The practical value of teaching undergraduate students how to write motivation letters and personal statements

The article substantiates the necessity of teaching undergraduate students techniques of writing motivation letters and personal statements. Writing these types of essays, which are common in western education, is difficult for Russian students. The article analyzes distinctive characteristics of these essays and situations in which they are used. It is concluded that under the present-day conditions of global education and growing academic mobility the skill of writing motivation letters and personal statements makes students more competitive in applying for international education programs.