WRITING AN EXCELLENT COVER LETTER FOR YOUR UNIVERSITY APPLICATION

[Funmilola Awosanya]

It’s now a very common thing for every school in the European region that offer different international Master’s or Bachelor degree programmes to ask applicants to send a number of important application documents to aid their application like: CV, academic transcript of records, Bachelor’s degree diploma, language certificate, etc.

The motivation letter which can sometime be referred to as personal statement or cover letter or statement of purpose. A letter that gives more detailed information about yourself, personal and career goals, why you want to study in the school and the course, what you intend bringing to the course and what you intend doing after the completion of the course.

By requiring a motivation letter, the recruiting department gives you the chance to prove yourself in a short document shaped as a letter in which you are supposed to give some relevant and interesting insights about yourself, and prove that you are the right and most motivated person to be chosen for the programme. The letter is sometimes 500 words maximum or less

Writing such a letter can prove to be sometimes tricky and challenging for some applicants, who often find themselves wondering how the letter should look like, what it should contain, and how to convince coordinators that they are the right ones to be chosen for the programme.

This write up focuses on some key point you need to take into consideration when drafting or writing a good cover letter:

Before starting on your personal or motivation letter, it is best you research more about the university and the course you intend taking which can be found on the universities’ website which are pretty clear and informative about its requirements, expectations and about what qualifications and qualities they hope their candidates have.

Knowing a little bit about their requirements, about their main projects, activities, personal philosophy and interests will help you get an idea of what your letter should contain. Relating to the main activities and interests of the university will definitely help start a positive cooperation.

To get the perfect motivation letter, you will also need to have great English writing skills. If you need to improve your English speaking, why not try taking a good English language course abroad?

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.

Be personal & original, do not plagarise: 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.

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.).

Be intentional when writing the letter and on completion show to one or two of your friends or lecturer or professors or mentors to assist you in proof reading so as to ensure you are on track.

All the best.

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