Statement of Purpose for Master of Strategic Communication

[fireflower_01]

Hi! I would like to seek advice on how to improve further my Statement of Purpose (SOP) to be submitted to the University of Canberra. I am from the Philippines and I would like to pursue a Master of Strategic Communication in Australia.

I have read multiple blogs on how to write an SOP, but I would like to know on what would be the best approach.

Also, here are the key points the agency mentioned that must be included in my SOP:
- Your personal, academic, and employment circumstance in the Philippines;
- Your reason/s for choosing to study in Australia rather than in your home country;
- Your reason/s for choosing the education provider (school);
- Your reason/s for choosing to study the program (course);
- The relevance of this program/course to your educational and/or professional background;
- The relevance of completing this study to your future career plans in your home country, including prospect employer and remuneration;
- Your travel and visa applications history in Australia and other countries;
- Your potential circumstance once you arrived in Australia, including your accommodation arrangement, researched knowledge of the state/city, basic living expenses, and source of funds -discuss sponsorship of family member/s

Your help is highly appreciated.

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I pursued journalism knowing that was where I was good at. But with the dangers that journalists face in the Philippines, I welcomed the idea of doing communication in a corporate setting. That desire, however, took a backseat when I was hired as a customer service associate for a real estate company. After two years, I decided to pursue my original goal.

I took up an online certificate course on Corporate Communication to know the basics of concepts such as strategic corporate communication planning, employee communication, publicity and media relations, and crisis communication. It was a stepping stone for soon pursuing a related master's degree and landing my present job, which is into Marketing Communications.

The Marketing Communications department in SEAOIL is divided into two based on media – digital and traditional. I am the sole Marketing Communications Officer and my main focus is internal communications, in which I used digital and traditional communication channels to inform and engage employees. Since I am the only Marketing Communications Officer, I also have become exposed to content conceptualization and strategy development for changes in branding of the company. This made me discover my talents along the way. I realized my talents in planning and conceptualizing – that by earning a master's degree in Strategic Communication would develop these talents and help me further contribute, assess and direct the communication direction of the company. 

In addition, I choose to study to be a Master of Strategic Communication in the University of Canberra because of its holistic curriculum. Some of the units are Strategic Communication Planning, Risk Communication, Issues Analysis and Management. In addition, I will have the opportunity to increase my knowledge on some units in Marketing Communication. Contrary to the Philippines, pursuing further studies in Communication focuses either solely on Media and Sales and Marketing.

I will be funding my own study in Australia as I do not have any relatives to finance my studies in Australia. My parents are about to retire, leaving my sister and I to care for ourselves.

In regards to my travel history and visa application to other countries, I have travelled to Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. As of this writing, I have also been granted a visa to travel to South Korea. It will remain valid until September 2017. My sister and I will be travelling to South Korea on July 4 and will be returning to the Philippines on July 12.

Edited June 26, 2017 by fireflower_01