Have you seen on BEST Thessaloniki social media that applications of a season of BEST Courses are open, but you are having trouble doing your application? We work for you!

How should I select a BEST Course?

  1. Check the topics of the season of BEST Courses you want.
  2. Read the description and decide if you are interested in this topic.
  3. Do the dates fit your schedule?
  4. If the topic is considered Advanced, do you have the required knowledge?
  5. Do you like to visit the hosting country/city?

How can I apply?

  1. Make an account in the main site of BEST.
  2. Choose the BEST Course you want to apply from the list and click Apply.
  3. Make your application. An application consists of a form with general information of the participant, one motivational letter (check bellow for more), 3 questions on the topic and in some cases a list of courses you have taken in the past related with the BEST Course’s topic.
  4. A message will appear: “Your account is not activated for this season – you can apply now but your application will not be visible to the event organizers until your account is activated by your Local BEST Group Thessaloniki.” After the deadline of the application period, our team will contact you and give you information on the validation of your account.

Note: You can apply to up to 3 BEST Courses per season from which you are going to be accepted to only one (if you are). In your whole student life, you can participate maximum in 3 BEST Courses (only 2 of them can be in Summer Season). For each university the application is different.

What will happen though if you are chosen?

Congratulations!

  1. Were you selected? Our team will contact you for the deposit, which you are going to take it back after your successful participation.
  2. The organizers will send you anything you need to know about the event, such as the survival guide, the syllabus, the daily schedule, etc.

During the event

Pay the fee to the organizers.

Coming back

After you come back in your city, an email is going to be sent to you with the evaluation form of the BEST Course. You need to sign in in your personal account in the main site of BEST and complete the evaluation form. After that our team will contact you and return your deposit.

How should I write my Motivational Letter?

Ιf you want to participate in a BEST Course, your application is very important. The motivational letter is the most important part of this process, as it is one of  the main criteria based on which each Local Group selects participants!

So where should you start? What is good to say? What not to say?

The following guidelines and tips will help you get a general idea for your motivational letter. However, due to variation in the selection criteria of each Local BEST Group there is no perfect and standardized template. Therefore, it is not binding and necessary to apply these guidelines to the letter, but instead we encourage you to be original and create something special and unique!

Where do I start?

  • Before applying to an event, read carefully the information provided on the official website. How and what kind of event will it be? Is there any prerequisite knowledge required? Don’t forget that reading the survival guide can be very helpful in this!
  • Many Local Groups may have over 400 applications! So, imagine how important originality is when your application is compared to others. To make your motivational letter stand out try to be creative, but also entertaining (friendly style) to win over your readers from the start.
  • The letter should be written in English, and it is advisable to avoid special characters (as well as any word in Greek or any other language).

What should I write?

  • A few words about yourself. What do you study, what do you do in your daily life, what are your hobbies, what sports or arts are you involved in, maybe even what languages you speak. One of the values of BEST, and it goes without saying that BEST Courses are not lacking, is fun. Therefore, a personality that balances academic and fun content is important!
  • The organizers need to understand that you are interested in the subject. Try to make a clever reference to the topic and show why this topic is attractive to you. Also, don’t forget to mention how the knowledge you will gain will help you in your future career.
  • Explain why you want to go to that particular city and country so much! It’s a good idea to do a little research on the location before you start writing. Generally, show interest in the place and the people who will be hosting you.
  • What do you have to offer at the event? In other words, why should they choose you? Again, it’s good to have a balance between academic and fun content (e.g., you dance like Michael Jackson, or know hundreds of jokes, or have a NASA award on the subject)
  • If prerequisite knowledge is requested, you must show that you have it. This will be listed as a requirement in the Course details, so read the information given on the official website carefully before applying.

What should I not write?

  • Your Motivational Letter will be read by students. So, formalities such as “Dear Madam or Sir” or “To whom it may concern” are unnecessary.
  • The Motivational Letter is NOT a resume. You do not need to write what seminars you have attended, what grades you have earned, what internships you have done… We want to know more about you as a person!
  • Do not -under any circumstances- put pictures or links in your Motivational Letter.
  • Be careful!!!! Send the right letter in the right place. (In case you make more than one application, don’t mix them up!)
  • Do not copy a ready-made Motivational Letter! Try to write a unique letter that reflects and contains your personal style.
  • Don’t go overboard with the size! Half, to a maximum of one A4 page is enough for the organizers to get to know you. Try to keep a balance.
  • Don’t leave it to the last minute! A very common mistake is to leave the application for the last day. This sometimes results in us not being able to send your application due to system overload, but also not having enough time to write your application as we would ideally like. So, make sure you write and send your application in time!