March 31, 2024
Things to Consider When Applying for Master's
My dear readers,
I’d like for you to take a minute and read the cover image of this blog. Yes, it does say “Don’t sweat it”. That is exactly what I will be telling you throughout this blog. Applying for master’s can be stressful, but I want you to think about the following things when you are applying for a university or a job position, so that your process is less stressful. For me, I am tailoring it to master’s because I have recently started applying for master’s education as I am about to finish my bachelor’s and graduate this fall.
- Pick a course or programme that YOU like: This is one of the most important things. Don’t focus on the brand of the university or that it is famous or well-ranked. The university could be well-ranked but if the syllabus or courses don’t appeal to you, then there is no point in studying there. Sure, the university might be super famous but that shouldn’t be the primary source of motivation. You should look at the structure of the programme syllabus, and if you are interested in the things that they will teach you.
- Consider student life: I think that it is always nice to factor in the student life of the place you might start your studies at. You realistically cannot study 24/7, you also need to be able to do some sports, or play an instrument or carry out whatever hobby it is that you like. Studies aren’t everything, a healthy lifestyle includes a good balance of studies, extracurriculars and a social life where you have people who can be there for you. If you’re looking at a one-year master’s programme, look at the pace of the syllabus and the workload. If it looks extremely overwhelming and heavy, try finding something similar to that programme, but for a longer duration of time.
- Money: Studying abroad can be expensive, especially if you have to take a loan. Try to realistically look at your finances and think about the place you are moving to. Is it expensive? Is it cheap? How much money would you need monthly to survive in a certain place? In Sweden, you’d need at least 10,000 – 12,000 SEK a month on average, depending on whether you decide to stay in a corridor or apartment.
- Write a good motivation letter: The worst thing to do is to fake a motivation letter. You don’t need to throw in big words and you don’t need to sound smart. You just need to sound like you. That is the most important as you being your most authentic self is what the admissions’ office will appreciate. Don’t lie about any of your experiences, be honest about who you are and just write to them as a friend and tell them why you want to study here. What are your future ambitions and goals? What about this programme attracts you? What can you contribute? It is better to start out by writing a lot and then narrowing it down, you can write two pages if you like as a draft and then slowly narrow it down to have the most important points remaining at the end. My biggest tip here is to form a skeleton, each paragraph should have a certain message that you want to convey, make a skeleton; a framework for your letter and go from there and add some text to fill in the gaps.
- Don’t sweat it: This is easier said than done, but you can only do your best and that’s all you can do. Your admission results do not define your caliber and you should always be proud of yourself. If you have worked hard on your application and submitted the best one you can, then don’t stress. If you don’t get in somewhere, then don’t worry, something much better is coming your way. You should be proud of all your accomplishments!
I hope these tips help and good luck to anyone who is applying to master’s right now. To all of you who have gotten admitted into LiU, many congratulations, I am super proud of all of you!
Till next time my dear readers,
Shivani <3
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