Faculty of Management Studies (FMS)—Sample SOPs

Sample-1 (Computer Engineer with work-ex)

'I want to grow in my career and hold high positions of management. This way I can contribute more
usefully and make a bigger impact on my company's business. A career in management will also help me
reach my full potential.

After completing B.E in computer science in 2007, I was placed with IBM India and have worked as a Pre
Sales Specialist for over 3 years. I have learnt various aspects of sales and marketing and my thinking has
shifted from a purely technical perspective to a business perspective. My work involved making
proposals for clients--matching the needs of the client with the products the company had to offer. I
interacted with both the Sales teams and the Marketing team. This gave me a good understanding of
the processes in sales and marketing as well as a knowledge of the market for IT products.

I now want to do a full-time MBA from a top B-School such as FMS to gain wider exposure to all fields of
management. This will also acquaint me with different sectors of the business world and expose me to
real business problems through case studies, project work and interaction with the industry. The
guidance of the learned and experienced faculty of FMS and the interaction with peers from different
educational and professional backgrounds would indeed provide a great learning experience and
prepare me for higher positions of responsibility.'

Sample-2 (Fresh graduate—with good Extra-curricular profile)

'I want to pursue a career in management. I see myself holding high positions of responsibility in the
corporate sector where the decisions I take will have a wide impact on the employees or the business
prospects of the company.

I had my first taste of management when as the house captain in my school I was involved in organising
different events. Again in college, I was part of the core team for organising the technical festival. I
realized the importance of planning, dividing the work among the team members, clear communication,
close monitoring and coordination. I enjoyed taking on responsibility and working in groups.

I now want to have a formal education in management from a top B-School such as FMS. This will
acquaint me with the business world and expose me to real business problems through case studies,
project work and interaction with the industry. Learning under the guidance of the learned and
experienced faculty of FMS and in the company of peers from different educational and cultural
backgrounds would indeed widen my horizons and prepare me for a career in the corporate world.'

Sample-3 (Mechanical Engineer with work-ex)

'I want to pursue a career in management. I first understood the importance of managerial functions in
college when I was Students Coordinator for 2 years in Society of Mechanical & Industrial Engineers
(SOMIE) & Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and organised technical and cultural festivals.

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After college, I was placed with Projects Coordination Department of Pipeline Project of Bathinda
Refinery(HMEL) as an Asst. Manager and have over two years' experience in this job. Here, I was
involved in the execution and management of a multi-crore project with numerous interdependent
activities and involvement of multiple agencies and vendors. I was also nominated for Professional
Project Management Certification Course. This has given me an exposure to planning and monitoring of
project activities; placing contracts and handling vendors; budgeting and managing project costs; and
much else.

I now want to do a full-time MBA from a top B-School such as FMS to grow in my career. Here, I will gain
wider exposure by learning concepts of marketing, finance, HRM, and production and the
interconnections among them for smooth functioning of a company. This will acquaint me with different
sectors of the business world and expose me to real business problems through case studies, project
work and interaction with the industry. The guidance of the learned and experienced faculty of FMS and
the interaction with peers from different educational and professional backgrounds would indeed
provide a great learning experience and prepare me for higher positions of responsibility.'

Sample-4 (Graduate in Journalism & Mass Communication)

'I want to pursue a career in advertising and marketing. I developed an interest in this field during my
graduation in journalism and mass communication.

I was involved with projects and internship related to advertising, journalism, films and media, and
discovered my journalistic and creative talent. I did my internship with The Indian Express where I got
two bylines and one credit line. I worked as a film editor and edited a song in the Bollywood movie 'De
Danadan'. I have dabbled in film-making and photography at a professional level and further developed
my creative talent.

I also prepared a dissertation on advertising which expanded my horizons and got me excited about a
career in advertising and marketing. I have developed a habit of observing people in their homes and at
malls--what they wear, how they maintain their homes, what products they buy, how brand-conscious
or price conscious they are, and so on. I have also started examining ads carefully and following them on
TV and the print media to see what segment of the market they were targeting and how they were
reaching out to their targeted consumer.

I now want to do a full-time MBA from a top B-School such as FMS and acquire a well-rounded
knowledge by learning concepts of marketing, finance, HRM, and production and the interconnections
among them for smooth functioning of a company. My MBA studies will acquaint me with different
sectors of the business world. It will expose me to real business problems through case studies, project
work and interaction with the industry. The guidance of the learned and experienced faculty of FMS and
the interaction with peers from different educational and professional backgrounds would indeed
provide a great learning experience and prepare me for a career in the field of marketing.

Sample-5 (ECE Engineer with work-ex)

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'I want to pursue a career in management. I see myself holding high positions of responsibility in the
corporate sector where the decisions I take will have a wide impact on the employees or the business
prospects of the company.

I am an electronics and communication engineer and have over two years' work experience in the
telecom sector. At Nokia Siemens Networks, I have been working on design, installation, operation and
maintenance of their networks, which has helped me understand the practical aspects of engineering. I
have also been exposed to how work is organised in a company and the different roles that managers
play. As a user of telecom services myself, I have realised how technology can enhance the range of
services to consumers. I feel that marketing of telecom services would be an exciting area to work in,
where technologies are being constantly upgraded and merged and consumer expectations are
expanding.

I therefore want to do a full-time MBA from a top B-School such as FMS. I will learn concepts of
marketing, finance, HRM, and production and the interconnections among them for smooth functioning
of a company. This will acquaint me with different sectors of the business world and widen my horizons.
This will expose me to real business problems through case studies, project work and interaction with
the industry. The guidance of the learned and experienced faculty of FMS and the interaction with peers
from different educational and professional backgrouds would indeed provide a great learning
experience and prepare me for a career in the corporate world.'

Sample-6 (for NIFT graduate)

I want to pursue a career in sales and marketing. I developed an interest in this field during my
graduation at NIFT, New Delhi. Though my specialisation was Accessory Design, I got a wide exposure to
the apparel industry as a whole and an overview of the retail sector.

Gradually my interests diversified from mere designing to consumer behaviour, merchandising, retail,
sales and marketing. [Give brief details of the projects you were involved with.]

I developed a habit of observing people in their homes and at malls--what they wore, how they
maintained their homes, what products they bought, how brand-conscious or price conscious they were,
and so on. I also started examining ads carefully and following them on TV and the print media to see
what segment of the market they were targeting and how they were reaching out to their targeted
consumer.

After graduation, I worked with an Exhibition Design Firm for a year or so. This further widened my
exposure. [Add something about your work-ex here.]

I now want to do a full-fledged MBA for a top B-School, such as FMS. [Add something from the last para
from your SOP after changing it.]

Sample-7 (Fresh ECE Engineer with good Extra-curricular profile)

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"If you think you can, you can"--a simple principle that has guided me throughout my life.
 
I have always been good at academics and actively participated in different extracurricular activities
throughout school and college. My parents always stressed on all round development of the personality
and I tried my hand at different sports, quizzes (international and Indian), debates, music, drama, etc.
and won numerous prizes.
 
I held different positions of responsibility in school and college and was involved in organising events,
cultural evenings and technical festivals. This gave me an exposure to managing different people--peers,
seniors, and teachers; working in teams and providing direction; controlling the limited funds available;
and above all handling difficult situations and last-minute glitches.
 
Being an electronics and communication engineer, I worked on a number of projects related to telecom
technology and did my summer training at Tata Teleservices Ltd., Noida. This gave a good understanding
of how a telecom company works and the range of telecom/internet services that it offers and can offer
in the future with the coming of new generation technologies and convergence of technologies.
 
But before taking up a job, I would like to complete my MBA from a reputed institute such as FMS. I will
get a well-rounded knowledge of all management disciplines and they are work in an integrated fashion.
Through project work and case studies, I will get an exposure to the actual problems faced by companies
and what solutions are possible.

I look forward to being a part of such a pioneering institute, such as FMS.'

Sample-8 (Fresh Computer engineer with good extra-curricular profile)

'I am a computer engineer and have worked on some projects which has helped me become proficient
in the use of C++[You can add something here]. During my summer training at Reliance Communications
Ltd., Ghaziabad I first familiarised myself with the design of their application software and then came up
with useful suggestions to sort out some of the problems they were facing. Some of my suggestions
were later adopted.
 
I find working in the field of software development interesting, and would therefore like to specialise in
Systems during my MBA. And what better place than FMS to do MBA (full-time) from. Learning under
the highly learned faculty at FMS would indeed be an enriching experience. With a full-fledged formal
education in management, I will be able to see 'the big picture', and be prepared to hold high
management positions.
 
I have held different positions of responsibility both in school and at college and have learnt the
importance of management roles--planning, working as a team, and coordinating the activities
delegated to different team members. I find myself to be essentially a people’s person and enjoy
working in group. I enjoy taking on responsibility and the sense of importance attached with it as
everyone looks up to you to take charge and give directions.
 
Hence, I would find a management career very satisfying.'

Sample-9 (Fresh ECE engineer who wants to be an Entrepreneur)

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'I have a strong desire to be an entrepreneur and start my own company. I think this is what most MBA
graduates want to do eventually. I find the stories of entrepreneurs very inspiring, particularly of IIM-A
graduates given in the book--'Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish'.
 
My desire to be my own boss comes from a sense of independence that I have developed since the age
of 11, when I first shifted to my school hostel and learnt to fend for myself. Since then I have been a
hosteller and been happy organising my own life. I have acquired a sense of discipline and a habit of
working regularly and systematically, with effective management of time.  
 
I am doing my electronics and communication engineering and have a keen interest in information
technology as well, as the future will see convergence of these technologies in many areas. Ideas for
new startups keep popping up in my head, but they remain half-baked ideas at best.
 
I therefore want to have a thorough grounding in all management disciplines, understand how
companies are run, how they obtain funding, how they manage risks, how they study and understand
the market, how they identify prospective clients, etc. An MBA (full-time) from a reputed institute such
as FMS would provide me all that and much more. Interaction with industry and successful
entrepreneurs with help me give shape to the nebulous ideas floating around in my head. I will get an
opportunity to learn from my colleagues who would bring knowledge and experience from different
fields.'
Sample-10 (ECE Engineer with work-ex)

'I have done my engineering in electronics and communication and have been working as a SAP
Technical Consultant for the past 3 years. Working on SAP have made me understand how the activities
of different departments are intricately interwoven--how inventory management is linked to production
planning and in turn to sales forecasting--and how ERP systems can enhance the overall effectiveness of
the organisation by making information available in real time and prompting decision-making at
different levels of management.  
 
I acquired a good understanding of operations and logistics as I was working on the Materials
Management module. This experience has aroused my interest in areas such as sales and marketing,
financial management and human resource management of which I know little.
 
I now want to acquire holistic knowledge of all disciplines of management and how they are seamlessly
integrated in the functioning of an organisation. This will help me grow in the field of IT/Management
Consultancy.
 
I am therefore applying to your MBA (full-time) course. This will acquaint me with different sectors of
the business world and expose me to real business problems in different sectors through case studies,
project work and interaction with the industry. The guidance of the learned and experienced faculty and
the interaction with peers from different educational and professional backgrounds would indeed
provide a great learning experience and extend my horizons.'
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