Motivation Letter & Skype Interview
We’re going to talk about the motivation letter and Skype interviews. But we’re going to start with the motivation letter, because that’s the meatier part of the lesson.
Slide 1: Motivation Letter & Interview
So in this lesson, we're going to talk about the motivation letter and Skype interviews. But we're going to start with the motivation letter, because that's the meatier part of the lesson. So the first thing, if the program you're applying for has specific parameters about what needs to be included, plug those questions into these different activities we're going to be doing here as well.
Slide 2: Motivation Letter
- Dig into the program details – brainstorm list of specifics that are interesting and/or well suited to your strengths
So one of the most important things about the motivation letter is that it's individualized to the specific school and the program that you're applying for. It's not just some sort of generic general letter that you could send to anyone. So the first thing you want to do is to really dig into the program website, and make a list of the specifics that you find appealing or that are interesting or well suited to your strengths. So you're going to want to incorporate this into the letter, because one thing they're looking for is that you have an understanding of the program, the specific program. So look for specifics, whether it's a learning approach that they use, like problem-based learning, or maybe they do a lot of projects or groups and you like that, or there's a focus that the program has, or something else that’s specific to this particular program or school.
Slide 3: Motivation Letter
- What qualities/strengths do you have that makes you a good fit for this program?
- What interests/passions/experiences do you have that are connected to your interest in studying in this country?
- What interests/passions/experiences do you have that are a good fit for this program?
- How is this program aligned with your future goals?
- How did your interests pertaining to the program and/or study abroad develop?
And next, we're going to take that school and program specific information that you've developed here, along with your list of activities, as well as your own sort of, you know, self awareness and knowledge of yourself, and make another brainstorm list. So this is just a brainstorm list. Don't worry about putting it in fancy terms like you'd want to put in a letter. It’s just a brainstorm list. Because one basic goal of a motivation letter is to look at why you want to and why you're suited for studying at this particular program at this particular school, so we're going to do that by addressing the following questions. So the first one is about what qualities do you have that leads you to being interested in studying in a foreign country? So maybe it's just general foreign country in general. You know, that you were first exposed to travel recently, and now you really want to explore the world. But if you can connect it to that particular country and city, then that's awesome. Maybe it's that you've been to that country and you really liked it. Maybe it's that you have family who is originally from that country, or that you're learning the language. If you can't connect it to that country, that's fine. But if you can, try to find a way to. But you know, maybe it said like you're adventurous, and you're curious about the greater world, or you're unwilling to accept the status quo. So they can be reasons that don't have to do with travel that you've had, or firsthand experiences, if you haven't had that, and that's totally fine.
The next thing we want to look at are what qualities do you have that lead you to being a good fit for this program, and the program for you. So you know, perhaps it's that you have an appreciation for others’ perspectives, and you're going to, you know, find this through class discussions, which they have a lot of. This is where you pull out some of those programs and school specifics. You're going to want to look at or express what interests you have, or passions or experiences you have that would be a good fit for this program. So you know, in the example of Sam, this is where we would talk more about his travel experience to Morocco, his Arabic self-study, his interest in current events. So you know, current events, that was not appropriate for the CV. It absolutely would be here.
You're going to want to talk about how this program or this international experience, or both, are aligned with your future goals. Really do talk about how the program is aligned with your goals as well. And also try to touch base, you know, try to come up with and really think about how your interest in studying abroad developed. And there's no right or wrong answer here, as long as it's honest.
Slide 4: Motivation Letter
- See if there are guidelines, prompts or specific questions the school requests
- In they don’t give suggestions around length, keep it under 2 pages
So now we have sort of the content. And it's a matter of organizing it into an outline. So some applications will have guidelines or prompts or suggested content, others will be vague, at the very best. If they don't tell you the length, err on the side of brevity. No longer than one to two pages.
Slide 5: Motivation Letter Structure
- Show knowledge of program in a section about why you want to study there. Why this particular program at this particular school?
- Fit to study abroad
- Fit to program including future goals
- Strong ending statement – confident, positive
So you're going to take the information from these different activities we did. You now have this awareness of how to express that you're a fit for the program, the programs are fit for you and all of that. So this format I'm about to go through is just a suggestion. Though I do really think that starting with knowledge of the program, and a really strong ending statement are the most crucial. So what you could do is you could just start with why do you want to study there? Why this particular program at this particular school? Pull out the answers from those questions we just talked about. Really show that you have an understanding of the program, the content, the opportunities associated with the program, the teaching philosophy. Because by starting with that, they're going to say, “Okay, this is not a general letter. This is specific to our program and this kid knows about our program.” So that's a really good place to start.
Then you're fit to studying in a different country. Again, you're going to just plug in information. Maybe that's about experiences you've had, maybe that's about knowledge you have. Whatever it is that makes you a good fit to study outside of your home country. Then you're going to talk about your fit to the program, including your future goals. Again, you're just pulling stuff from the other activities we've done. And then, you want a really strong ending statement. You want something confident and positive. Confident about the fact that you're bringing stuff to the table too for them. What is that? Confident about the fact that what they're bringing to the table is for you. So that is the important ending statement, and that can be difficult to come up with.
Slide 5: Have others review to make sure the letter demonstrates…
- An understanding of the program and the school
- Why you would be a good fit for the program
- How the program ties to your future goals
So I'm also including in the resources below, you're going to see a link that gives some examples of different motivation letters. Don't feel like you need to reinvent the wheel based on theirs, but it'll give you an idea of content. But you really want to make sure this is in your voice.
So after you have your first draft done, you want to have a friend or family read it.You might want to ask your friend or your family member, or your counselor or whatever, to read it to make sure that it demonstrates that you have an understanding of the program and the school, why you would be a good fit for the program, and how the program ties to your future goals. That's what they're reading for.
Slide 6: Skype Interviews
- Often used to check English proficiency
- Discussion of motivation letter – have discussion points and examples to expand on your letter
So let's talk real quick about Skype interviews. There's not a whole lot to say about this. Sometimes there'll be a required interview, which often has to be done by Skype, or can be done by Skype. There are some cases in which the interview is really structured and hardcore, and you have to go some places. Sciences Po is hardcore with that. Toulouse Business School uses the interview — it’s a recorded interview, but it's sort of an entrance exam at the same time where they give you specific questions that you need to answer in this recorded interview. Except for those. One of the main reasons for a Skype interview is to make sure that the language proficiency matches the scores that they're seeing for language proficiency. So you know, you guys are going to nail English proficiency, so no problem there.
But regardless, either way, it's generally just a discussion of your motivation letter, but you don't want to just regurgitate your motivation letter. So take your motivation letter and next to each point, note a couple of other like different examples that you didn't have in the letter to make it a more interesting conversation and one that you're then prepared for.