We reside in an era where success is partly or fully associated with quality of the education. But not just any education, quality education from recognized and reputable institutions also matter. Yes, that can be extremely hard to achieve. But not if you get a fully-funded scholarship. Getting into a well-known college requires essential documents such as a letter of intent (LOI) without which entrance cannot be imagined.
So here is our complete essay on the letter of intent (LOI) Writing for a scholarship application.
What is a Letter of Intent (LOI)?
Letter of intent abbreviated as ‘LOI’ is an academic document showing the interest with reasoning towards a specific scholarship, degree program, course, business deal, or job opportunity.
A letter of intent is also called a statement of purpose sometimes. The reason behind composing this document and why it is required by the scholarship committee is simple. They want to know your reasons for how you are eligible and the right pick for this award. As scholarship panels review hundreds and thousands of scholarship applications, they need a document that fulfills their demands of highly intellectual, promising, and hardworking students who have a sound academic background. Therefore, this document should be paid special attention to.
Format of Letter of Intent (LOI):
The composition of the letter of intent (LOI) is divided into the following three parts:
#1 Introduction:
The letter of intent must have your complete introduction including a subject line after the salutation. The introduction should not be too long as it will be mentioned in your application. Start with your full name, institutes attended, hobbies, academic background, and extracurricular activities. Refrain from mentioning political allegiances and religion as these conflictual matters will put a negative impact on the reviewer for sure.
#2 Body:
This paragraph makes 60-70% of your document. This part is where you describe the future goals and planning. For this part, you have to keep in mind the requirements of the institute and scholarship committee, so that you can convince the panel that you are capable of fulfilling these requirements. Mentioning that you work smart rather than hard will portray a good impression on the reader. Also, try not to sound like a narcissist by mentioning your capabilities way too much as it is not appreciated by the panel.
#3 Conclusion:
The last paragraph summarizes the whole document. You re-mention your aims and objectives, prove that you’re eligible, and convince the reviewer.
Note: Try using new words in this paragraph and avoid re-writing the words used in the above paragraphs.
Tips to Ace a Letter of intent (LOI):
I suggest you to follow the following listed standards while composing your intent letter that will surely let you win based on my experience as an HR manager:
- Salutation:
Don’t forget to add salutation at the beginning of your document. After that, put a subject line so that it becomes easier for the reviewer to know the purpose of the document.
- The formal tone of language:
Use a formal tone of language and refrain from using slang words. Try to sound professional and mature. The mode of communication will put a great impression on the reader, be it good or bad.
Note: Play pretends that you’re giving an interview at a multinational firm. It helps.
- Font and Font size:
The font should be 12 and the fonts can be chosen among the professional fonts such as Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman, Garamond, Bookman Old Style, Helvetica, and Verdana.
- Spacing:
Use double-space between sections and paragraphs and single space between lines. The visual appearance of your document also matters as anything that is visually pleasing to the eye has higher chances of getting accepted.
- Word limit:
As such, there is no specific word limit but it doesn’t mean that you can write all you want. Try to compose your document on a single sheet. If necessary ( if you can’t stop your hand from writing) use the word limit of 500-600 words.
- Fine Vocabulary:
The vocabulary and selection of words used in the document often save you from being rejected. Try not to repeat words and use powerful words for delivering better and expressive sentences. Try using words that are easily understandable and not have to be ‘Googled out’ after every other line in your LOI document.
- Proofread:
Always proofread your document before submitting it. The best way to do it is by not proofreading it yourself. Well, you can do it but it’s always better to let anyone else do it for you as the chances of error are low when you yourself check it.
So you have learned all the essential principles of writing a winning Intent Letter; so have a good time writing your letter of intent.