Cover Letters | Notion

<aside> 🌻 Tips for writing cover letters

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volunteer and work experiences
- do not just talk about what you did, but what you learned
- your resume will allow you to talk about what you did, and the cover letter will allow you expand further on what you learned
showcase your individual and collaborative work experiences
you are welcome to talk about your course experiences!
- did you learn something in class that sparked your interest with a specific topic?
incorporate some of the program’s philosophies and values into your own cover letter
- for example, if a program says that there is a lot of collaboration → highlight your collaborative experiences (whether that’s a club, a research team, a sport, etc.)
what about the program excites you and what you hope to gain from the program
- show the admissions team that you have done specific research on the program
- do you want to gain a specific skill (ex: written communication)?
- do you want to participate in a specific experience that is only offered through this program (ex: doing exchange with McMaster’s MSc Global Health program)
- do you want to take specific courses offered through this program?
- how does enrolling in this program align with your career aspirations?

Introduction
- where do you currently study?
- what are you interested in? → be more specific than just stating the program’s name
- why are you applying to this program? → list 2-3 specific reasons
Your experiences and how they relate to the program
- what did you do? what did you learn? how does this translate into why you are applying to the program?
- tell a story! → how did X experience shape you into wanting to pursue Y?
- try to choose a few experiences to support your arguments for each of the paragraphs
- make sure that each paragraph has a specific focus / argument, and is not crowded
Conclusion
- what are your aspirations?
- re-state why you want to apply here and what this program will do for YOU
- thank you statement