How to write a motivation letter

Writing the motivation letter is an important step in the application procedure - it is the basis on which the organising group selects their participants!

So, what should you say? What shouldn't you say?

These guidelines aim to help you write your motivation letter. However, keep in mind that there are no perfect templates or instructions, therefore these general tips and hints are mainly a starting point just to help you write a good motivation letter, increasing your chances of getting accepted!

What to write about?

• Something about yourself - what you study, what you do in your life, what your hobbies are, sports you do, maybe even what languages you speak... BEST courses are always a lot of fun, so the organisers should know that you are a fun person!
• Why do you want to go abroad, and why do you want to go to a BEST event? It is important for the organisers to have internationally minded people.
• Why do you want to go to THIS particular event you're applying for? Why is the topic attractive?
• Sometimes, it is required to tell the organizers that you have a sufficient knowledge of the topic of the course. Read the course information on the site carefully in order to find out this sort of information.
• Explain why you want to go to that city or country so badly!
• What do you have to offer to the event? In other words, why should the organisers pick YOU? (like: you're a star in karaoke, you can dance like Michael Jackson, or you know more than 100 jokes).
• Try to be creative and funny and capture the attention of your reader. Local BEST groups can receive something like four hundred applications to their course! Be unique! Write a poem, song, story, whatever you can come up with!
• Needless to say, the letter must be written in English.

What NOT to do?

• Your motivation letter will be read by students, just like you. Therefore, there is no need for formalities such as "Dear Madam or Sir"!
• A motivation letter is NOT a curriculum vitae (CV). Don't bother enlisting all the schools you've attended, your grades, the jobs you've done... We want to know more about you and what you're like!
• You aren't allowed to insert pictures or links in your motivation letter.
• Be careful, and send the appropriate letter to the appropriate place (don't mix them if you apply for more than one event!).
• Copy-pasting motivation letters isn't very recommended. You should aim to make each motivation letter personal and unique!
• Don't make the letter too long! Half to one A4 page is good, and should be enough for the organisers to get to know you. If the letter is longer than a A4, there is a chance they are not going to read all of it. On they other hand, if it's too short they will think that you are not interested enough in the event! So try to keep the balance.
• Avoid submitting your applications at the very last minute, in order to prevent system crashes.

These are just some general hints - take the ones you want, ignore the ones you don't like, but in any case, use your own imagination and style and be creative!

source: www.best.eu.org