Writing motivational essays and letters influences your chances of getting into college or university, winning a scholarship or grant, or getting hired in the desired position in a particular company.
While writing an essay may seem easy, motivational writing has peculiarities. To be effective, motivational essays must provide readers with a certain level of insight and encourage them to take action — getting you into the desired position.
The text below will shed some light on writing good motivational letters for college. Some of the insights will also be helpful for writing such essays for scholarships and job offerings.
Read the requirements. Carefully
Take time to learn more about the college and program you are applying to. Read the requirements carefully and explore related links on the official website. Also, we recommend highlighting keywords and main points you need to consider in your motivational essay.
Learn more about the universities and programs you are applying to. Consider that you will need to write separate motivational essays for each college, considering the requirements of each institution.
Typically, colleges seek students with high academic performance rates, are active participants in volunteering programs, and are engaged in social activities within the school and the local community.
Besides, make a timetable with deadlines for applications for each college. The earlier you submit your application and essay, the more chances you will get to the college.
Tip: Explore how various colleges and universities approach the motivational essay. For example, the Harris School of Public Policy provides optional essay questions.
Ask for help
If you are disappointed with your first draft or can’t find the right words to start your motivational essay, you can always ask for help. Various essay writing services like www.essayshark.com provide expert assistance with motivational articles and letters. Professional writers will examine requirements and offer the best variants for you.
Answer the question
Many colleges and programs may provide one or several questions that should be answered in an essay. Visit the official website and highlight the questions to address. Frequently, those questions are typically like: Why Yale? Why Business and Management? (Or broader questions). If requirements ask you to answer questions, skip introducing yourself (or make it very short) and write answers right from the beginning.
Add something memorable
You must be original and show your special abilities in order to differentiate yourself from the other motivational essays. A strong motivation essay should paint a vivid picture of who you are and what you bring to the college community. Take some time to create an opening sentence that will catch the attention of committee members.
You can get some ideas from popular blogs, newspaper articles, and TEDx lectures. Learn how people approach the public to get their attention. For example, you can accompany your writing with an anecdote that happened in your life or start with the question.
Stay focused
Make persuading the committee member or hiring manager your mission. Demonstrate that you are the one which ideally fits the spot.
If you are a student, concentrate on the qualities of a perfect student every college shares (e.g., leadership skills, passion for the chosen field of science, striving for high academic performance, active life position to resolve problems, etc.). For those who write essays for a job, consider reflecting on key qualities described in the offer.
Writing an essay from the perspective of what you can give to the institution is crucial. Also, point out how you will personally benefit from getting into this particular college or university. Highlight experiences that helped you define your choice and realize that you need to get into this specific educational institution.
Tip. Try out online editors like CalmlyWriter that won’t distract you with additional options and provide you a blank list only.
Explain how you fit the program
Be sure any motivational essay or letter should give the reader a clear picture of how you will fit the particular course or program. Let the committee member see your personality concerning the educational process and how your plans are interrelated with your chosen degree. The program should be a logical step on your path to your dream.
Share your career goals
To add a sense that you make a grounded choice of a particular college and degree, you can tell about the dreams of your future job. Such goals, especially related to your future degree, will help admission members understand how college will help you reach your goals. Such information will help you establish academic needs and even find an internship.
For example, you can write that you strive to become one of the best in class to get a job in a particular engineering company.
Discuss possibilities
Many universities and colleges offer additional activities outside lectures and other classes. Students may be offered to attend different courses of their choice, laboratory practices, clubs, organizations, etc. If a college provides opportunities that differ from other colleges and universities, describe how it will take advantage of such a possibility.
Write as much as you can
Try freewriting if you struggle with writer’s block or limit yourself while writing. Write everything you think about your education, experiences, and future plans. Don’t set any limits, and write as much as you can. Catch your thoughts into writing text in a bullet list, incomplete sentences, or just keywords. When you have the first draft, you can pick those points which suit your essay the most.
Edit and proofread on the last stage
The worst thing you can do while writing is to think about grammar and typos. Don’t worry about writing the mistakes-free text for the first time. Leave this task for the last step.
Tip. Ask your parents to check your text or use an online checker. There are many grammar checker services like Grammarly or ProWritingAid that can fix all the mistakes and suggest improvements for your writing style.
Conclusion
Writing a perfect motivational essay takes time, so ensure you have allocated enough time for writing. But at the same time, don’t turn writing into torture. Stay focused, be creative, and follow the requirements to help the committee member or hiring manager learn more about you. Breathe in, breathe out. You can do it!
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