Motivation Letter

Motivation Letter

What is it?

What is a Motivation Letter?

A motivation letter is a document detailing your professional skills and reasons for applying for a course of study, a scholarship, or volunteer job.

A motivation letter is sometimes called a "statement of purpose" or a "motivational letter".

This letter accompanies your application and supporting documents, such as a transcript of your grades or a resume.

How to write a Motivation Letter

Writing a good motivation letter takes time, so make sure you methodically work through the steps to make yours the best possible. Allowing plenty of time to write your motivation letter ensures you include all the necessary content and follow each important step, including the following

Write an outline

• Write a point-form outline noting the content of your motivation letter and its order. Write points covering the following topics

• Why you want to study the course or volunteer with the program

• Why you are interested in the school or non-profit organization

• Your skills or qualities that will benefit the school or non-profit

Include all relevant details

A motivation letter for a Ph.D. program will need more details about your experiences and specific future plans than a motivation letter for a bachelor's program, for example. Cross-reference your outline with information from the school or non-profit organization to show you have the qualities and qualifications they are looking for. Assess your format and structure and determine whether moving points around would create a more logical flow. 

Revise your outline until you are satisfied with it. You can reference your completed outline when writing your polished motivation letter to stay on track. 

Write an introduction

• Introduce yourself to the recipient.

• Address your recipient by name, if possible, to give your motivation letter a personal touch.

• Your introduction should capture your recipient's attention and encourage them to read on, so include details about your achievements in this section.

Expand your outline

• Expand the points in your outline to form your motivation letter's body.

• Take a new paragraph for every new topic.

• Remember, your motivation letter aims to convince your recipient of your value, so use compelling facts to be persuasive.

Conclude your motivation letter

• Write a conclusion to your motivation letter that summarizes your goal and leaves a positive final impression.

• You should also thank your recipient for considering your application and encourage them to contact you if they have any questions.

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Proofread your motivation letter

• Correct any spelling and grammatical errors and awkward phrasing.

• Edit information already listed in your application form or resume to ensure your motivation letter contains only unique information.

Very Important

You may need to proofread your motivation letter several times to identify all problem areas. If time permits, complete this step two days or more after writing your motivation letter as time away from your work allows you to view it more objectively. To help ensure your letter has professional grammar and spelling, ask a trusted friend or colleague to proofread your motivation letter after you.

Motivation letter examples

Here are some examples of motivation letters that could accompany university and volunteer job applications. You can use a motivation letter sample as a guide for your own letters by substituting your own details.

Examples

• College application self-motivation letter

• Scholarship application motivation letter

• Volunteer employment motivation letter

• Motivation letter

Motivation letter template.

Tips for writing a motivation letter

Following these tips can help make your motivation letters stand out and convince decision-makers to consider your application further.

Follow any guidelines.

Follow any formatting, length and content guidelines provided by your prospective school or non-profit organization. If the organization does not provide any details, write approximately 1/2 to one page of text with a basic 12-point font, such as Times New Roman or Arial.

Write with personality.

Your interests, feelings and perspectives are unique, so writing about them is a good way to separate your letter from others. Write in a natural voice that reflects how you would speak to your recipient if they were in a room with you. Include interesting details that help your motivation letter stand out from others.

Use accessible language.

Accessible language that readers can easily understand is best for motivation letters. Identify any unnecessarily complex terms or jargon when you are proofreading and replace them with simpler words. Write short, active sentences that cannot be misinterpreted.

Focus on your strengths.

Write about your personal strengths, rather than your challenges or limitations. Writing about your strengths helps the recipients of your motivation letters understand your value to their organization and keeps your letter's tone positive.

Write your own Motivation Letter

Imagine you are going to apply for a scholarship in a foreign university, you may help yourself, by following the structure from the Content Page, remember this is just a template, use your own ideas, please do no forget, this activity must be handwritten and in a white piece of paper, not in your notebook.