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I am a computer science engineer and I am starting to write my SOP's for grad school admissions.

I am very interested in machine learning but most of the schools I apply to offer ML as a track like something to major in. Can I write my whole SOP about ML ? I have few achievements in CSE and few in ML.

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    It's not clear to me why you might think you can't. Can you elaborate? – ff524♦ May 18 '14 at 19:48
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    ML is a part of CS, you know. – Suresh May 18 '14 at 21:09
  • Read the answer I have accepted. I don't want to jeopardize my chances of being selected by targeting a few professors working in machine learning, who might not find my achievements relevant. – Aditya May 18 '14 at 21:32
  • So you'd rather be admitted and then work in an area that doesn't hold your interest? Really? Your statement should describe your research interests honestly. – JeffE May 18 '14 at 21:53
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Writing statements of purpose (SOP's) can be challenging. If you make the statement too general, it may come across like you don't have a solid reason for attending a graduate program. On the other hand, if your SOP is too specific, you may unnecessarily restrict your chances of admission—for instance, if you only talk about working with one or two professors, and they're not taking new students, you may not be admitted.

That said, you are free to write your statement of purpose however you choose. Just keep in mind that in formal application processes, you are generally writing to an entire department, not just one or two professors.

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