Your Personal Statement: How to Stand Out From the Crowd
Why Universities Ask for a Motivation Letter
A motivation letter helps the admissions committee see the person behind the grades and exam results. In it, it's important to show why you're interested in your chosen field. What influenced your choice. And what you want to achieve during your studies.
The committee may have many similar applications. So a template text is unlikely to help you stand out. What matters far more is a few specific and honest thoughts. Ones that are genuinely connected to your experience.
Start with a Specific Story
The phrase "I've always been interested in science" sounds too general. It's far more interesting to tell about an event that genuinely influenced your choice.
For example, you could recall a book, a project, a competition, a school research paper, or a personal experience. After which an interest in a particular field emerged. A detail like this immediately makes the letter more individual. And helps convey your motivation.
Show Why This Specific Program Suits You
Don't limit yourself to a phrase about the university having a good reputation. Show that you've genuinely studied the program. And understand why you want to study there specifically.
You can mention a specific course, research area, laboratory, project, or features of the program that caught your interest. It's important to explain not only what you liked. But also why it matters specifically for your goals.
Write Honestly
A good motivation letter doesn't require a perfect story without mistakes or failures. Sometimes it's precisely a difficult experience that helps better show your character and attitude toward learning.
If you faced a failure in a project, competition, or your studies — you can talk about what happened. And what conclusions you drew. An example like this usually says more about you. Than a set of general phrases about striving for success.
What's Best to Avoid
There are several common mistakes that make motivation letters look alike:
- template phrases like "I am highly motivated" and "this is my dream";
- retelling your entire resume or list of achievements;
- overly general reflections about the profession and the university;
- exaggerations and stories that don't correspond to reality;
- grammar and style errors;
- machine translation without subsequent proofreading.
The main rule — the letter should tell your story. Not try to fit a universal template.
How to Prepare a Strong Letter
First, it's best to write a draft in your own words. And not try to make it perfect right away. Then it's worth checking the structure. Is it clear why you chose the field. What led you to it. And why the specific program matches your plans.
After that, the text can be edited to meet the university's requirements. Different institutions may have different length, structure, questions for the applicant, and other requirements for the motivation letter.
Edunation's Assistance
If you're not sure where to start or how to properly tell your story — Edunation's specialists will help you prepare and review your motivation letter.
We pay attention to the content, structure, and style of the text. And also adapt it to the requirements of a specific university or program. At the same time, it's important to preserve your real achievements, experience, and personal motivation. The letter should sound like the applicant's own writing.