Before you start reading my motivation letter, here are some tips that I think could gain you a higher chance of getting accepted:
Be consistent: your motivation and recommendation letters could discuss the same topics. Doing this could help the principals have a clearer image of you as a person. Usually, asking your teacher to write a specific thing is not recommended. However, since most teachers in Vietnam are not used to the concept of writing a recommendation letter, some suggestions on how to do it wouldn't hurt. E.g.: I talk about being a class leader, independence, and my passion for cultural diversity in my motivation letter. Therefore, I also asked my teacher to write about her opinions of me as a class leader and how she knew I was interested in culture studies.
Don't focus on the numbers: Many students don't have a close personal relationship with their teachers, so when asked to write a recommendation letter, most teachers will just look at their scores in class and write something based on that. I think that is unnecessary as you're also submitting a school transcript with all your scores. To avoid this, either ask for a recommendation letter from someone who you're very close to or have a sit-down with your teacher and tell them more about yourselves.
Show, don't tell: This is a golden rule. Make sure that your teacher is not just writing adjectives like "She's hardworking. She's smart". Please use real-life examples to illustrate everything!!
"To whom it may concern,
It is with great pleasure that I write this reference letter for ___ to support her application for admission into….
I am____, the homeroom and ___ teacher of ___ this school year. ___ is one of the most talented students I have taught and instructed in my 20-year career as a teacher. Although I have only had her as my student for less than a year, her unique individuality has been shown in both curricular and extracurricular activities.
Academically, she has always excelled and ranked first in her class as well as her grade with her GPA. This illustrates that she is a hard-working and conscientious student. She has a high dedication to her assignments and projects. In addition, she has participated in many English-language contests and achieved medals and prizes. Among her accomplishments in this field, being the finalist with her teammates in the World Scholar Cup and getting the chance to go to Yale University in America is the one I and her acquaintances are most proud of. Through this contest, ___ has found her deep passion for social studies, especially in cultural diversity around the world.
___ is also equipped with great leadership skills; hence, she has been an exceptional class monitor. She has made an effort to create a sense of community in her class despite all the obstacles online learning brings about. As a top student, she is helpful and willing to assist her peers whenever they are confused and have difficulties in class. She is also a dependent and responsible student that the teachers can bank on. One more thing she did that deeply impressed me is that one time when I got Covid-19 and had a sore throat, I could not talk properly, she learned the lesson by herself and assisted me during my class.
Moreover, her being an outstanding leader is exhibited through her group projects in class. Her group always comes up with innovative ideas and applies them to practice smoothly. Throughout the projects, __ has shown her great ability in researching and public speaking. However, she is a critical thinker and always looks for ways to improve herself, which is very commendable. She is outspoken and sometimes controversial because of her bluntness, but she is well-intentioned for the others.
She shows great responsibility and punctuality in her work, as a friend, she is more of a warm, caring person with a lovely sense of humor. Her classmates, as well as acquaintances, love and respect her in many ways, they usually consult and confide in her. As a result of her open-mindedness, she always helps her friends with rational and thoughtful solutions. According to her former homeroom teacher, she has co-hosted some field learning for her class.
To sum up, ___ is a brilliant academic student as well as a reliable leader. Having her as my class monitor really gives me reassurance. Her intelligence, maturity, and perseverance will aid her in the long journey of study and immersion into more than one culture as her will. Now she is looking for a better and more realistic opportunity of learning, I believe the education of Finland can benefit her ambition and future.
Sincerely,
___ "
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