How to write a PhD Motivation Letter?

So you have found an opening that best fits your interests and background and you have made up your mind to make an application to this opening! Congratulations! That is the first step!

Upon checking you notice the application needs you to submit a Motivation Letter (a rather standard document required to be submitted by applicants for most PhD openings). Probably you have never written one before and need help?

This is where today’s blog post will come to help! In today’s blog post we discuss all things Motivation Letter, specifically focusing on those written as a part of PhD applications. So without further ado, let’s jump straight right in.

So before we dive into understanding how to go on about writing a Motivation letter, let’s start with some basics. Understanding what a Motivation Letter is a good starting point as it will help you understand what the expectations of this aspect of your application and therefore this document is.

So, the most direct (and perhaps obvious) explanation is that a Motivation letter is a document that discusses in fair amount of detail (adapted according to the application requirements) what your motivation for the advertised position and the research area. While this is appropriate and a good starting point to gather thoughts and outline a structure, this is not the only thing what a Motivation letter is all about.

A common mistake lot of students make is work with the limited understanding of the term Motivation letter — as a document that only outlines your motivation for the opening or the research field and leave out the very necessary narrative and the other additional aspects pointed out…

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