Field notes
Finding Evidence Gaps in a Motivation Letter
Selection panels distrust claims without anchors. A simple evidence map keeps statements honest and revisable.
A motivation letter fails quietly when every paragraph asserts ambition but never points to a concrete episode. Auditors look for those hollow stretches first.
Underline each claim about skill, impact, or readiness. Beside it, write the artefact that proves it: a course title, a fieldwork site, a publication, a supervised hour count. If the artefact column is empty, the claim is a gap.
Gaps are not always fatal. Sometimes the proof lives in a CV line that the letter never references. Sometimes the proof does not exist yet and the sentence should be cut or softened.
When we critique statements, we return an evidence map rather than a polished rewrite. Applicants who own the map revise faster and keep their own voice.
If you are applying to programmes with Japanese-language panels, check whether dates and institution names match the kanji forms used elsewhere in the pack. Inconsistency here reads as carelessness, not bilingual flexibility.