While working on my SOP, I realised most of the stress comes from trying to sound impressive. and focus on being clear and honest, the whole thing became easier. What helped me most was thinking of the SOP as a story instead of a list of achievements. Why I made certain choices, what didn’t work, what changed after that, and why this program makes sense now. If those pieces connect, the SOP automatically feels more believable.

Another thing that i change was accepting that the profile doesn’t need to look perfect. Admissions teams probably see enough “everything went smoothly” stories. What matters more is whether there’s some learning or direction over time, lines like “I developed leadership skills” feel fine until you ask yourself where, how, and what changed. Specific moments made a huge difference.

For gaps or weak spots, avoiding them felt tempting, but it just made the SOP feel incomplete. Writing about them calmly and without over-justifying actually worked better. Lastly, reading it out loud helped a lot. If it didn’t sound like something I’d actually say, I rewrote it.