pointers. Thank you !

[Akhilesh7]

Please evaluate the above modified SoP. Thank you.