Requirements for a motivational letter

What is a motivation letter and why is it needed?

A letter of motivation is information about his personal interest in enrolling in a certain educational program and the corresponding expectations, achievements in studies and other types of activities, provided by the entrant arbitrarily in written form.

It is needed to:

• show you as a person: your ability to communicate and present yourself;
• prove your motivation and interest in the profession and the chosen institution;
• build professional and educational goals.

What are the requirements for the letter?

Each educational institution prescribes the requirements for the letter in the admission rules.

The admissions commissions will consider and evaluate motivational letters "without assigning them competitive points".

You can find the requirements for the structure, design, and volume of the letter on the websites of educational institutions.

The format of the field for writing a motivational letter is up to 20 thousand characters.

Among the general requirements for writing letters, the following can be distinguished:

• laconic content: only important details, facts, figures;
• to simplify reading, it is desirable to divide the text into paragraphs, each of which should contain a certain concept;
• inadmissibility of emotions: one must strive for restraint, prudence, seriousness and practicality;
• simplicity of presentation;
• absence of spelling and stylistic errors: errors are unacceptable in the motivation letter.

Letter structure: examples and tips

A cover letter has the following structure:

• "cap";
• main part;
• conclusion;
• gratitude;
• signature.

"Hat" - required items:

• information about the addressee (the name of the educational institution and the social security number of the person to whom the letter is addressed (Director of the Ministry of Education and Culture V.G. Balakin) and the addressee (i.e. your social security number, electronic and physical addresses, phone number). All this must be indicated in the upper right corner;
• a respectful address (for example, "Dear..."). It is usually bolded and/or italicized and centered;
• in the introduction itself, you state the purpose and reason for writing the letter (for example, "I am writing to you in connection with..."). Here it is worth explaining why you chose this particular educational institution, and how studying in it will contribute to your professional development and growth.

The main part: what to write?

The main part should start with the answer to the question "Who am I?". Here, highlight academic achievements in certain subjects related to the chosen educational program, the level of foreign language proficiency, participation in extracurricular work and assessment of your own social skills.

Life hack: in addition to your general qualities, you can view the TOP-10 skills of the future and indicate which of them you have or are currently developing.

Next, you should answer "Why did I choose this particular educational institution and profession?". Here, highlight the strengths of the educational institution that appeal to you, the aspects of the profession that you like, and a brief history of the path to the choice.

Then we talk about "How can I be useful/useful to an educational institution or a profession?". Here, tell us about your ideas and plans for the time of study at an educational institution: participation in self-government, acquisition of skills, exchange programs and educational projects. Also, add about your ideas and plans after graduation and the global goal of realizing yourself in the profession.

At the end of the main part, you should tell why they should choose you. Which of your values ​​resonate with the values ​​of the educational institution, how exactly this educational base will contribute to the realization of your educational goals and how you and the educational institution can strengthen each other.

The letter should be concluded with a short summary of two or three sentences, which should confirm the applicant's readiness to study and indicate his confidence in the correct choice of the educational program.

Life hacks that will make your letter better

• Don't repeat yourself.
• Make a plan first, only then write the letter itself.
• Follow the structure and requirements.
• Reread your letter and ask yourself: "Would I approve such a candidate in the place of the commission?"

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND LUCKY YOU!