Writing a self-promotion cover letter might seem like a challenging hurdle race, however, there are still ways to safely overcome these hardships and enjoy this journey while showing good results. That is why we will share some tips and suggestions on how to write a college cover letter in the most effective way.
Table of Contents:
First things first.
At first, start with the short ideas and formulate these in bullet points. At this stage, you just need to make a list of all the experiences and other milestones from your life which you would like to cover. While working with the cover letter, this summary will serve as a checklist to make sure that you have.
A cover letter for college is a tool of introducing yourself to the admissions officer, with the help of the right messages and phrases which would underscore your potential and incite the college team to send you the letter of acceptance. Unlike a CV, the cover letter provides an overview of your experience, skills and other relevant accomplishments.
A cover letter for a college is the only opportunity to leave a lasting and positive impression with the reader, so your cover letter would catapult you into landing at the college of your dreams. It is a momentum of fame, and you have to seize all opportunities to illustrate the best image yourself.
Do your homework.
Before plunging into writing a captivating cover letter for your college, some groundwork needs to be performed. Namely, conducting prior research on the targeted college is another integral part of your writing. You need to acquire information on what kind of students and backgrounds the program is seeking. Having found this, make a reference on those skills and attainments which would demonstrate that you fit the college standards and requirements. A killing cover letter should always mirror the link between the program ‘targeted audience’ and you as an applicant. A win-win situation is when you match 100% of college requirements, even those tiny ones that can be read only between the lines.
Lobbying yourself.
Just like politicians advocate for themselves, and persuade the electorate to cast their vote for them during the elections, you as an applicant has to perform the same job while preparing your cover letter.
Rely on the ‘checklist’ you came up with earlier and start incorporating ideas from the list into your letter. Think about the best ‘selling points’ you possess, and which stories and experiences can tell more to the reader about these unique qualities and perks you have. All in all, you have to sketch a coherent narrative about yourself, a story to capture the admission officer’s attention.
Kick-off with a brief outline of your background and how your life story has ignited you to apply for this particular college. Was this a story related to your family members? Or perhaps some of your childhood memories inspired you to choose a certain career path? It can be a story about your professor, or anything personal which clearly explains your career and academic aspirations and choices made so far. Whatever drives your soul – describe it to a person who has never met you before, and demonstrate the reasons and motivation why you would like to carry on developing yourself within this field.
Once you are done with this, move on to your career and academic accomplishments. This section should enrich already given facts about yourself laid out in the CV, test records and other supplementary documents. As long as you do not respite yourself and avoid copying and pasting data from your other documents – your cover letter is sound and safe.
So, one might wonder – what on earth shall I speak about? The answer is straightforward – showcase the success stories small, or huge – whenever you went through these. Alongside, the examples of what kind of skill you have gained and developed during these activities.
Speaking of school times, in this part of the letter, you might be asked to provide instances of some extracurricular activities you have been engaged with. Community service, student governance, sports clubs, arts and crafts, publications – wrap your mind around these things. For sure, there should be some initiatives you championed and put forward. Describe your school-related achievements which would give a sense of the kind of character you have, and how you can thrive in an academic environment, yet not limit yourself to paper exams and night shifts at the libraries. Keep the balance between your excellent marks and out-of-class performance.
Job-centric achievements.
Having said this, go in-depth on your career-related attainments and professional qualifications. First, briefly explain how you accumulated expertise on the subjects you are going to embark on during your college studies. For instance, you might give examples of workshops and summer schools you attended, or any other courses which bolstered your knowledge of the subject. Apart from this, this section of the letter should encompass certain examples of job placements and internships you have undertaken. However, do not make a plain list of all positions you have occupied. Instead, emphasize projects you have been part of, difficulties you overcame, and what kind of deliverables you have accomplished. More importantly, elaborate on some skills you have polished or acquired. For instance, such as communication skills, problem-solving, or critical skills. Besides, speaking of some hard skills, such as report writing skills, software proficiency and other technical skills at your disposal. Show all your passion for the subject and how this shaped your professional future.
In case you struggle to highlight your career milestones due to lack of such experience, you can always refer to volunteering, part-time jobs or any project you contributed towards. This should not necessarily be a real nine-to-six-job, but rather the immersive experience which taught you something and unleashed your potential.
Off the beaten track.
Raise some things which might not be obvious on your CV. Think about what and how you hope to bring to the college as a prospective student. Go beyond your past achievements, and try to forecast how your skill-set and knowledge can be utilized while studying at the university. Be brave about speaking about how you contribute and bring a positive change into the daily life of the campus. You might want to run for the presidential university elections or play in the basketball team, or perhaps you are skilled at doing graphic design and can help with innovating university’s leaflets. In this section, try to phrase in a couple of sentences how you envisage yourself for the next few years as a part of the college community and enrich university life. Do not be very lengthy, and rather focus on those skills you already possess, and the ways how you are going to convert these for the benefit of the university. Showcase your genuine interest as if you were a student there.
Move forward and highlight why this university and program appeals to you. Briefly, give some reasons why you would land in this university. If this has to do something with the professors, job placement opportunities, community spirit, library resources or maybe the variety of courses – give a short and sweet compliment to a place you want to be a part of. On a final note, it can be beneficial to add a few sentences on how this program will become an asset to your future career plans. Put it differently, try to come with ideas of why this college corresponds with your future plans.
Having mentioned all the relevant things, do the summary of what has been said. You need to formulate your conclusion in up to three sentences, in which it is crystal clear why you stand out from the crowd and deserve to be accepted.
Essentials and basics of college cover letter.
The sky is the limit?
Never go longer than the required limit, otherwise, your cover letter for college might be disregarded or penalized. Keep an eye on the word limit, and do not be afraid of cutting unnecessary or repetitive information.
Contact details.
Do not forget to include some standardised sections, such as the one with the contact information. As a rule of thumb, these details should be visible on the right side of the cover letter, in the header. Keep it simple and accurate, namely mentioning your full name, current address, including the city and postcode.
To whom it may concern.
Right after this, it is worth starting with the salutation. Should you have the full name of an admission officer or the dean, address the letter to a particular person. Otherwise, you can start with the simple Sir or Madam.
Layout and formatting.
The layout is another important component of the cover letter for a college. Pleasing eyes are as crucial as ears. Make sure you follow the formatting guidelines and use the appropriate referencing if needed. All these small things create a bigger picture of you as an applicant and speak about your attention to the details.
Stay accurate.
It goes without saying, that your essay should be free of grammar mistakes and other spelling errors. Never submit the letter without thorough proofreading.
Practice
Remember that the quality of the cover letter can vastly improve over the course of writing. Therefore, use any opportunity to learn how to convey messages in a persuasive and coherent way.
Stay authentic and creative.
Never succumb to the lure of copy-pasting or writing generic letters. Read the examples, but keep in mind that your cover letter is not a cookie-cutter deprived of uniqueness and personalised characteristics. Only convincing writing and compelling flair can grab the attention of the admission officer. Thus, under no circumstances do not plagiarize. Finally, every cover letter should be tailored separately for every graduate or undergraduate program you are applying for and adjusted according to each college.
Need some help?
From finding the right starting point to proofreading – writing a cover letter might be overwhelming and challenging. Moreover, leaving a shining impression on an admission officer who is getting to know you solely through looking via screen at your letter might be an uphill task. However, this stress can be positive if the right mentor will guide you through this bumpy path.
For this purpose, the team of EssayEdge can gladly offer you a helping hand and consult you on how to write the cover letter for college students. The team of editors who graduated from Ivy League colleges will share the best practices with you on how to polish the cover letter. They can be also hired to proofread your letter, provide extensive feedback on your writing, and solutions on how to upgrade your writing. Check out the web-site and find yourself an editor who will help to make your dreams come true.
A cover letter is required not to cause more problems. Stop thinking that colleges want nothing besides plunging you into despair. This paper helps admissions officers to understand that you’re a motivated and dedicated person. If you got stuck with your cover letter, send it to us. Our experts can do a cover letter or college essay check in a blink of an eye.
