When applying for a Scholarship writing a Motivation Letter is a must and it is challenging, it can be especially overwhelming when you consider that it is one of the most important elements (if not the most) that your Scholarship application should cover. Even people with experience in writing can face difficulties such as meeting a requirement of a certain number of words (minimum or maximum) or pages. Many times the challenge may include that the letter must be written in a language that is not your own, and for a reader with a different cultural background. I get it. It is stressful. Nevertheless, do not worry, here I share with you the 5 questions your motivation letter MUST answer.
1. Who are you? Introduce yourself (100-150 words)
For this section, it is important to consider providing information that is not available anywhere else in your entire application. Most universities require that you submit your CV. A CV already contains information about your education and professional development. In this section of your letter talk about who YOU are, for example you can describe the following:
- your character and values
- what inspires you
- your passions and what energizes you
- interesting facts about your cultural upbringing
Remember that this is the first section of your letter, you want to catch the reader’s attention by making it interesting. Make sure you open the letter with something they cannot find in the rest of your application.
2. What makes you an excellent student? (150-200 words)
The first thing I want to mention here is: DO NOT say things like “my grades”. This is a section to go in depth of what you said in section 1. One good way to develop this section would be to narrate some examples of how you use your free time. For instance:
- Do you practice sports?
- Do you volunteer in your local community?
- Do you like art?
- Do you have a particular hobby?
This is a section to elaborate on your interests besides your study. Talk about what represents you, what you identify with, and you feel related to. Descriptions like those will say a lot about your human value beyond the classroom. Remember that – you are way more than just your academic side.
3. Why do you choose this specific University and why are you applying for a scholarship? (200 words)
Ok, we reached the core. This section is crucial and requests that you answer two sub-questions. For the first one, consider that explaining why you chose this specific University requires some research. Some ideas are:
- You must review the University’s ranking. What is the global score of this University for your field of study?
- Has someone renowned that you admire or follow graduated from this particular campus you are applying to?
- You can also review the University’s website. Do they do any annual events or fairs that interest you?
It is important to keep in mind that a motivation letter confirms clearly that you have done extensive research on the University and Program of interest. The questions I mention above are some to which the answers show that you have really done some research on the University and that your interest in this particular Campus or Program is genuine. It will also make your Motivation Letter tailor made for this specific application process. Avoid supporting your University choice with shallow arguments like “because it is a good university” or “because the university is famous and I want a high-salary job after graduation”… Sentences as such will only substract value to your application and most likely you will get discarded.
In this section you also must say why you are applying for a scholarship. Keep in mind to avoid obvious responses, of course if you are applying for a scholarship, people can assume that you require financial aid, so do not mention that. The goal here is to justify why YOU should be chosen to get that financial aid. This is a good section to sensitize the reader. Maybe you want to say something like:
- I consider that I have a talent for _______ and developing my skills at “insert university name” would allow me to reach my full potential, I have done some research and the “insert scholarship name” is the only one available for “insert subgroup” (a sub group could be: people of your nationality/for this field of study/for programs taught in English) etc.
So in a nutshell: Confirm that you have done extensive research for your application. Keep in mind to justify your need with your passion. Avoid at all costs saying that you require financial support without clear justification.
4. How could you contribute to this University in the specific program that you have chosen? (200 words)
In other words, this section wants to ask you “If we help you (by giving you the scholarship), what would we (the university) get back?”. This is the time to “market” yourself and a good section to reconnect with what you mentioned in section 2 but with developed statements. See the same examples as above:
- Do you practice sports? Could you be the volleyball team captain of the University’s team? – how can your leadership be placed at the service of the University?
- Do you volunteer in your local community? Could this mean that you can propose sustainable practices and programs to staff and peers?
- Do you like art? How could the university staff and alumni of campus infrastructure benefit from your creativity?
This section is to describe how your best skills and passions can be committed to “pay back” to the University; this includes all possible benefits to students, teachers and/or all other staff.
5. What are your career plans after graduation? (250 words)
All right, this is the last section of the letter and it should be powerful, inspiring and memorable This section should ensure at least two things:
- Your long-term vision
What is your dream? Describe this without being too utopic or romantic, but still inspiring, tell the reader how this degree will have an impact in your life and those around you. Here are some ideas:
- Perhaps you dream of contributing research to a specific field of study.
- Maybe the knowledge will be useful to implement innovations in your come country.
- Possibly you want to mention that you have a family and this degree will open doors to better job opportunities and therefore an improved family life.
Be sincere, no matter what your plans are, make sure you describe them with passion and honesty. People that read these kind of letters have a lot of experience at assessing them, if the reader has made it to the last section of your letter you already have a big advantage. Stay transparent and try to make your inspiration and passion contagious while remaining realistic.
- Confirm that you checked all your post-graduation development opportunities
Please make sure you also review all scholarship conditions. To mention a specific case, in Mexico there are some scholarships which if you obtain them, you are obliged to go back to Mexico after graduating. In such case it would be a mistake to say something such as: “after graduation I want to stay abroad and find a job”.
Stay aware that the last section of your letter is like the cherry to the cake. You do not want to make mistakes here; on the contrary, you want to wrap up in a powerful and inspirational way that in a couple of sentences reminds the reader 1) why you deserve it and 2) what are you willing to give back for obtaining it.
One Last Thought…
Many people think that it is called a Motivation Letter because it aims to motivate the reader to choose your application, but in fact, it is called Motivation letter because it shows how motivated YOU are to ensure that you get chosen! – Keep that in mind, from my experience, that is the key to a successful Motivation Letter. 😉
I wish you all possible success!
Sofía
