Just start in the middle of the progression in your interests. What got you interested in corals over marine mammals? In fishes? Was it a course? A particular moment in the lab where you thought, "hey, coral rocks!" (I was a biology major as an undergrad in a school with a lot of marine science majors, so I'm not being sarcastic here). Try to pull the reader into that moment with you, while describing what it is about those things that drew your interest.
For me--and make allowances that I'm not one of your readers--what I look for in SOPs I evaluate is not the "since childhood" story, but for the moment where that spark of interest matured into a lifelong absorption; in particular I look for signs of long-term, in-depth commitment and passion for related issues and activities.
I'd start by asking: why fish, for one. How'd you end up there?
Simple suggestion: Don't tell the reader that you're passionate, show the reader that you're passionate.
Provide concrete, academic examples (i.e. "I worked in so-and-so's lab where I did X involving coral" or "I did field work with what's-her-name in place Y" or "I published such-and-such in Journal Z") or what you've done with your passion for marine biology. Because anyone can just *say* they're passionate, and even if you are passionate and you haven't actually done anything with that passion then who really cares?
Well, you can code it nicely by saying "A lifelong passion for marine science began to focus itself when I [ha whatever exciting research/academic experience]" - this will acknowledge Sea World without going into a long-winded Shamu tale, and make it relevant to your current research interests and experience.
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I'd start by asking: why fish, for one. How'd you end up there?
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Provide concrete, academic examples (i.e. "I worked in so-and-so's lab where I did X involving coral" or "I did field work with what's-her-name in place Y" or "I published such-and-such in Journal Z") or what you've done with your passion for marine biology. Because anyone can just *say* they're passionate, and even if you are passionate and you haven't actually done anything with that passion then who really cares?
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