How do you write a presentation letter for a place in a university?

Question

My brother really would like to come and study in Uk. He has been told that he needs to write to the Universities here to tell them why would he like to study here. He is 17 and Spanish, and never has needed to do something of the like. I would like to help him but I have never written one myself. Could you tell me what are they looking for? Do you have a sample letter that he might use as an inspiration? His idea is to study politics, or anything related with politics and economics, international relations, or so on. Do you know good universities to study these? Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

He doesn't need to write a letter to the universities, he needs to fill out an application through UCAS - http://www.ucas.com/ - most universities will only accept applications that come through UCAS.

On the application from, he'll have to fill out details of his education, choose up to six courses to study, get a teacher recommmendation and write a personal statement - this might be what people have been referring to.

My advice would be to write a paragraph focusing on why he wants to study politics, and what makes him a good candidate for the course. Then I'd get him to write about why he thinks university is important, what he has to offer as a student and what he thinks he will gain from the experience. It's also a good idea to write a little bit about what his interests are outside the classroom, and what kind of things he would like to pursue outside the classroom.

Here are some examples of statements:
http://www.getintouni.com/Samples/#free
http://www.studential.com/personalstatements/getpscourse.asp?type=41
http://www.funky.co.uk/study_zone/personnal_statement.php

Some of the best universities for politics and economics are: Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Warwick, Birmingham, Bath, York, Bristol and Edinburgh.
You can find more ranking information by visiting http://www.guardian.co.uk and http://www.timesonline.co.uk

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

If the uni has a requirement for a letter, they will usually have on website a page of instructions. Basically the ones I am aware of want to know something of the student, the student's goals, things like that. It helps to read up about the school, and make one's goals match the mission and focus of the school...
Example...
If I wanted to attend a school that is big on diversity, then I would put that in my letter. If at all possible, get someone who has experience and has been accepted in a uni him or her self. I hope this helps!