Review my SOP

Hi, please could anyone review my SOP?

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

“The computer is the most remarkable tool that we've ever come up with. It's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds” – Steve Jobs

I consider myself lucky to belong to an era of technological and computing revolution that potentially redefines our lives. Ever since my childhood, one thing that fascinated me and steadfastly gripped my interest is the love and curiosity for computers. My undergraduate computer science background and the desire to forge ahead in this field has motivated me to apply for the Master of Science in Computer Science program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, one of the most renowned educational institutions in terms of university reputation, research and faculty in the Computer Science department.

My long and enjoyable interaction with computer science goes back to my school days, to the moment when I first learned to program. It started with Logo (programming language) where I could create various shapes and produce line graphics. I gradually moved to ‘BASIC’ language and functionalities of computers. In High School, I worked on C and Visual Basic. There was something about computers and programming that always piqued my interest. The satisfaction that I received when my code executed successfully without errors after spending hours on debugging was ineffable. This was the ignition point where I started to develop interest toward this subject and thereby made me opt for an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from PES University, Bangalore, one of the top-rated colleges in India for Computer Science.

In an environment that is intensely competitive, and where research goes hand-in-hand with learning, at PES University, I was exposed to both theoretical research work and implementation, thus laying a strong foundation for graduate study. I was taught that it is more important to enjoy what one does because in that lies the heart and a mind that refuses to wander. Academics has always been my strong hold. I have consistently stood among the top 5 students in the Computer Science department and my merit scholarships and awards stand testimony to this. I was also chosen as a member of the Dean’s list in recognition of my significant efforts toward academia and curriculum work.

It does not always happen that when one is introduced to a new field, the passion for that field is a concomitant aspect. Through the various projects that I have undertaken, I have found that I have a deep interest in research work, particularly in the fields of Cloud Security, Networking and Big Data, a strong motivation and an aptitude for the type of problem solving it involves.

My conceptual knowledge in the field of Cloud Computing truly helped me in my project “Detecting data leakage using Cloud Computing” at the center of Cloud Computing and Big Data at PES University. The objective of this project was to study unobtrusive techniques for detecting leakage of a set of objects or words. A model for assessing the “guilt” of agents was built which was based on calculating the “guilt” probabilities in cases of data leakage. The set of data objects was loaded into Hadoop distributed file system and probabilities were calculated using Hive. When it came to adding “fake” elements, the distributor was made to perturb the set of data objects so that agents cannot distinguish them from real objects. This project helped me understand the nuances of cloud computing and the way HDFS could be used to perform important analytical calculations on large data sets. This project gave me an insight into the computational capabilities and potency of Hadoop and led me to explore my research interests in this domain. The results obtained in this project was one of the most notable results that came out of the research center in the recent past and enabled me to couple my creativity with my computer science background and led to the presentation of a poster at the International Conference on Advances in Computing, Communication and Informatics at the Manipal Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India.

In my junior year, I was elated when I received an opportunity for a summer research internship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the guidance of Dr. Sibin Mohan. The project required me to deal with Dockers and partitioning of Linux Containers to ensure the security of containers. The resource set was analyzed by combining the results of dynamic analysis that was performed using strace and static analysis using GNU’s cflow. The main objective of this project was to slim down containers by reducing the size of executables present on the container, either by removing redundant images or splitting the containers into different partitions while at the same time preserving the functionality of the original container. This involved extensive understanding of compiler design and automata as well as Linux fundamentals and usage of Vagrant to execute Docker images. The successful completion of this project required dedication, perseverance and the ability to work with a positive attitude unmindful of any setbacks on the way, like when I had to complete the grueling task of debugging certain codes developed by the University of Wisconsin Madison which was essential to the completion of the project. This required me go through loads of literature and spend sleepless nights to complete the “debugging” and meet the deadlines. I realized how important it is, as a researcher, to interact with other people working in the same field, and at the same time, to be able to work individually.

I was also the recipient of the prestigious Google Grace Hopper scholarship for the celebration of Women in Computing offered by the Anita Borg Institute, chosen among thousands of female applicants all over India.My programming skills were put to good use at several hackathons that were conducted on a regular basis. One notable achievement is that our team was ranked 2 at the ACM Intercollegiate Programming Olympiad where we competed against thousands of students from all over the world. These hackathons tested my problem solving ability and challenged my capability to critically analyze any given situation. Over these years of my under graduation, I have also been able to strike a judicious balance between my academic life and hobbies. These activities have not only enabled me to keep myself mentally and physically alert but also imbibed in me qualities of team spirit and leadership which will stand in good stead as I progress along my path.

Over the years, I have witnessed the rise of the modern computing industry and I can sense that there are still developments to come and challenges to overcome. I am excited at the prospect of dedicating my career to this fast-growing industry. My goal is to make a constructive and commendable contribution to the society at large through knowledge acquired in my field of specialization.

I would be excited to work under Dr. Sibin Mohan as well as Dr. Klara Nahrstedt as my research interests best align with theirs.

To pursue an active career in research, it is necessary to both study and understand the finer nuances of any subject. I believe that graduate studies will not only provide me with advanced knowledge about the field but also prepare me to be a good researcher. It is precisely due to this reason that I have decided to take up graduate studies as the next step towards my achieving career objectives.

Being part of such an excellent department in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be a big step in achieving my long term goals. The highly competitive and intellectually stimulating atmosphere at this University will surely bring out the best in me. I am sure the time spent here would be an enriching experience and I hope that I am provided with an opportunity to satiate my appetite for knowledge and zeal for continuous learning at this esteemed institution.