HOW TO WRITE A MOTIVATION LETTER tips & tricks to ace your application
Summary
TLDRIn this informative video, Melena offers guidance on crafting a motivation letter, emphasizing the importance of understanding what drives you and expressing it uniquely. She clarifies the letter's role as a complement to your CV, highlighting personality traits and experiences that led to your application. Melena provides a step-by-step approach, from outlining specific questions to creating bullet points that convey your critical thinking and priorities. She advises on maintaining coherence, using clear language, and ensuring conciseness within word limits, all while showcasing your writing ability.
Takeaways
- 😀 The video is a guide for writing a motivation letter, especially for those who feel they lack motivation.
- 🔍 Motivation can be unique to each individual, so it's important to express personal reasons in a motivation letter.
- 🎯 The speaker emphasizes that considering applying to something already shows motivation, so don't underestimate oneself.
- 📝 The speaker provides personal tips based on their own experiences, not from an admissions perspective.
- 📚 A motivation letter is a complement to a CV, showing personality and connecting the facts of the CV to the application.
- 📑 The letter should answer specific questions provided by the institution, making it tailored to their requirements.
- 📝 The first step in writing a motivation letter is to outline the questions that need to be answered.
- 📋 Use bullet points to organize thoughts and make sure the letter is concise and avoids rambling.
- 📖 The structure of a motivation letter includes a salutation, introduction, body, conclusion, and complimentary close.
- 🔗 Use connectors to ensure the letter flows logically and coherently.
- ✍️ Writing clearly and concisely in the letter demonstrates academic writing ability and critical thinking.
- 📐 Keep an eye on word count and language to ensure the letter is concise and free of errors.
Q & A
What is the purpose of a motivation letter according to the video?
-A motivation letter is a complement to your CV, showing your personality and explaining how your experiences have led you to apply to a particular program or institution.
Why is it important to understand the definition of a motivation letter before writing one?
-Understanding the definition helps to avoid the common mistake of skipping to the writing process without clear guidelines, which can result in a letter that doesn't effectively support the CV.
What does the speaker suggest about motivation being unique to individuals?
-The speaker suggests that motivation is personal and can vary greatly from one individual to another, emphasizing the importance of expressing one's unique motivation in a motivation letter.
What role does the speaker claim to have in the admissions process?
-The speaker clarifies that they do not work in admissions and that their advice is based on personal experiences and opinions.
Why should high school students reach out to their student counselor when writing a motivation letter?
-High school students are advised to reach out to their student counselor for additional guidance and support in the motivation letter writing process.
What is the first step in writing a motivation letter as suggested by the video?
-The first step is to outline the questions that the institution or program wants applicants to answer, as these will guide the content of the motivation letter.
How does the speaker compare a motivation letter to an academic Tinder?
-The speaker compares a motivation letter to an academic Tinder by suggesting that, like on Tinder, the institution is looking for specific answers to their questions, and applicants should answer each question individually and clearly.
What is the purpose of creating bullet points when writing a motivation letter?
-Bullet points help to organize thoughts, avoid rambling, and ensure that the most important points are clear and memorable to the reader.
What is the structure of a typical motivation letter as described in the video?
-A typical motivation letter includes a date, personal information, salutation, opening paragraph, body with bullet points, conclusion, and complimentary close with the applicant's full name and signature.
Why is it important to be concise in a motivation letter?
-Conciseness is important because of the limited word count and to ensure that the reader can easily understand and remember the key points of the letter.
What advice does the speaker give regarding the use of 'I' in a motivation letter?
-The speaker advises not to shy away from starting sentences with 'I' as it helps to make the letter clear and straightforward, avoiding an overly poetic or indirect style.
How does the speaker suggest showing your writing ability in the motivation letter?
-The speaker suggests that by writing an essay that is concise, clear, and understandable, applicants can demonstrate their academic writing ability to the institution.
What is the final step in writing a motivation letter according to the video?
-The final step is to write a conclusion that summarizes the key points of the letter, indicating what the applicant intends to learn or achieve.
Why is it recommended to have someone else read over your motivation letter?
-Having someone else read over the letter can help catch spelling mistakes and provide a fresh perspective, ensuring the letter is clear and effective.
Outlines
📝 Understanding Motivation Letters
In this introductory paragraph, the speaker, Melena, greets new and returning viewers and addresses the topic of motivation letters. She emphasizes that motivation is personal and unique to each individual, and encourages viewers to recognize their own motivation, even if they feel they lack it. Melena clarifies that she is not an admissions expert but shares her personal experience in writing motivation letters. She defines a motivation letter as a complement to one's CV, highlighting personality traits and aspirations rather than just factual information. The speaker also advises viewers to tailor their motivation letters to the specific questions asked by the institution they are applying to, comparing the process to an 'academic Tinder' where clear and direct answers are crucial.
📖 Steps to Writing a Motivation Letter
The second paragraph delves into the process of writing a motivation letter. Melena suggests starting with outlining the questions that need to be answered, as these serve as guidelines for the content of the letter. She advises against rambling and emphasizes the importance of clear, organized points, which can be achieved through bullet points. These bullet points should represent the key messages the applicant wants the reader to remember. Melena also covers the structure of a motivation letter, including the introduction, body, and conclusion, and stresses the importance of coherence and clear language. She reminds viewers to be concise due to word limits and to proofread for spelling and grammar. The paragraph concludes with a reminder to show one's ability to write academically and to end the letter with a strong closing statement that summarizes the applicant's intentions and aspirations.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Motivation Letter
💡Personality
💡Tailored
💡Academic Vibe Check
💡Bullet Points
💡Coherent
💡Connectors
💡Academically Acceptable
💡Concise
💡Spelling Mistakes
💡Critical Thinker
Highlights
Introduction to the video and the importance of motivation in writing a motivation letter.
Motivation varies from person to person and should be expressed uniquely in a motivation letter.
The speaker's personal experience and disclaimer about not working in admissions.
Definition of a motivation letter as a complement to a CV, showing personality and motivation.
Motivation letters should be tailored to answer specific questions posed by universities or institutions.
Example of questions a university might ask in a motivation letter for a specific course.
The difference in motivation letter content when applying for a job versus a university course.
Step-by-step guide on how to write a motivation letter, starting with outlining the questions to answer.
Using bullet points to organize thoughts and ensure the motivation letter is clear and concise.
The importance of answering each question individually to avoid overlap and maintain clarity.
Constructing the motivation letter with an introduction, body, and conclusion to create a cohesive flow.
Using connectors to link ideas and maintain coherence throughout the letter.
The value of clear, simple sentences over poetic language for effective communication.
Demonstrating writing skills and academic ability through the motivation letter.
The importance of summarizing key points in the conclusion to reinforce the overall message.
Adhering to word limits and being concise to respect the reader's time.
The need for careful proofreading to avoid spelling mistakes and ensure professionalism.
Invitation for viewers to subscribe, comment, and share their motivation letter writing purposes.
Transcripts
good morning if you're new to this
channel hi
it's really nice to meet you my name is
melena and if you're a returning
subscriber
well how you doing there hottie what's
up welcome back
if you need to write a motivation letter
and you're thinking to yourself
well i probably need
motivation for this one and you think
that you have
absolutely no motivation to do anything
then first of all you should probably
hit up your therapist so before we
continue on with this video i want all
of you to know
that motivation doesn't look the same
for everyone
not everyone is motivated by the same
things or for the same reasons or even
the same
goals so the reason that you're
motivated to do something might be
completely unique so why not express
that in your motivation letter
and to be honest if you truly think that
you don't have any motivation
you're probably underestimating yourself
i mean you've gotten to this point where
you're thinking about even applying to
something and
that shows motivation already so here i
am just trying to help you out
and let's see what we can do with your
motivation and slap that on a piece of
paper so that you can get in
wherever the heck you're trying to get
in so a little disclaimer before
continuing on with this video
i don't work in admissions nor have i
ever worked in admissions
so my tips and my opinions on how to
write a motivation letter
are fully based on my own experiences
but hey
i've gotten to university so i guess
i guess they can't be too bad am i right
but either way
if you are for example in high school i
always recommend that you reach out to
your student counselor
so first let's start with the definition
what is a motivation letter
a lot of people skip this part and go
straight to writing it and
uh that's foolish foolish i tell you
so your motivation letter is a
compliment to your cv
it supports your cv what your cv is is
facts and figures
where did you study for how long did you
study what grades did you get
there they only want to know facts and
then in your motivation letter
you show them your personality so at
that point you show them
how everything you wrote about in your
cv made you who you are
and that led you to want to apply to
again wherever you want to apply to
uh in a way you could say it's like an
academic vibe check
i should i should really patent these
things these are good
make it into a poster in most cases
universities or
other institutions to which you are
applying to they specify
what questions they want you to answer
and so your motivation letter should be
obviously tailored to answering the
questions that they want to hear the
answer to
for example if you're a student applying
for university
and let's say you want to study
economics then in your motivation letter
they probably want to ask you about
why you chose to do economics and
specifically
why did you choose that course out of
all the economics courses
why was this course the one that really
stood out for you so those are the types
of questions that you can expect when
you're applying to university
but they are completely different for if
you're applying for a job
or if you're applying for a position
that they're looking for
in that case the questions that they ask
for the specific situations
will obviously be tailored to what they
want to hear and what they want to know
about you
okay so i thought the best way to do
this
is if i just split it up into steps of
how to write a motivation letter the
first step
is as i mentioned outline the questions
they want you to answer
those are your guidelines those are the
things they want to hear and if they're
not included in your motivation letter
you might as well not apply because that
just means that you can't follow
instructions
they ask you a question and you couldn't
answer it
but i'm just saying i'm just saying if i
were reading through someone's
motivation letter
and they for some reason avoided all the
questions
i'd be a little suspicious i'd be a
little suspicious
and potentially confused because if they
don't have answers to the questions like
why do you want to study at this
university then you're not really
convinced that they want to study at
your university
see your motivation letter as an
academic tinder
you know like the questions they ask
like oh i don't know what do they ask on
tinder like what's your favorite color
imagine if tinder asked you what's your
favorite color
and you answered with florida so what
you want to do is you want to answer
each question
individually because if you were to
answer them all simultaneously
i assure you your answers would overlap
and with these bullet points you should
be able to make your
trail of thought as simple as possible
what these bullet points represent is
what you want them to remember
when someone reads your essay or your
motivation letter they remember certain
things about what you wrote
and it's specifically what you decide to
make clear and so
when you're making these outlines and
you're making your bullet points
decide what you want them to know do you
want them to know that you are a
hard-working person
do you want them to know that you had a
specific experience which now led you to
want to apply
it's those little things that you have
to make clear in your motivation letter
or else they literally have no way of
knowing by doing these bullet points you
avoid
rambling as well so what i used to do is
i
start answering the question straight
away and it was just like a
flow of thoughts you know so it was just
me
writing what i thought was in here right
but
whatever is in here needs to be
organized on your piece of paper
so by having these bullet points you are
able to clearly construct
your arguments or your points so that
they actually come across
as reasonable by avoiding all the
rambling you also show
the institution that you're a critical
thinker that you can prioritize things
that
you don't just write out of impulse but
you think about what you're writing and
you actually care about
what your writing says about you and so
these bullet points become the heart of
your essay
these are the things that you want to
make clear to whoever you're applying to
and those are the things that they'll
remember about you after doing these
bullet points you need to figure out how
to put them together
after all this is a letter so it has to
flow like one with regards to the format
you usually have
the date and your personal information
and then you go into a salutation like
dear sir or madam or anything of the
sorts and then you have your opening
paragraph
which is like your introduction and it
really kicks off your essay
and then you have the body of your
motivation letter
where all the good stuff are in all the
bullet points you made those are those
are
in the body and after that you conclude
so your conclusion should wrap up
everything you said in your essay it
obviously shouldn't repeat everything
you just said
but it should pick out the overarching
theme
of your motivation letter so what's one
thing that kept popping up
you know for example if you want to make
clear that all of your experiences
have made you to the person that you are
all of these things that you mentioned
and then lastly you have your
complimentary clothes which is your
goodbye
you say okay have a nice day bye bye but
obviously in an academically acceptable
way
usually you use things like sincerely or
kind regards
and then you sign it with your full name
and some people like to add their
signature
your motivation letter should always be
coherent which means that you should use
connectors like however or therefore
in places where you feel like you want
to link ideas
but don't shy away from starting a
sentence with i
back when i was writing my motivation
letter for erasmus
i avoided using i with everything i
could
my essay became poetic but it wasn't
straight to the point and it wasn't
clear it didn't make it clear what i was
trying to say don't shy away from
simpler more clear sentences because at
the end of the day what you want to
convey
has to be understandable and a bonus
point
is that by writing your essay you're
showing them you can write
yay they like to see when someone can
write academically you know when they
can actually
put their ideas in a concise and simple
and understandable way and by writing
your essay that's what you're showing
them
then the final step is your conclusion
your closing statement
you've told them a bunch of things and
now you have to summarize
what all those things mean do you intend
on
learning more becoming knowledgeable or
becoming a better person
understanding yourself better
understanding others better there are so
many things you can learn university
pick one
pick something you want to learn an
important thing to remember
is that you have a limited amount of
words right if you're writing a
motivation letter you usually have one
to two pages
to explain your motivation of course the
word limit is there so that
the people who are reading all these
motivation letters can actually get
through
all the motivation letters but it does
mean that you have to be
extremely concise also don't forget to
keep a close eye on your language
because no one will believe that you are
a detail-oriented person
with vast experience in writing
if you can't spell so make sure that
there are no spelling mistakes
always ask for someone to read over your
essay because there are things that
after looking at the same essay for
hours and hours
you just don't pick up anymore subscribe
if you found this video helpful
and also comment down below what you're
writing a motivation letter for
i think that's so interesting that
everyone's writing a motivation letter
for different things and uh
i hope to hear from you but till then
take care stay safe
wash your hands social distant bye
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