How to Write a Letter of Intent for a Graduate School

Writing a letter of intent for a graduate school can be a daunting task but it is nonetheless relatively easy if the student have enough knowledge of the area of study he/she intends to apply for. The letter in general helps the reader understand your purpose or expectation for the field of study. A letter of intent for graduate school could be as specific as PhD letter of intent, Master's degree letter of intent, and MBA letter of intent or as general as statement of purpose for graduate school. However, when writing a letter of intent, the intention should be to highlight the core experience that the applicant will bring to the table especially if the graduate program will be a research based program. The student should take a few steps to review and attempt to match his/her profile with the intended area of study. Most graduate schools offer a scholarship to students admitted to the program. As a result, the applicant should expect some level of competition. A clear and concise letter of intent can make a huge difference Institutions can request for a letter of intent from scholarship applicants with various backgrounds. Each applicant is evaluated on the basis of how they were able to clearly state their experience and skill set relevant to the area of study or how they are able present their statement of purpose to indicate enthusiasm even with no relevant experience. The key tip that the student should bear in mind is that the letter of intent must be persuasive enough to convince the reader that you really want to enter the graduate program. It should be strong with all relevant keywords to demonstrate your passion for the program that you want to study.  

The student applying for the graduate program should regard a graduate program letter of intent as an employment letter. Therefore, the letter should highlight specially, the program e.g. Master's degree in thermodynamics, indicate why the applicant is the best among other prospective students and most importantly what skills the applicant intents to bring to the program or research group. It is not uncommon for a letter of intent to be improperly set up as a personal letter. Therefore, students should note that the letter must have the following features:

• The letter must be addressed to the specific program group or contact person. A generic application will potentially receive less attention
• The letter must be written with a font size of 12 points
• The letter is usually a maximum of 2 pages on a double spaced format

What is most important is for the author of letter of intent for graduate school to do proper homework by doing some reading about the graduate program. A well-researched letter of intent is a key to scholarship

Very Important: Highlight your relevant academic background, research, work experience, and skills that have prepared you for graduate-level study. Show how your experiences have shaped your interest in the field and how they qualify you to succeed in the program.