Make every sentence count. When you are writing a competitive application, every sentence should serve to distinguish you from your competitors. Some will do this more than others, but if you have a sentence that is so general it could appear in anyone’s application, you do not want that sentence in your application. Sentences like ‘I am excited to experience the culture and meet new people.’ or ‘I am motivated to help others and will spend my professional career doing so.’ may be true and meaningful sentences to the author, but they are worthless for the reviewer. Instead of writing sentences like these, explain what specific aspects of the culture you are excited about and why. Explain the specific ways you will help people and what motivates you to do so. Be as specific as possible. Details sell. General statements do not.