A
motivational letter,
also known as a personal statement or a cover letter, is a short piece of
writing all about you; your past, your ambitions, your personality, and your
interests. While completing CVs and forms can be a little dry and boring, motivational
letters can be hard to write. The combination of needing to produce such an
intimate piece of writing, worded in such a way that it comes across as both
authentic and professional, and then using it to sell yourself to a university,
creates the perfect recipe for social awkwardness and writer’s block.
Despite the difficulty of writing a decent
motivational letter, it’s a fundamental skill in today’s jobs market – once you
leave full-time education, you’ll need to write motivational letters to potential
employers. With this in mind, writing a motivational letter for a masters
degree is excellent practice. Below, we’ve prepared a couple of fail-safe
techniques you can apply to writing a motivational letter so that it won’t
either sound sterile or arrogant, and will help you stand out from the crowd.
·
Cover the basics: The central function of a motivational letter
is to convince the admissions team at the university of your choice to offer
you a place, or invite you to interview. Make sure that the letter is
structured in such a way that it serves this purpose – it is usual to conclude
a motivational letter by asking directly that you be admitted or invited for
interview, depending upon what the next step of the admissions process is.
Equally important is the calibre of your written language; if your motivational
letter is riddled with grammatical errors or spelling mistakes, or doesn’t make
sense, the university will almost certainly refuse to admit you. A great
starting point is to look at some templates for motivational letters in your
chosen field, to see how they are structured, and what key points you need to
cover.
·
Focus on ideas and main points
·
Start
with writing down some of the main ideas, important points you would like to
approach in your letter and later build around them, then enrich their content.
An example would be:
·
Make your goal clear: provide a short preview of the rest of the
letter;
·
Why
do you think that the university and the Master's programme are interesting and
suitable for you?
·
Focus
on some of your strongest qualifications, past experiences (international
experiences are always relevant) and qualities; organise the middle paragraphs
in terms of the qualifications most relevant to the programme to the least, and
you can also refer to your CV for more details;
·
Conclude
by restating your interest and show appreciation for the chance to prove
yourself in the letter (in some cases, you can ask for a personal interview).
·
Get personal: A standard for all cover letters – including
those for job-seekers – is that you must address your letter to a specific
person. For your masters course, it could be the Head of Department, or the
academic staff member responsible for your masters study programme. If you will
be working closely with an academic supervisor – as with most research degrees
– your cover-letter should be addressed to the academic you’d prefer to
supervise you. Use the university’s website to figure out who the right person
is, and address the letter to them using their name and title.
·
Be Personal & original
·
Give
your readers some insight about you, as an individual. Remember this is a very
personal document in which you are expected to prove that you are different
from the rest of the applicants and that your qualities, skills and
qualifications make you suitable for participating in the programme.
·
Although
it might be sometimes helpful to have other examples, do not copy other letters
you have seen and try to be original, as it will help a lot! Also, avoid
bragging too much about yourself. You are not expected to present yourself as a
superhero, but to be objective and realistic.
·
First impression matters
·
Whether
it is the way your letter looks, the way it is organised and structured in
paragraphs, the font size, the length of the letter, or even the first
paragraph, the first impression always counts!
·
Be professional and consistent
·
Present
your letter in a professional format, style, and grammar. Have it checked for
spelling mistakes and be consistent (e.g. use the same font, the same
abbreviations throughout the letter, etc.).
Other
opinions and advice
It is always a good idea to ask your friends, a
teacher or someone who has already done such an application for advice.
Usually, you can get in touch with students who are already studying the
Master's programme you are applying for and they can give good advice.
ü
Show, don’t tell: This is true of CVs, and is true
of motivational letters too. “I am a good leader” sounds a lot weaker than “I
led a group of my fellow students on a week long climbing expedition, where we
successfully…”. Avoid any overly ambiguous statements, as these can diminish
the confidence the admissions team may have in your motivations. Also, make
sure not to show things twice – if you’ve discussed something extensively in
your CV, don’t dwell on it in your motivational letter.
ü
Do your research: Academic institutions often have a
lot to say about their values, priorities and vision. What’s your target
institution’s motto? Do they prioritise sports, arts, or something else? Do
they have a statement of values? How do you reflect these things? The most
important question to think about in relation to these things – why is it that
you want to go here? Weaving your knowledge of these things into your letter is
a great way to assure admissions tutors that your choice to study at their
institution is an informed one.
ü
Be specific: One of the biggest problems at
application is that candidates don’t adequately explain why it is they want to
study what they’ve applied for. Remember, you’ve got to explain your choice of
subject, and your choice of institution. Not just “Why Biology?” but “Why
Biology at this university?” If you don’t yet have answers to this question,
then it is well worth going through the University’s website again, to work out
what inspired you to take the next step, and apply for your chosen course.
ü
Write a story: People love stories. They like to
be taken on a journey, and brought to a satisfying conclusion. A list of
superlatives or accomplishments is nowhere near as compelling as an epic story
that weaves all that you’ve done into a coherent account, that supports the
choice you’ve made to apply. Like all stories, make sure your motivational
letter has a clear beginning, a middle, and an end. These should all follow
logically on from one another, so that the reader is left feeling convinced of
the suitability of your chosen course and institution, to your skills,
experience, and goals.
ü
Be interesting: This is without doubt the most
important feature of a motivational letter – you absolutely must capture the reader’s
interest. If you come across as boring (or worse, bored) on paper, it’s much
less likely that you’ll get a positive reply. But furthermore, the interest you
express has got to be personal, and it must relate directly to your motives.
It’s absolutely no use whatever to produce some bland, boring page or two about
hard work and how interested you are in your subject. This is exactly what
every other candidate will write, and for the most competitive courses, you
will want to stand out. But the best way to do this is not to try to be someone
else; be yourself. Mention the fact that you like juggling. Talk about how you
felt when your father was laid off work. Begin from your earliest memory. So
long as what you say relates to what makes you the person you are, and then why
that person has chosen to apply for this course, it deserves to be there.
However, as we mentioned before, always
remember to be original and avoid copying other letters!
https://www.mastersportal.com/articles/406/write-a-successful-motivation-letter-for-your-masters.html
Example 1: Motivation Letter for a Masters of
Science Degree (MSc)
Dear sir /Madam,
My name is [name] and most recently I have been
working as a [job title] at [company name]. I hold a B.Sc degree in [subject]
from [university name].
The undergraduate curriculum in [subject],
[university name], introduced me to a wide variety of subjects in the field of
[subject]. Various courses like [course 1], [course 2], [course 3] (name all
relevant courses) provided me with a strong footing in [subject of the masters
degree].
While offering both depth and breadth across
this field, these courses put into perspective the importance and relevance of
[subject] and the application of its fundamentals to the problems faced by the
real world.
I am much eager to adopt and know new
technologies. I am really enthusiastic to attend a Master of [subject] at
[university name] in order to understand different [subject] concepts and its
applications to more complex real life situations. The good reputation of
high-quality education standards, an extremely distinguished faculty members,
and research facilities are the factors which have motivated me to apply for my
masters studies at [university name].
Moreover, I feel I am responsible for making a
big move in this field and this scholarship will give me a big chance to be one
day someone who is remembered for his innovations. I think it is our duty as
people sharing life in this world to make our future better because the future
is not only ours. The next generation should be proud of us one day when they
look back and find how hard we worked to make the world a better place. I
believe my qualification and your needs would be an excellent fit. I will be
happy to provide any further information or documents if required. I look
forward to your positive response. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kind regards,
Name
Cover letter: the letter that comes with a file
or a report and says things like: please find herewith our detailed advice on
your taxes, or please find herewith the proposed plan to remodel your home, as
well as the detailed expected cost, etc.
SOP (“Statement of
Purpose”): detailed
instructions, often called with familiarity “idiot sheet.” For example, a
detailed list of what to do to use correctly a machine.
Motivation letter: most often a request of being
accepted by a college of university. It says you want to be accepted and
answers the questions in the mind of the jury such as: are you good enough, and
would you fit in.
Letter of intent: it is a pre-contract. You are
interested in making a deal and you summarize what the main conditions of deal
would be.
Motivation letter for
Master in Computer Science
Motivation Letter
Example: Student Applying to Master in International Information Systems
SOME PHRASES
I am particularly interested in
this job, as…
I would like to work for you, in order to…
My strengths are…
I would say that my only weakness / weaknesses
are… . But I am looking to improve in this / these area/s.
I would be well suited to the position
because…
My area of
expertise is…
Even under pressure I can maintain high
standards.
I have a lively interest in … and would
appreciate the opportunity / chance to broaden my knowledge by working with
you.
I am highly motivated and look forward to the
varied work which a position in your company would offer me.
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