Writing motivation letter: Swedish Institute Scholarships for Global Professionals 2020

The time to apply to SISGP 2020 is approaching. (February 10th ). Once is open you only have 10 days to complete the application; however, you can prepare your documents in advance. It is no surprise that one of the requirements that stresses many of you is “the motivation letter” . That’s why in this blog we will review the form and at the end I will give you some tips.

The form

For me, an advantage of the SISGP scholarships is that the motivation letter must be written based on forms that are uploaded on their website.

Swedish Institute Scholarships for Global Professionals ↗️ (Search in the part of “Required documents” there are  all the forms you need to apply).

Why an advantage? Because it prevents you from having to overwhelm yourself about what you should write, by having guiding questions, you can develop your ideas better and it is a way of being able to be more specific in your future goals and your dream of studying in Sweden.

What is the form of this year (2020)?

Filling the form

First of all, be sure to open the form in an updated document reader (I use word). Since in the form there are multiple selection options, in some document readers this does not work. So, be sure to use one that allows you to use those options.

Let’s start now!

The first part of the form must be filled out with basic information. Be very careful when filling out this information, sometimes the easiest part is the one that many made mistakes. So, try to double check all this information. My advice check your application number very well.

Second part, is about the information of your target master programmes, as is written on the instructions fill it in the same order you apply in University Admissions.

Finally, and for many the most important are the guiding questions that will allow you to reflect your goals as a possible professional in Sweden.
Don’t forget to read the Introduction part! It is very important, read it in detail.

The guiding questions

This year the form have two guiding questions: The first has a limit of 1000 characters and the second has 800. Is it a little? For someone who wants to reach the stars, well yes!

Don’t worry, last year I feel the same; after so much waiting and preparation, I was baffled and frustrated to have so little space to reflect what I feel. However with the months and also being a student again, I realized that the characters allowed to write are more than enough.

So! don’t get exhausted now ! it’s time for the tips!

Tips

There is no perfect recipe for writing a motivation letter, especially when the reason is to stand out among so many exceptional people. Even so, I leave you, these 5 tips to take into account when filling out the questions of your SISGP motivation letter form.

1. Don’t search examples on internet

One thing is search about writing tips, and another very different to look for examples. If you really want to stand out from others, avoid looking for already written examples. Because in that way you will be far from showing that you are original. Don’t you think examiners have obviously seen all kinds of repetitive letters?. Well I suggest you avoid doing that.

2. Search more information about Sweden

Maybe this advice is not useful for you because you obviously chose Sweden for something ;however, Sweden is a country with all kinds of organizations and knowing them more deeply can help you think about your future goals. Look for organization, companies, NGOs that could show you how Sweden is working for a better world. Then  imagine being part of that from your profession skills. The first question is referred to that, that’s why looking for more specific information from Sweden could help you.

3. Be honest

With this tip I don’t mean that you would lie, but obviously many websites and some colleagues will tell you : “you have to sell yourself” . It may be true, but from my perspective I would like to change that “sell yourself” to “be honest”. If you reflect honesty in what you write and really want to be a factor of change through studying in Sweden the words will come I am sure. That’s why I said previously that there is no recipe, and don’t look for examples.

4 Don’t be redundant

This is a more technical tip, as you saw there is not much space to write everything you would like. But many times it is because we are very redundant. Don’t forget that in the CV you have already presented your entire resume, so you do not need to explain any of that. You must be more concise, imagine that they are levels. At this level the recruiter will already knows your CV where you worked and other aspects of your life. Don’t forget to have a coherent entire application.

What you must do is take the final blow!

5. Take your time

You don’t need to do everything in one day, write down the questions in a notebook or cell phone and review them in your spare time. Take notes and make drafts. Then decide a day and write everything.

But! That you take your time does not mean that you do everything at the last moment. Be careful with deadlines.

I hope this advice and little guide can help you in these stressful days  and you can finally cross out this requirement from your list.

So, I wish you the best future applicants. What are your expectations? Where are you from?

Leave your comments, I will be so happy to read you.