How to Write a Good Motivation Letter

How to Write a Good Motivation Letter How to Write a Good Motivation Letter 5 August, 2019 How can define a motivation letter? Do you consider it to be the same as a cover letter? Does it have any peculiar standards of formatting and composition? A cover letter is needed only in case of job applications, while a letter ofmotivation is typically required for university enrollment as well as acceptance to particular educational programs or even volunteer organization projects. It is also important to know how to write a good motivation letter for a fresh graduate or a student without particular career achievements who has to demonstrate that he or she is genuinely interested in a certain position. The name of the letter makes the main aim of writing absolutely clear. You are expected to provide a description of the factors that motivate you to apply for a particular position or activity. In case of writing a motivation letter for a student program, it is necessary to give explanations of your reasons why participation in it is important for you. If you want to apply for some volunteering activities in a non-for-profit organization, it is essential to provide the needed details related to your volunteering experience, if any, and your interest in meaningful activities and helping others. It is a common mistake to mistake cover letters for letters of motivation. It is natural as both of the letters have an aim to make a reader believe that there is no other candidate or applicant who would be better for a certain position. However, one of the differences is that limitations related to cover letters are stricter. How to Make a Motivation Letter Successful? Typically, even having theoretical knowledge of how to write a good motivation letter, students do not find it easy to keep to recognized standards of internship letter writing or motivation letter writing. It is challenging to select the details that have to be included into the letter and excluded fro it to make it effective. Note that a perfect letter of motivation is supposed to address the following issues: professional plans and goals career objectives: both short-term and long-term desired position after graduation plans as for the contribution to political, social, technological, and cultural development of the community, area, state, city, or region after graduation plans as for the place to live and work after you get a degree benefits of the selected study courses for you in terms of the career goals specific reasons why the committee should opt for your application among hundreds of other ones Factually, a good motivation letter should always contain accurate details about how a new position you are applying for will benefit from your acquired knowledge, internship practice, experience, abilities and skills. Moreover, we recommend evaluating your own weak and strong points, skills, and expertise from your own point of view. For instance, it is reasonable to assess your leadership skills, willingness to work in a team, ability to cope with tight deadlines and work under pressure, and so on. What Are the Main Constituent Parts of a Motivation Letter? All types of motivation letter writing imply covering the following fundamental aspects: Your first name and your last name along with the contact details: telephone number, email. The name of the company you want to work for and the name of the position you want. Valid reasons why you want to apply: it will be appropriate to mention your personal qualities here and explain why they will be beneficial for the development of this particular company. How to Turn Your Motivation Letter into an Outstanding Piece of Writing? Your constant focus while writing a motivation letter should be on the coherence of the content, correct language, and importance of mentioning your qualifications and intentions in terms of your application. Try to avoid flowery phrases and vague explanations. The dominant voice of the letter should be active. No specific terms. No clichs. You should sound persuasive and creative at the same time. Even if you believe that a certain clich will be the most appropriate way to express your thought, it is highly recommended to consider the aspects of how and why and opt for evidence and examples that overdo the flat phrases everybody is tired of. No plagiarism. Using certain facts and details from the previous researches or your own papers, you cannot take word-for-word parts of the texts. Moreover, never copy paste pars of the program in your letters. No copied forms. Have a look at some bright samples of the letters but do not base your own on the ideas taken from there. Blind copying will do no good and will never produce a good impression. Make your tone as positive as possible as there should be no focus on any negative aspects. Even if you want to tell about challenges or problems you had to overcome, it is better to point out not the hardships themselves, but the way you coped with them. Even if you mention your weaknesses, do not emphasize them. The main purpose of your motivation is to sell what you can do and how advantageous you are as a candidate. Most probably, they will ask you about your weak points when you are invited to the interview, but for now concentrate on the future. Present your previous qualifications, but also emphasize the prospects you want to have. You may lack experience in a particular area, but it will be right to tell not about this but about your eagerness to learn. Read a lot about how to write a good motivation letter, but also remember that the most important principle of writing is to be honest. Exaggerations are not welcome. They are looking for the most qualified candidate, but they need to know about your actual abilities and skills. You will still remain competitive if you tell the truth about what you can do instead of lying. Have a Look at the Following Valuable Tips Keep it brief It is not necessary to tell a lot. It will be much more beneficial just to point out your achievements and experience in the professional and academic spheres. You should realize the scope of work committees have in the seasons of admissions. Having thousands of applications daily, they want to see detailed information presented in a concise form. It sounds as a paradox, but it is true. They skim through the lines, and you should be able to present the main aspects without any vagueness or wordiness. Choose the achievements that are the noticeable and relevant. Professionalism and personality combined There is a certain similarity between a personal statement and a motivation letter. You have to cover the most practical details and keep the text coherent and concise. No boasting! No tedious flow of repetitions! Good luck!

Chaac, the Ancient Mayan God of Rain

Chaac, the Ancient Mayan God of Rain Chaac (spelled variously Chac, Chaak, or Chaakh; and referred to in scholarly texts as God B) is the name of the rain god in the Maya religion. As with many Mesoamerican cultures that based their living on rain-dependent agriculture, the ancient Maya felt a particular devotion for the deities controlling rain. Rain gods or rain-related deities were worshiped beginning in very ancient times  and were known under many names among different Mesoamerican people. Identifying Chaac For example, the Mesoamerican rain god was known as Cocijo by the Late Formative period Zapotec of the Oaxaca Valley, as Tlaloc by the Late Postclassic Aztec people in Central Mexico; and of course as Chaac among the ancient Maya. Chaac was the Maya god of rain, lightning, and storms. He is often represented holding jade axes and snakes that he uses to throw at the clouds to produce rain. His actions assured the growth of maize and other crops in general as well as maintaining the natural cycles of life. Natural events of different intensities from the vivifying rain and wet season storms, to the more dangerous and destructive hailstorms and hurricanes, were considered manifestations of the god. Characteristics of the Mayan Rain God For the ancient Maya, the rain god had a particularly strong relationship with rulers, because- at least for the earlier periods of Maya history- rulers were considered rainmakers, and in later periods, were thought able to communicate and intercede with the gods. The alter-egos of Maya shamans and rulers roles often overlapped, especially in the Preclassic period. The pre-classic shaman-rulers were said to be able to reach the inaccessible places where the rain gods dwelled, and intercede with them for the people. These deities were believed to live on the tops of mountains and in high forests which were often hidden by clouds. These were the places where, in the rainy seasons, the clouds were hit by Chaac and his helpers and the rains were announced by thunder and lightning. Four Directions of the World According to Maya cosmology, Chaac was also linked to the four cardinal directions. Each world direction was connected with one aspect of Chaac and a specific color: Chaak Xib Chaac, was the Red Chaac of the EastSak Xib Chaac, the White Chaac of the NorthEx Xib Chaac, the Black Chaac of the West, andKan Xib Chaac, the Yellow Chaac of the South Collectively, these were called the Chaacs or Chaacob or Chaacs (plural for Chaac) and they were worshiped as deities themselves in many parts of the Maya area, especially in Yucatn. In a burner ritual reported in the Dresden and Madrid codexes and said to be conducted to ensure copious rains, the four Chaacs had different roles: one takes the fire, one begins the fire, one gives scope to the fire, and one puts out the fire. When the fire was lit, hearts of sacrificial animals were cast into it and the four Chaac priests poured jugs of water to put out the flames. This Chaac ritual was performed twice each year, once in the dry season, once in the wet. Chaac Iconography Even though Chaac is one of the most ancient of Maya deities, almost all of the known representations of the god are from the Classic and Postclassic periods (AD 200-1521). Most of the surviving images depicting the rain god are on Classic period painted vessels and Postclassic codexes. As with many Maya gods, Chaac is portrayed as a blend of human and animal characteristics. He has reptilian attributes and fish scales, a long curly nose, and a protruding lower lip. He holds the stone ax used to produce lightning and wears an elaborate headdress. Chaac masks are found protruding from Maya architecture at many Terminal Classic period Maya sites such as Mayapn and Chichen Itza. Mayapns ruins include the Hall of Chaac Masks (Building Q151), thought to have been commissioned by Chaac priests around AD 1300/1350. The earliest possible representation of a pre-classic Maya rain god Chaac recognized to date is carved into the face of Stela 1 at Izapa, and dated to the Terminal Preclassic Period about AD 200. Chaac Ceremonies Ceremonies in honor of the rain god were held in each Maya city and at different levels of society. Rituals to propitiate rain took place in the agricultural fields, as well as in more public settings such as plazas. Sacrifices of young boys and girls were carried out in especially dramatic periods, such as after a prolonged period of drought. In Yucatan, rituals asking for rains are documented for the Late Postclassic and Colonial periods. In the sacred cenote of Chichà ©n Itz, for example, people were thrown and left to drown there, accompanied by precious offerings of gold and jade. Evidence of other, less lavish ceremonies have also been documented by archaeologists in caves and karstic wells all over the Maya area. As part of the care of a cornfield, members of historic period Maya communities in the Yucatan peninsula today held rain ceremonies, in which all the local farmers participated. These ceremonies reference the chaacob, and the offerings included balche, or corn beer. Updated by K. Kris Hirst Sources Aveni AF. 2011. Maya Numerology. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 21(02):187-216.de Orellana M, Suderman M, Maldonado Mà ©ndez Ó, Galavitz R, Gonzlez Aktories S, Camacho Dà ­az G, Alegre Gonzlez L, Hadatty Mora Y, Maldonado Nà ºÃƒ ±ez P, Castelli C et al. 2006. Rituals of Corn. Artes de Mà ©xico(78):65-80.Estrada-Belli F. 2006. Lightning Sky, Rain, and the Maize God: The Ideology of Preclassic Maya Rulers at Ancient Mesoamerica 17:57-78.Cival, Peten, Guatemala.Milbrath S, and Lope CP. 2009. Survival and revival of Terminal Classic traditions at Postclassic Mayapn. Latin American Antiquity 20(4):581-606.Miller M and Taube KA. 1993. The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya: An Illustrated Dictionary of Mesoamerican Religion. Thames and Hudson: London.Pà ©rez de Heredia Puente EJ. 2008. Chen K’u: The Ceramic of the Sacred Cenote at Chichà ©n Itz. Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI): Tulane, Louisiana.Sharer RJ and Traxler, LP . 2006. The Ancient Maya. Sixth Edition. Stanford University Press: Stanford, California.