Things To mention In SOP for Information Systems (MIS)

1. A good reason to choose Information Systems as a subject.
2. The reason for choosing this particular University and its region.
3. Academic Performance
4. Speak about your life experience as a student or an employee.
5. If you’re still experienced, list the other skills and expertise that you want to learn.
6. Write about your plans for the future.
7. What the course will help you reach your potential goals.

Times have changed… Ten years ago and now, I have seen a drastic metamorphosis in the way my father manages his chartered accountancy firm. Tax filing reminders via repeated phone calls to clients have been replaced by automated emails and SMS; files that used to occupy substantial space in the office are digitized and easily searchable and accessible, and tax return processing that was done manually is now automated and online.   These are just a few examples. Even with the additional clientele base, I see my father more relaxed and composed with more time for leisure and family life. Clearly, technology has been instrumental in streamlining our family business and has added to the long-term sustainability of the organization.   Witnessing this change first hand has made me realize the need for every organization to harness technology in its DNA in order to excel in this highly competitive, challenging landscape. My career goal is to work as a Business Analyst with companies like Mu Sigma, where I hope to enable clients to increase productivity by leveraging technology and their data repository. In order to acquire the necessary technical expertise in areas of IT and data analytics, I seek to pursue formal training in MIS from Kelley School of Business.

The academic curriculum during my undergraduate studies helped me to nurture my analytical and problem-solving skills. Courses in Applied Mathematics helped me to learn about different tools for statistical analysis such as regression analysis, hypothesis testing, and differential equations. The course on Software Engineering acquainted me with different stages of the Software Development Lifecycle and the factors to be considered while choosing a particular model for software development. Also, courses in Operating Systems and Programming Paradigms enabled me to gain an understanding of the management of hardware and software resources in a system. Courses on Database Management helped me to learn the analysis of data and the administration of databases. Perhaps the most interesting course I took was that of MIS during my junior year where I was introduced to the management of systems that are crucial for the efficient functioning of an organization, such as Decision Support Systems. Building on my undergraduate background, I passed the Maharashtra Business and Training Board exam for JAVA certification with an A-grade. Along with this, I am a certified Microsoft Technology Associate on Database Fundamentals.

My senior-year project titled ‘Textural Analysis of Retinal Blood Vessels Using Fundus Imaging’ focused on analyzing a photograph of the patient’s eye for the textural features to aid in the early diagnosis of diabetes. For this, we worked under the guidance of a Ph.D. aspirant. We built a database for storing the retinal images captured by a Fundus camera (which helps to capture the 3-D image of an eye in a 2-dimensional format). A MATLAB code was used to read and extract an image consisting of only the blood vessels of the eye. This image was then compared to pre-defined features of the blood vessels of a normal eye to analyze for abnormalities such as decreased smoothness and increased diameter. Using this, a doctor would be able to diagnose diabetes at a very early stage. As of now, we have managed to enable the system to deliver an accuracy of 70%. We hope to improvise on the existing system and implement it in the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune.

Another project that I worked on was the development of an ERP system for a coaching class. A few of the challenging tasks for any coaching class is to organize the batches, create the communication link with the students and provide study resources. We tackled these issues through a system that was designed using Visual Basic 6.0 at the front-end and MySQL on the back-end. In addition to providing student communication links via SMS and email, the system enabled the administrator to divide students into a number of batches on the basis of student’s convenience. If the student was unsatisfied with his allocation, he could himself change as long as there was an opening available, thereby providing ample flexibility to the student. Working on this project allowed me to explore and apply the software development lifecycle in real-time.

Currently, I am working with HDFC Life Insurance in the role of a Project Intern where I am tasked with working on a project related to implementing an enterprise-wide data warehouse that would combine the databases of different departments. By configuring the ETL informative tool, we managed to stage the data in the warehouse. This data could be used to create various MIS reports as well as derive insights, trends and predictions in real time. My work with HDFC has provided me with valuable exposure in using Oracle databases, and MS Excel tools like Macros and VBA to build applications for live business purposes. Also, it provided me with my first experience of working in a corporate setting.

Along with my academics, I have been actively engaged in extra-curricular activities in order to achieve an all-round personality development. I was one of the founding members of the Eco-Club of my college. Through the club, I was involved in the management of a tree-plantation campaign and conducting cleanliness drives to beautify the vicinity of the college premises in collaboration with social activists. The involvement saw me handling responsibilities like managing club finances, promoting the club to increase club membership strength, and generating awareness among the general public. I was also a part of the team that finished runners-up at the inter-collegiate Quiz Competition at Maharashtra Institute of Technology. In addition, I was involved in volunteering in ‘TESLA’, the technical festival of our college wherein a team of ten, I was tasked with crowd-management during the festival. All these experiences imbibed in me the qualities of leadership and a good team-work spirit.

At this stage, I believe undergoing formal training in MIS from the prestigious Kelley School of Business would set me on the right path towards realizing my career goals. The multi-faceted curriculum that includes courses in Data Integration, Organisation and Visualisation and Data Mining in the specialization of Operations and Decision Technologies will provide me with the opportunity to nurture my techno-managerial skills. Also, I would love to avail myself of the chance of working on [company] that is the sole focus of Enterprise resource management. Working under the guidance of renowned faculty members such as [Professor 1] and [Professor 2] in addition to gaining first-hand project experience would provide the right impetus to becoming a successful MIS professional.

I look forward to becoming a high-performing professional and I aspire to raise the reputation of the University through delivering value to the organizations I work with. I look forward to being a part of the incoming class of Fall 2016.

Note: This SOP was collected from a student who has got an admit at Northeastern university. Please don't reuse this.

Note: The sample is for reference only, and students do not copy the letter to fill it in with their data. It does not express the specific facets of your profile and therefore reduces the chances of approval. Click here to see what happens if the content is copied