Blog

The major deciding factor in a college application is your motivation letter. Your presentation is usually a window to your background and writing a good motivation letter takes time, energy and a lot of writing skill to present your best self. More often than not, we found ourselves at crossroads and confused as to where to start what to include. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Your motivation letter should answer the most important question: Why are you a suitable candidate ?

Character Limit: 1000- 3000.

Introduction

Question : Why have I chosen to apply for this programme?

• Should be crisp and to the point.  
• Introduction of the course in which you have applied. 
• Write your career objective, what you aspire to do in this domain, what you wish to learn.

Example: I want to opt for the Master’s Degree programme in Information, Culture and Media Organization at University of Bologna, Italy. I have chosen this programme to further pursue my interest in mass communication and media. I have always been eager to understand how media works in different cultures and its impact. The course curriculum would help me in understanding these areas and make me move forward in becoming a responsible journalist. 

Academic Background

Question : How does my background make me a suitable candidate?

• Academic information: college/University name with course opted and final GPA.
• Industry exposure and training: mention internships and skills gained through workshops, training. Also mention any online certification courses done from Coursera, Udemy etc.
• Professional expertise (if any)
• Extracurriculars(not necessary for MS)

Example

I have completed my graduation from ABC college of Media Studies with my majors in Journalism. My final GPA was 8.5 . In my third year of graduation I interned with NDTV which is a National Media Company based in New Delhi. My area of work included assisting the Reporters in preparing their Prime Time content. I have gained skills like copywriting, video editing from various workshops organized by my department. I have also completed a course: “Gathering and Developing News” on Coursera , offered by University of Michigan. Which taught me where to find information, interviewing skills and how to process information from various sources for publication. I was one of the chief editors for our college magazine “Aaroh” which required me to edit and contribute articles based on the cultural events in the college. I was also the class representative during my second year of graduation. 

Course

Question : What do I expect to gain from my studies? (read through the website and course curriculum)

• Support you answer with course curriculum 
• How a particular curriculum interests you which is unique to the university in which you have applied
• Skills you will gain
• How the semester exchange programme/ internship offered by the University will help you.

Example

Opting the course on Information, Culture and Media Organizations would train me in operating the world of information, communication, publishing and media. The course will enhance my understanding of the evolution of contemporary media landscape, the developments of digital, online and mobile communication nationally and globally. The curriculum would help me acquire knowledge and skills useful for entering professionally in the fields of communication and media. The semester exchange programme offered by the University would help me to gain a multicultural perspective on media and its role and also increase my interaction with people from diverse backgrounds. 

Career

Question :How will the programme help me achieve my goals?

• Life goals ,long term plans and how this course live upto the current market requirement (4 to 5 lines)
• Explain how the particular course is important in your home country and how you will use your knowledge there. 
• Don’t talk about permanent residence/employment in a foreign country.

Example: By becoming a journalist I want to report news that is authentic and backed by facts as in my country India where the literacy rates are not very high, people are often misled by fake news and miss out on news that is important. Doing this course would become instrumental in delivering accurate news to people and help them in becoming an informed citizen.

University (go through the website thoroughly)

• University what is about the university that attracts you. 
• Amenities and Exposure that it provides that is in interest of your career goals. (2-4 lines)

Example: Being the oldest university of the western world and its history being intertwined with that of the great names of science and literature makes University of Bologna a perfect place for learning. Projects, initiatives and research facilities offered by the University would help in developing new ideas, innovation and knowledge for facing global challenges.

Conclusion

• 2-3 lines summation of everything above.
• Do not talk about financial assistance.

Example:

The inner drive to change the way news reporting is done motivated me to opt for this course. Studying more about this field and completing my post graduation in it, will help me work on a professional scale and with a wider section of the community, and in achieving my dream of becoming a journalist.