留学欧洲letters of intent写作方法.pptVIP

Graduate School Letters of Intent Grace Bernhardt MSU Writing Center Adapted from presentation materials developed by Jill McKay, Stephanie Sheffield, and Kym Buchanan About the Writing Center Main Writing Center 300 Bessey Hall M-F 9-5 By appointment 432-3610 Stop by and talk to receptionist Library Satellite Across from Cybercafe Sun-Th 3-10 p.m. Walk-in only First-come, first-served Letters of Intent Also known as: Letter of introduction Personal statement/essay Statement of professional interests Statement of career goals The MAPS Tool MAPS is a tool to help you through the writing process. It is a tool for thinking, planning, writing, evaluating, and reflecting. Mode Audience Purpose Situation Mode What are the characteristics of a letter of intent? Are there conventions or standards for the formal features of a letter of intent? What format would be most effective? How might you organize/structure your document? Mode, cont’d Does it have a title? What language is most appropriate? How can we use examples? How should we use examples? Audience We can write a more effective letter of intent if we have a clear understanding of the audience we are writing for. Who will read your letter of intent? In most cases, were talking about faculty who teach in the program that youre applying to. How much do you know about the department to which you are applying? Do your research! Audience, cont’d What do we know about their expectations for your letter of intent? What do they hope to learn from it? What kinds of evidence do they privilege? How does it factor into their decision-making process? Purpose What is the purpose of a letter of intent? If youre trying to convince someone of something, what is it? Again, put yourself in your reader’s position—What is the department’s purpose in asking you to submit this document? Purpose, cont’d What do you expect your letter of intent to accomplish for you? What impression do you want to leave with your reader(s)?