Writing a motivation letter is your chance of making your university application more personalized. In fact, given that your CV and other documents you attach to the application are extremely official, it is your only chance to give your resume a face.
When a school requires you to send a motivation letter, you must know that the admissions board simply wants to get to know the personality behind the formal letters and inquiries.
It is your chance to create a compelling presentation of yourself and demonstrate why you believe that you are the perfect match for the opening and what makes you the most motivated candidate.
Synocate states that college acceptance rates keep falling down, and this tendency is here to stay. In the USA alone, “the average acceptance rate to college is about 66%.” Therefore, not to blow your chance to get into the college of your dream, you need to try twice as hard when working on your motivation letter this year.
How exactly can you create a powerful motivation letter for the university admissions board? We know several things you have to keep an eye on while writing this piece of content.
Amazing tips to make your motivation letter stand out
- Make it personal, yet relevant.
Unfortunately, young people make the same mistake over and over again. When we say “make it personal”, they make their letter almost “folksy”. But this is not what we mean here.
Certain official notes are there to stay in your letter. After all, it is still an admissions letter. So, you cannot make informal. However, you can make it a bit more personalized.
The letter should center around you, your achievements, and everything in it should point to you. It must demonstrate your style, beliefs, and values. You cannot cross them off the letter completely.
When universities are opening their doors to new students, they want real people to join their rows.
However, everything you say there must be relevant to the specialization and degree you are applying for. You cannot make it distant or irrelevant to your application. So, stay focused and relate everything you write to the ultimate goal of your letter.
2.Stick to the proper formatting.
Your task is to sound and look professional. That is why consider sticking to the
standard norms of the formal writing.
For instance, you can find a good example of a motivation letter online to see what the author did and what makes his letter stand out.
Alternatively, you can search the site of the university you are applying for to see the guidance. Typically most universities have these guides posted, so it should be a problem.
And once you find those guidelines, stick to them. Do not write too much or not enough. Stay within the limits set by the college. Use the font, alignment and other details that go along with the requirements of the school. As long as you follow their rules, the school will know that you respect the set rules and can be considered a professional (if can apply this word to a student).
3. Conduct a research.
There are several things you can do prior to writing the motivation letter. First, you can learn the names of the people on the admissions board. After all, addressing a real person rather than saying “Sirs” is much more personal and polite.
Also, you can find this school’s graduates and seek their advice. They got into this college, and so they know how exactly they did it. Maybe they can share their old motivation letters or the tips they got when were applying themselves.
Also, conduct a research on the specialization you applying for. What your traits and skills make you a perfect candidate for it? Why do you believe that this school should offer you a place at this faculty? You need to have some basic background knowledge to be able to answer these questions in the motivation letter.
4. Relate it to your future.
Colleges want to get students who have long-term goals and an analytical set of
mind. That is why you need to demonstrate that you have both of them by showing how you want to apply the obtained knowledge in your future career.
Maybe you always wanted to make a difference in the world, and this degree will be a huge help in this. Or perhaps you had a dream to work in this field. Think of your own reasons and relate the potential education and this particular school to your future to impress the admissions board.
5.Make it unique.
Do not simply copy what you have already said in your CV. The motivation letter should be different if you want it to grasp the attention of the admissions board. Otherwise, they will scan it and put it on a pile of similar essays.
If you want the admissions board to sit up and pay attention, the letter has to supplement, not substitute the CV.
Therefore, search for a unique perspective and present facts which you have not shown yet.
As long as you repeat your own thoughts, you will only bore the board to death, and that is not your ultimate goal. So, be original, creative and even bold in composing this piece.
Developing a motivational letter can be a scary task for many students. r so they may think. We believe that writing them is not hard as long as you know what you are doing. So, learn the basics, save our tips, and apply them to composing this letter! You will see how much easier this otherwise daunting task can get.
Do not underestimate the importance of this piece of content. It helps the board see how motivated you are to study at their school, what drives you to apply for a place there and how exactly the college can benefit from having you. Let them see the answers to these question bright and clear – and your motivation letter will be a real success. Are there other tips you find important for the development of a powerful motivational letter? Leave us your suggestions in the comments. We would love to hear from you!
BIO: Lori Wade is a content writer who is interested in a wide range of spheres from education and online marketing to entrepreneurship. She is also an aspiring tutor striving to bring education to another level like we all do. If you are interested in writing, you can find her on Twitter or Google+ or find her on other social media. Read and take over Lori’s useful insights!
