SOP for MBA in Australia: Guidelines at Top Universities

An SOP for MBA in Australia attempts to evaluate the reason for a person’s interest in MBA, past professional experience, career ahead of this program, and a unique contribution to their peer group. Statement of Purpose is the reflection of applicants beyond their grades and other academic achievements. It helps the admission committee understand the unique skill set that a person possesses in terms of their intent and readiness for a course.

MBA being a highly professional degree expects an SOP to have a detailed insight into a person’s professional life and their skills that helped them at their workplace. SOP for MBA in Australia needn’t be personal in nature since the universities only expect specific questions to be answered.

SOP for MBA in Australia: How is it Different?

Australian universities work differently than other study abroad destinations such as Canada and USA. For their MBA programs as well, the universities give preference to applicants with substantial work experience. Therefore, one of the key guidelines for all candidates is to emphasize their experience, strengths, and weaknesses, skills, etc in their SOP for Australia.

Some of the other guidelines which must be kept in mind while writing a SOP for MBA for Australian universities are mentioned below:

• Keep it Brief: SOP for MBA in Australia is generally written in 300-500 words and sticking to the word count is important. You have to ensure that you have conveyed your message clearly without any open-ended questions.
• Verify Whether it's Written or Video SOP: While majority of universities ask for written essays or QnA, there are some universities for MBA in Australia that need video essays. Generally, the requested video SOPs are to be a minute long.
• Stick to Course-related Information: The SOP for MBA in Australia generally requests only information that pertains to the chosen course instead of asking personal questions. Very rarely does a university ask for the mention of extracurricular activities of the like.
• Work experience is an integral mention: MBA courses in Australia expect the mention of professional work experience. The universities often ask about the work-life crisis and how you solved it owing to your managerial and leadership skills.
• Well-structured SOP: SOP for MBA in Australia should follow a logical sequence with not more than one main idea in a single paragraph, consequently giving it a good structure.

SOP for MBA in Australia: Requirements at Australian Universities

SOP requirements at Australian Universities for MBA is singular for each university as they may ask you to write an essay, answer specific-questions, or submit a video essay. The SOP guidelines and requirements at top Australian B-Schools are mentioned below:

Adelaide Business School

• Length of the SOP: SOP for University of Adelaide must be somewhere between 300-500 words.
• Questions to be answered: The University proposes three questions out of which any two must be answered.
  • Describe your professional work experience relevant to the course and how will MBA help in your career development.
  • Describe a complex work-life crisis that you solved through your negotiation and leadership skills.
  • Describe how you have demonstrated critical thinking and analysis capabilities in the workplace.

Curtin University

• Length: The SOP for Curtin University should be somewhere between 400-600 words.
• Prompts for the SOP:
  • Motivation for taking a particular course.
  • How will a course help you in career development?
  • If you plan to take a major, how will that impact your current or future career plans?

Macquarie University

At Macquarie University, the SOP for the MBA program is rather recorded in a video format instead of written text.

• Length of the video: The SOP video should not be more than 1 minute long.
• Contents of the video:
  • Self-introduction and career path to date.
  • Reason for showing intent for the course and the career plan after completion.
  • Your singular contribution to the course and fellow students.

Monash University

• Length: Monash University does not specify a certain word limit for the SOP. However, it should be brief in nature.
• Prompts for the SOP:
  • How will the course impact your career?
  • What is the requirement for a global mindset for successful executive MBA experience and result?
  • How will their business experience contribute to peer learning?

The University of Sydney

• Word limit: The SOP for MBA at University of Sydney must be a maximum of two pages long.
• What should the outline?
  • What is the vision that you wish to materialize after completing MBA from the aforesaid university?
  • Academic accomplishments.
  • Leadership qualities.
  • Community involvement and extracurricular activities.
  • Relevant awards and recognitions.

SOP for MBA in Australia requires brief documentation of why a person is interested in an MBA abroad, how will he use the degree in the future, and professional experiences that demonstrate readiness and skills for MBA from an Australian University. The statement, either written or video must be brief in nature with only answers for the questions asked by the university.

Generally, extracurricular activities aren’t asked for in SOP for MBA in Australia, but if you mention it, make sure that it has something in common with the course into consideration. Finally, the SOP for MBA in Australia should follow a logical sequence, besides being proofread and well-structured.