ELEMENTS THAT ARE PRESENT IN A MOTIVATION LETTER

Posted date: 07 May 2021

There is no one-size-fits-all formula for writing a motivation letter, since the best motivation letter is one that fully and uniquely reflects the person. If you read a couple of your friends' motivational letters and note that one varies from the other, don't be concerned; this is how it should be. There are, however, certain factors that often come together to make a strong motivation letter.

These elements should appear somewhere in your statement, in no particular order:

1. Your professional or personal life goal

Do you want to heal cancer and save the world? Do you want to reduce poverty by starting a business that provides undocumented migrants with micro lending services? Do you aspire to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation? Highlighting your life's goals is an important factor to include in your motivation letter because it not only helps the selection committee to determine whether you are a good candidate for the institution, but it also allows you to determine whether the institution's goals match with your own.

2. Your reason for choosing this programme

Are you interested in their cutting-edge neurology laboratory?

* Put that down.

Do their vast exchange network and/or collaborations with other universities impress you?

* State that too.

This is the section where you not only flatter the institution a little, but also inform them of the main features that are attracting future students like you. Often, stating why you want to attend this institution is a major factor in their decision to accept you as their newest student/addition to the organization.

3. Why they should choose you for the programme

This is where you try to sell yourself. You should not only highlight your accomplishments, related experiences, and/or credentials, but you should also have something in exchange. This is where you can honestly say, "If you admit me into your programme, I will carry x, y, and z to the table." What exactly are you capable of bringing to the table? Every organization nowadays strives to be multinational or internationally connected, so adding a new culture to the mix is a welcome addition. Your knowledge and/or abilities can be useful to the institution in enriching their most recent student cohort.

Posted By

GSP Admin