Thursday, 2 July 2015

TIPS - How to write a winning application for your postgraduate course



How to write a winning application for your postgraduate course

Jo Moyle, careers counsellor at Oxford Brookes University's Careers and Employment Centre, explains how you can write a great application for your postgrad course.

Leave yourself enough time to apply for a postgrad place

Applying for a course is time-consuming, so don't leave it until the last minute. Check the closing date for your course, especially if it's a competitive one as these tend to fill up more quickly, and submit your application well in advance of this date.

The best way to approach your application is to 'plan carefully and break the form down into smaller tasks,' advises Jo. Look at the requirements and tackle one section at a time. Brainstorming and drafting ideas into paragraphs are useful ways of collecting and organising your thoughts before launching into the application itself.

Jo also recommends thinking ahead to who you could ask to act as a referee, and what sources of feedback and support are available.

Gain a place on a postgrad course with research

A good postgraduate application will show evidence of research into both the course and the institution providing it. Writing bland, unsupported statements or quoting at length from the prospectus is neither original nor impressive.

Compare the course you are applying for with courses offered by competitor institutions, and consider what it is that appeals to you. Is there a particular specialisation that interests you, modules that are not offered elsewhere, an academic you would like to work with, or links to industry?


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