Motivation letter for summer school. How to write a motivation letter. Personal achievements and experience

A motivation letter, or motivational essay for a university, most often called a Motivation Letter or Personal Statement by foreign universities, is a student’s essay, usually ranging from 500 to 1500 words, designed to convince the admissions committee that the essay author is ready to study in the chosen program.

Typically, in a motivation letter, a student defines his career goals, talks about his strengths, and describes how the program he is enrolling in will help him achieve his career and life goals.

Samples of motivation letters to university

You can buy examples of motivation letters in English and Russian for students admitted to universities in the UK, USA and Holland here. More than 20 images of motivation letters on various subjects.

Samples of motivation letters in English and Russian from students admitted to universities in the UK, Canada and the USA in 2014-2015. Examples of motivation letters are presented in PDF format.

How to write a motivation letter for university?

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Copying the text of a motivation letter written by another student may be detected by the university admissions committee, which will lead to a refusal to consider your application by the admissions committee.

Instructions

Don't start writing your motivation letter right away. This is the document that will speak about you as a person, so think about its contents carefully before you sit down at your desk and pick up paper and pen. Spend one or two days on this.

Having mentally imagined and even felt the style and content of your future letter, start writing it. Start with a story about yourself: write who you are, what is important and valuable in your life, what are your main qualities. Tell us about your successes in studies and other activities. Try to be brief, but at the same time express the idea completely. For example, write not only “I consider myself persistent and purposeful,” but illustrate this idea with a clear example, tell the selection committee about a specific case in your practice.

Tell us why you chose this particular one, how you came to this, what exactly you like about it. Here you can that since childhood you have felt a craving, for example, for or. Do not be shy to show a personal attitude to the subject, because it is important for the receiving party to understand that you are not a random person and, in a sense, are passionate about coming into contact with this branch of knowledge.

Write why you want to go to this particular university, what are its features and advantages over other universities, and what specifically makes this place stand out for you. This could also be the teaching staff, in which case name a few names with whom you would like to work. Indicate possible prospects for your studies; perhaps it will be work in unique research centers that do not exist at other educational institutions.

Define your professional and personal goals, tell us how they intersect with this education. Simply put, write down what you want to achieve in your chosen industry, where you see yourself in the future and what you want to do both during and after your studies. The teaching staff should see in you a promising young man who will not just serve five or six years at his desk and disappear, but will become a highly qualified specialist and, perhaps, make important discoveries.

Re-read your letter. Think about whether it is too long or, conversely, dry and crumpled. Don’t forget that teachers read up to 100 such letters a day, so yours should stand out, not be overwhelming, but catchy. Make sure your presentation style is light.

Evaluate the letter for integrity and logic, try to understand whether it speaks specifically about you, whether your personality is reflected in this story. Re-read and edit your letter over a period of time, such as two weeks or a month, until you realize that “this is it.” Feel complete agreement and unity with this text and only then send it along with other documents to the university.

In the fight for a good internship, the brave one wins - the one who specifically contacts the company and says: “Here I am, a promising specialist who can do this, and this, and this. I want to work for you, I can do this and that. For me this is a valuable experience, for you - a fresh look at things, ideas, knowledge and a responsible, inquisitive employee for an agreed period of time.”

To contact an employer you need a motivation letter.

Example of a motivation letter for an intern

Specialty: translator. The desired internship is in a translation agency. The letter is addressed to the director.

“Good afternoon, dear Elena Vasilievna!

My name is Stas Narizhny, I am a student at Tver State University, majoring in Philology, 5th year (full-time).

I would like to offer myself as an intern. Languages: English, German.

Translation is my calling. I enthusiastically studied for 4.5 years and am going for a “honorable” diploma. I have always dreamed of becoming a good translator in order to help representatives of different countries and cultures communicate effectively, exchange experiences, and find compromises in solving important issues.

One of my strengths is simultaneous translation. Five months ago, as an intern, I worked as a translator at the international conference “Financial Aspects of Entrepreneurship”. I consider this experience successful: I translated the speeches of two speakers and took part in the round table (12 participants). I am attaching the conference organizer's review of my work (attachment).

I am aiming for an internship at the translation agency “From A to Z” for 2 reasons:

In the professional community of translators, your agency is considered the best - in terms of staffing and quality of work.

It will be a great advantage and honor for me to work side by side with experts - to learn from practical experience, to see difficulties and solutions.

In exchange for experience I offer:

Your knowledge of two languages,

Knowledge of translation theory,

The experience gained at the university, during practice, and outside universities is minimal, but allows you to successfully perform typical tasks: promptly, competently, responsibly,

Personal qualities that I use in my work: the ability to easily find a common language with colleagues, build team relationships with mutual responsibility and mutual assistance, respect for the client as an individual, the ability to constructively communicate with management in terms of “you need a result - this is the result.”

I am ready to work remotely for a month (from 02/01/18 to 04/01/18), devoting at least 4 hours a day to work. If necessary, I will be happy to come to the office once a week, at a time convenient for the internship supervisor. I promise the level of responsibility is the same as if I were a full-time employee.

I will be glad to receive a reward for the work done if you consider it necessary to entrust me with real tasks. On the other hand, I am ready to work in exchange for experience and your recommendations based on the results of my work.

I will be glad if you find the opportunity to answer me by email [email protected] or by phone [telephone].

Considering the importance of this issue, I will take the liberty and call your secretary on Monday, March 3. 18, after 14.00, to learn about the results of consideration of my proposal.

Thank you in advance for your time.

Sincerely, Stanislav Narizhny.”

Structure of a motivation letter

Who am I. What is my name, where do I study: university, specialty, form of study, course.
“I want to get an internship.”
Why do I want to get a job here?
What can I give to the company/project (what can I do, what problems can I solve, what benefits can I bring).
When I plan an internship, how long it could be. How I imagine this organizationally (relevant for a full-time student who cannot sit in the office for a day in a row, because at some point he needs to study).
Recommendations, if any.
Expressing gratitude for your attention.
Please respond by email or call (contact number is attached).
Remark: “I’ll call you on Monday afternoon, if you don’t mind. If you are busy on Monday afternoon, please let me know when I can learn about the outcome of my review.”
A polite farewell.
Signature (last name, first name).

The internship search process step by step

1) Compile a list of companies

First, we think about where it would be nice to work as an intern. Someone needs a prestigious company so that a line mentioning it on a resume will shine like a star in the night and attract the attention of employers. For some, a narrow specialization is more useful (for example, accounting in a business selling spare parts and tires).

We determine what skills are needed and compile a list of companies. It is better to immediately format the data in the form of a table: company name, website, general e-mail (which is listed on the website in the “Contacts” section, e-mail of the HR department, e-mail of the head of the department of interest). And several more columns to mark where and when letters were sent - to track the results.

By the way, you can search for coordinates not only of the company as a whole or of a separate division. What if you got creative and searched for the department head you're interested in on LinkedIn? The manager will be impressed when he receives, “in person,” a message from a competent young specialist who knows how to search for information and is able to communicate constructively to achieve his goals.

2) Writing a motivation letter template

This will be an example text. It will contain a general part - which can be copied from the template into letters, changing minimally or not changing at all. And there will be a variable part - which you need to write taking into account the specifics of the company and your goals.

3) Create a high-quality resume

High-quality means that it fully corresponds to the status of a professional. No experience? This does not mean that the text should be uninformative, careless, or template. You will have to do the work manually and carefully write in the resume:

skills,
any practical experience: professional, volunteer, public,
achievements - everything that exists, achieved in the professional and public fields (olympiads, grants, certificates, diplomas, etc.),
personal qualities that may be of interest to the employer.

4) We send employers a resume and motivation letter

The text of the letter can be written in the “body” of the e-mail, and a resume can be attached.

5) Mark the sent letters in the table

This is useful so as not to contact the same company twice (three times), in the same section. Persistence is a useful quality as long as it does not turn into obsession.

6) We ask whether the letter was received

If there is a contact phone number, we use it: don’t be shy, call and politely clarify whether the addressee has received the letter. This only needs to be done once.

A separate question: is it worth looking for an unpaid internship or counting on payment? Of course, if there is an opportunity to receive a reward for the work done, you should not refuse it. On the other hand, it is easier to get an unpaid internship. Think about the fact that the time and effort you put in is an investment in your future professional development and career. If you are offered an internship at a large, prestigious company without pay, it makes sense to agree, because just mentioning this company in your resume can significantly increase the number of offers from employers when you really enter the labor market.

To study at a foreign university, there are some requirements for the package of documents. It must include a resume, recommendation and motivation letter for the applicant. If the first two documents are familiar to a Russian person, then what is the third accompanying notice? It turns out that the selection committee attaches great importance to his role. And how well it is written determines whether its author will be chosen as a candidate worthy of studying at a particular university.

What does it contain?

The incentive to action is nothing more than motivation. An increase in wages is an incentive for an employee to perform his or her job duties better. When entering a foreign university, an applicant submits documents for consideration without being present there. Therefore, a motivation letter, an example of which will be given below, should have a motivating effect on the commission in order to admit its author to the educational institution.

In this letter, the writer describes his education, professional skills, and his position in public activities. A correctly composed letter can cover failures in academic life and create a positive portrait of a student applicant.

Where to begin?

This question arises for everyone who needs to write something about themselves. It would seem, what could be simpler? Who, if not the author, knows their strengths and weaknesses. But practice shows the opposite: nine out of 10 people, when planning to write a self-presentation, are faced with the problem: what to present and where to start?

Experts who help students write a motivation letter for graduate school offer several tricks that help start the process:

Ask questions: “Why do I need to study abroad for a master’s degree?”; “Why do I want to become a student at a particular university?”; “Why do I need the chosen specialty?” and “What will completing a master’s degree give me?”
The listed questions should be spoken out loud and answered orally, while trying to record the entire speech on a voice recorder. For the best result, it is advisable to imagine that communication is taking place with your best friend, who is told all the delights of studying abroad.
After listening to the recording, it will become clear what theses will form the basis of the essay.

Correct text structure

A motivation letter, like all statements, should consist of three blocks: an introductory, main and final description. The first part of the essay provides specific information about the author's academic life. Here you indicate the place of study, practice, the name of the master's program, the purpose of studying in this specialty and why the specified profile is attractive to you.

The main block is motivational. Description of a university program that can provide the necessary skills in a specific field of activity, thanks to which the applicant will be able to achieve the goals described in the introductory part. The conclusion is the planned place of work and the country in which the author of the presentation wants to apply the acquired skills.

So, a motivation letter, a sample structure: what to study, why the specialty is relevant for the author and what results to expect.

Language of presentation

If the program for which you are applying for training is English-language, then filling out the documents must be in English. When writing a self-presentation to German universities, the national language of the specified country is used.

Experts recommend writing the text immediately in English, otherwise it will be difficult to avoid translation later. If the vocabulary is not enough to draw up documents in a foreign language, then you will have to be careful about translation. It is necessary not just to translate words with a dictionary, but to convey the meaning of the message.

A motivation letter in Russian is appropriate for Russian organizations. It can serve as an accompanying document to your resume. And an employer who did not impose requirements for its presence will most likely single out the employee from the total number of applicants.

Universal motivation letter. Exists or not?

Each institution and the programs it puts forward are unique. When applying to several master's programs at once, you should know that you should not use the same cover letter. The personal information of the author can remain constant in it: place of work and practice. The specifics of the university program dictate the rules for preparing the presentation.

Therefore, a motivation letter, a sample of which is not a problem to find, is not a skeleton for writing your own essay. It can help the author visualize the structure of the text to compose his own, unique document.

Editing

A motivation letter for admission to a foreign university must be completed correctly. Every error in the text is perceived by the commission as a dishonest attitude of the applicant. Therefore, it is advisable to spend several days checking the text, proofreading it and correcting errors. Basic editing steps:

Document integrity. There should be a logical connection between the blocks of presentation.
Minimizing emotional adjectives.
Text length. It is advisable to fit the letter on two A4 pages.
Following one style throughout the entire presentation. It is desirable that it be of an official nature.
Contact a professional (an English teacher will do).

After such editing, a motivation letter for a master's degree can form a positive portrait of the author.

Errors

The cover letter should not contain the information provided in the applicant's application form. A catchy beginning is the likelihood that the commission members will get to the main part of the text, and not immediately write a refusal to accept.

Externally, the document should look beautiful: no marks, clear structure, presence of signatures, high-quality printing, error-free filling of the address of the recipient and sender.

The motivation letter should describe the personal and unique qualities of the person. It cannot be universal for everyone. After reading the presentation, you need to make sure whether the text fully reveals the identity of the author. There should be no humor or sayings in it.

Motivation letter: example of an introductory part

As an example, here is an excerpt from an essay by a student who wants to go to university:

“The saying of the Greek mathematician Archimedes says: “Give me a support and a lever, and I will move the Earth.” The basic principle of a lever is that as its length increases, the force required to perform a task decreases. This fundamental law is also applicable in life, in which experience and opportunity act as levers. The totality of these life components is the individual’s motivation to achieve the goal.

However, lever alone is not enough; correctly placed and stable supports are also needed. Their role in life is given to the desire to learn. The absence of a dream to achieve anything in life leads to the fading of the desire to gain experience and opportunities. The thirst for knowledge, the desire for success, and the acquisition of experience must always be in balance. And I am one of those who have been looking for these opportunities all my life to build a successful lever that can help me achieve my goal in the field of life sciences.”

It is the motivation letter (Statement of purpose) that will become one of the most important documents when you enter a foreign university - that is why it is so important to devote maximum diligence, attention and effort to writing it. The correct structure, the absence of mistakes, the right message and presenting oneself as a successful and promising student - all this can be more than difficult for an unprepared student. We've put together a detailed guide just for you, based on tips and tricks from Vince Gotter (Professor, University of Northern Iowa).

Watch the video: how to write a cool motivation letter quickly

What does the commission expect from an applicant?

The selection committee wants to see a lively, dynamic, interesting and at the same time brief history of a promising young person. What is their future student like? What does he want to achieve, what are his goals? What can he give to the university and what can the university teach him?

Usually the admissions committee is favorable to the student:

Passionate and interested (remember about the “hooks”)
Educated (style and correctness, literacy, consistency, consistency of narration)
Academically prepared (for example, you can appropriately use highly specialized terms, mention specialized achievements and successes, internship or work experience)
Able to cope with difficult tasks and difficulties (remember that if there were moments of overcoming in your story, they can become your main trump cards)
Sociable, making contact with other students and teachers
With strong potential - the commission ideally always looks for students who can bring glory to their university.

Of course, it’s very difficult to fit all this into 300 words - so focus on those points that you can reveal best (and, of course, this order of qualities is not at all necessary). Try to be yourself, but express yourself a little more vividly and concisely than in ordinary life: written speech is devoid of non-verbal signs, so your personal charm, alas, will be powerless here.

Basic motivation letter formats

You can highlight an unstructured letter and an interview essay, which are answers to specific questions from the admissions committee. The first - an unstructured essay - allows you to present your best qualities, achievements and prospects, interests and goals in a free form, while in the second case (it is very common for selecting MBA candidates) you are limited to short questions that are precisely to the point. Therefore, we consider it necessary to dwell in more detail on the format and structure of the first version of the essay - we can roughly distinguish three writing options:

1) Yesterday-today-tomorrow

“yesterday”: I have the experience, talents and skills to study at your university in the chosen specialty
“today”: now I want to gain the following knowledge for my personal and professional development
“tomorrow”: in the future, your university’s program will help you achieve the following goals and career and personal heights.

“I”: I have the following qualities, talents, abilities, interests, opportunities
“you”: offer a program that fully meets my requirements, desires, abilities, goals and ambitions
“we”: my potential in the program of your department and university will be revealed in the following way and will bring the following results.

3) What-why-for what purpose

What do I want to study and learn?
Why do I want to study this particular thing, what goals do I pursue? Why did I choose this particular specialty, why is it so important to me?
What goals can I achieve by studying in this program, what do I expect to get from it?

How to properly format a letter and maintain the format?

Be sure to consider the requirements of the university and program you choose - especially if you are applying for a place in a master's program or MBA! The university may require different letters for each direction, ask to send only handwritten versions (even regulating the color of the ink!), etc. - be sure to study the official website of the university and thoroughly check all the requirements
Try to place the most interesting and advantageous facts that present you in the best light at the beginning, the first part of your letter - this will help to immediately interest the admissions committee and guarantee that your application will be read to the end
Try to start your letter with an original quote, your own expression or a fact from your life - this perfectly “catches” the examiner and arouses keen interest
Keep your writing logical and consistent - you should gradually develop as a person in your text
Use division into paragraphs, small paragraphs: each should have a beginning, climax and denouement and present a small logical story. Avoid florid expressions, archaisms and clericalisms, complex participial/adverbial phrases - your written language should be simple, accessible and understandable. Of course, this does not apply to the use of highly specialized terms: their appropriate and correct use will emphasize your level of knowledge, awareness, and interest in the profession
Is it necessary to talk about the absence of grammatical, punctuation, syntactic and logical errors? Check your text carefully - several times with sufficient time breaks, let your friend or teacher read it
At the end of the letter, in its conclusion, do not forget to make a brief summary and summarize the information provided, express your hope for a positive decision and further productive cooperation. Your letter should leave a pleasant “aftertaste” and leave a good, positive impression of you as a potential student.

You can read the basic requirements for the text design of the letter below - but remember that this is only an approximate standard, and specific requirements may differ depending on the chosen university!

Volume = 2500-6000 characters without spaces
Font = Times New Roman
Font size = 14
Font color = pure black
Line spacing = 1.5
Indentation dimensions = 2cm (both right and left).

Important details in writing a motivation letter

Don’t give up - almost 100% of applicants who complete the Statement of purpose for the first time do it incorrectly. Let's look at common mistakes and, on the contrary, clear and good examples of correct submission of an applicant.

1. Here is a vivid example from a real letter:

“I would like to enroll in the MFA program because I am confident that my writing will flourish in your program as I will be regularly challenged by faculty and hone my skills.”

On the one hand, all the requirements are met and everything is written correctly - but the phrase is absolutely uninteresting and only takes up extra space in the document. Fine Arts admissions officers read something like this all the time, and for them you will merge into a single, inarticulate stream of letters. Considering that the average length of an MP is 300 words, students usually spend more than 15% on unnecessary, weak and faded words that will not tell the admissions committee anything. Be precise and personal!

2. Don’t forget to insert the so-called “hook” into the MP - that is, the fact that was key to choosing your profession and specialty. Here's a great example of a proper hook:

“When I was 11 years old, my grandmother Gretchen passed away and left me something that changed my life—a 5,000-volume library. Some of my best days were spent reading and organizing her books. Ever since then, I wanted to become a librarian.”(applicant for a master's degree in the library arts program).

Everything is extremely clear and understandable: where did the passion for books come from, when did it become the main part of life, why did the desire to take care of books appear, etc. The members of the commission, as educated intellectuals, will probably think that they, too, would have been delighted with such a generous gift at the age of 11 - which means they will remember this letter and its author very well. But the “hook” could have sounded differently, and would have interested absolutely no one:

"I am honored to apply to the Master of Library Arts program because I have loved reading books my entire adult life. I knew from the age of 11 that I wanted to become a librarian."

3. Remember and tell us what exactly prompted you to choose a direction, specialty, profession and career. What can you do for yourself and for those around you, having mastered your chosen profession?

It will be a big plus if you have a hobby (extracurricular activity) directly or indirectly related to your specialty. For example, you enroll in the engineering department - and in your free time you are interested in aircraft modeling, drive in a karting club, servicing your kart yourself, and in general, since childhood, you have helped your father in the garage. The university needs such notes in order to make sure that your intentions are serious, that you have chosen the right educational direction and career, and to clarify the strength of your motivation.

Well, if you managed to complete an internship or work practice, or have practical experience in your specialty, you definitely shouldn’t be silent about it! Briefly describe the details of your employment and responsibilities, results achieved, skills acquired and your impression of your boss.

4. Originality will definitely be your advantage - but here you also need to have a fine sense of boundaries. Yes, if your letter is impeccably composed and error-free, but consists of template, faceless phrases, you, alas, will not be remembered by the admissions committee and will not be a priority for enrollment.

However, often betting on originality is either all or nothing. There is an interesting example of a Stanford University applicant whose essay was written in 22 words:

"I want to study English at master's level. For this I need a bachelor's degree. For this reason, I am applying for admission."

Of course, this student was remembered by everyone! First of all, as a risky, businesslike and rather sharp young man. However, keep in mind that any member of the admissions committee may find such insolence offensive, and you will achieve the exact opposite result. Be careful and properly weigh your chances and the right to take risks.

But “safe” statements can also be original. Compare:

“I worked on the assembly line of a television factory and one day I decided to go to college so as not to live my life in vain and completely disappear” => “One Tuesday I soldered the 112th green wire on the 112th TV remote control and realized that this monotonous work did not give me the opportunity to develop and realize my potential. I decided that college would be my salvation."

Both here and there - only 25 words. But which phrase will catch the attention of the admissions committee? Comments, we think, are unnecessary.

5. If there have been difficult, controversial and ambiguous moments in your academic history, it is better to explain them: sooner or later they will come out anyway. For example, if in one of the trimesters you received only C grades, try to honestly, impartially, and confidentially (but without lying or excessive tearfulness) explain the reason for such low performance. You may have had family or health problems, emotional decline, or life or financial difficulties. If you are honest and objective - first of all, to yourself - you will be able to create the image of a strong-willed, strong and independent person who knows how to overcome difficulties and emerge victorious from any difficult situations.

6. Be sure to confirm all your various achievements: talents and abilities, sports cups, victories in Olympiads and competitions at any level, receipt of scholarships or grants, participation in educational exchanges, etc. Moreover, it is not necessary that these achievements be of the Olympic level - any victory characterizes you as a purposeful and moderately ambitious person, ready to win. If there are a lot of similar examples, describe those that evoke special warmth in your heart: this will make the letter more humane and make it stand out among hundreds of template options.

7. If you have carefully read your future university, faculty and specialty, you are probably aware of several professors who will teach you. Write who and what you would like to learn from, what attracts you to the features of the program from a particular teacher - this will additionally show your interest and awareness. Moreover, you don’t even need to name specific names - believe me, the representatives of the commission are familiar with the entire teaching staff! Also try not to “cheat” by indicating the most famous professor with world fame - other students will probably also mention him, which will neutralize your work and will not mark your MP at all.

List of useful phrases and expressions

Of course, we do not insist that you strictly use all these phrases in your motivation letter! But perhaps you will need correct, polite wording and introductory phrases to format your text - use it with pleasure:

I am applying to the program… at the University of... because I am very interested in...(I am applying to a program...at a university...because...)
I’m a very active person in my free time…(I am a very active person and therefore in my free time...)
I would say that my only weakness / weaknesses are...But I am looking to improve in this / these area/s(I can say that my only weakness is... But I'm working on it)
I believe my knowledge and skills will serve to…(I believe that my knowledge and skills will help in...)
I would be well suited to the position because…(I consider myself a suitable candidate for this position because...)
My strengths are…(My strengths...)
Following the Master’s Degree I aspire to work in…(After receiving my master's degree, I plan to work in...)
Even under pressure I can maintain high standards (Even under pressure I can meet high standards)
I am evidently keen to study at the University of... because of it excellent reputation in research / top ranking / employment rates(I want to study at the university... because it has an excellent academic reputation in international rankings...).

The most common mistakes in writing a motivation letter: TOP-10

Duplicating information from an academic resume

MP is your chance to tell something new, to give the commission as much information as possible about you as a talented and promising student. Don't miss it, don't copy your resume!

Dull and sluggish start

Don’t introduce yourself for a whole paragraph - start right off the bat: for example, from the second sentence, describe the “hook” incident that influenced your decision to study at this particular university.

One essay for all universities

A fundamentally wrong approach that can ruin your entire income. Each university has its own merits, features and advantages, and not highlighting these unique facts in a motivation letter means depriving the university of its pride and identity, which will certainly offend the admissions committee.

Impersonality

The impersonality of the letter, boilerplate phrases, banality and universality of judgments will not help you - the commission will decide that you are no different from others, which means it is better to look for a brighter and more original candidate for the position.

Ridiculous and inappropriate jokes

But originality and a sense of humor are also good in moderation. If you are not sure of the harmlessness and accuracy of your joke, do not insert it into the letter (your friends, familiar professors and teachers are perfect for screening). Be sure to take into account the mentality of the receiving party, national characteristics of character, temperament and tact.

Inability to stop, excessive amount of text

It is logical that you strive to tell as much as possible about yourself - but try to devote each paragraph to a separate, single topic that will reveal new information about you in detail. Don’t be partial, don’t try to fit into a letter that is inconceivable.

Lack of checking and proofreading

If you submitted a letter without checking, and it is replete with errors, inaccuracies, typos, syntactic and punctuation mistakes, the admissions committee will most likely put it aside, no matter how talented the original you are.

Writing an essay a few days before the deadline

Have we not yet convinced you that the letter should be written in advance, leaving enough time for checking and editing it?

Taking credit for other people's successes

You should not take credit for other people’s achievements and deeds that are not actually yours. As already mentioned, be yourself: after all, you are the one applying for a place at the university! If the deception is revealed during a personal interview, you will be at least embarrassed, and the selection committee will have a very unpleasant impression.

Check your letter carefully, and more than once

Remember that after sending the letter you are no longer powerless to edit and correct it! Therefore, it is worth paying maximum attention to the verification. In general, the checklist for checking a letter includes the following points - check that they are present in your MP:

Primary organization and structure of narrative and document
“Hook” (why are you so interested in your chosen specialty, what was the impetus for getting a profession)
Logical connection between motivation, hobbies, achievements and chosen direction
Achievements and successes in the chosen field, completed courses (special, additional, elective), thematic profile extracurricular activities
Publications and professional achievements - reports, reports, presentations, speeches
If there were academic difficulties in the past - a description of their causes, solutions, conclusions drawn
Reasons for choosing this particular university, faculty/school/institute, specialty
Features of the course that are most valuable and useful for you
Mention of specific professors: their achievements, key works, interesting points of the programs (in which you are interested).

Carefully review its content, check whether you have maintained the style and logic, consistency of presentation, correct all types of errors - grammar, style, syntax, punctuation. Ask a fellow student or group mate to check your letter, and also arrange several independent checks at intervals of several days (so that your eyes don’t get blurry).

It’s great if you can show the letter to a teacher or professor you know: they have much more experience and knowledge, so their advice on design and content can be especially valuable. In addition, professionals may be well acquainted with the features of MP for a particular university, department or case, which will also be very useful for you.