Motivation letter for graduate school
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07 Apr 2013, 12:55
Hey guys,
I'm currently in the process of applying to Masters in Finance programs across Europe. I'm applying to these:
Bocconi
St.Gallen
Imperial
Cass (MSc Finance, MSc Banking & International Finance and MSc in Energy, Trading and Finance, you can chose 3 options so why not take advantage, you never know)
Warwick
(and maybe ESSEC)
Anyway, since all applications are due until end of April, it is now time to do my motivational letters. Some programs ask for 1 page, others 2, some even 3, it changes.
I was wondering what I had to include in my letter. I mean, I don't think I'm supposed to "brown-nose" the universities like one is supposed to do in the US but I really don't know how to do this. Also, I don't think I'm supposed to "talk" about my life that much, I just need to mention why I'm choosing this program and why I think they should pick me. But I could be mistaken.
I'm asking this in this section because my ultimate goal is to work in IB and if possible, my dream would be to work in a hedge fund. Should i state this, if yes, how? What should I NOT say? Should it be very professional and formal or can I use a more relaxed style of writing. Should I make it stand out or do they not really care about the motivation letters, it's just procedure. I'm really a bit lossed.
The only program that states explicitily that it gives points out (They give out points for the gmat score, GPA, profile and letter and you need a certain number of points to get accpeted) for the motivation letter is St.Gallen so I might have to change it up for that one, make it stand out more than for other programs.
One last thing, is it a issue if I use the same template for all programs. I mean I can just change the name of the institution and the degree, is there anything wrong or dangerous with that?
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Ultimately, this is what I think I should mention:
1. Market myself as a candidate. Why should they pick me over someone else
2. Academic interests, industry interests
3. Who I am and how I'd fit in their program/class
Only thing is, I can probably manage to write 1 page with this but how the hell am I supposed to write 2 or even 3 pages?