You think BEST courses sound pretty interesting, but you have no clue how the application is supposed to look like? No problem, we’ll try to support you as good as possible!
First of all: Yes, a BEST seasonal course IS a really great, cheap and adventurous way to explore new places, meet new people and to broaden your horizon, so it’s definitely worth a little extra effort to have a good application. But no worries, a good application for a BEST course has little to do with good application in a classic sense.
But what does an application for a BEST course consist of then? This is it:
- An application form with general personal information of the participant
- A motivation letter
- A list of studies appropriate for the event
- An essay demonstrating the applicant’s knowledge in the field of the event (only for advanced courses)
In general you should always keep in mind that it’s students like you and me who decide which participants are chosen for a course and which are not. So if it would be you who has a few hundred applications for a BEST course in her/his postbox, whom would you chose to spend at least one week with you? Exactly, it’s not about grades or which schools you went to, but about how interesting and energetic this person is and therefore the main criteria for choosing participants is the motivation letter.
For a short list of things “What to do” and “What not to do “ in a motivation letter, follow this link to the website of BEST:
How to write a motivational letter
If you respect those aspects, you should already have a quite decent application.
For a really outstanding application it takes a little more:
- Be creative!
- Grab the reader’s attention!
Think about a fantastic story about your life (“I’m a pirate and just dropping by”, “I’m a known troublemaker in my home country, and need asylum”, …) or tell the reader how YOU will help to make this course super awesome!
Of course there’s not the ONE recipe for a perfect application, but we really hope these hints guide you in the right direction and in the end you spend some great days on a course somewhere in Europe. Oh, and don’t forget to tell us afterwards how you liked the course .
If you still have some open questions, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will try to help you in any possible way!