bryn04

What is the protocol when it comes to Letters of Motivation/Purpose? Should these always be typed or always hand written? Should they be written in the confines of the space allowed on the application form? I was planning to type everything, but thought I would ask all of you to be sure. Thanks for you help!

Thank you for your help. I completely agree and understand with what you all have said. It would be helpful to get any more feedback though as it is crucial to my application and I need the best letter possible. Thanks in Advance!

I would be very grateful if I could get some feedback on my Statement of Motivation. This is the first time I have ever written one, and I feel like I am at a loss. I don't know how long it should be since there is no requirement, atleast that I could find. Also, since the application does not require LOR, and I don't have anybody to write one for me in time, this is my only sell. So I need it to be a banging LOM. For those of you with experience with these letters, any help would be greatly appreciated. TIA! To Mr. Christoph Parry, Having spent my childhood as a competitive figure skater, I have learned the importance of setting a goal and never relinquishing until I achieve it. One example is the fact that I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in international communications in just three years while most of my peers graduated in five years. I believe this highlights my attributes as a determined, driven, and dedicated young woman. While figure skating may take the credit for creating a competitive nature within me, it also allowed me to interact with several international athletes, and it is through competition that I discovered a passion for the communication exchange between various cultures. Since then, my goal has been to understand the differences that lie between interactions within an international context and the responses that these connections generate. I chose to study International Communication and Public Relations at East Carolina University due to the opportunity to create a unique major that was tailored to my interests in international understanding. While a student, I expanded my extra-curricular activities by being elected the public relations officer of our Student Government Association. This position allowed me to explore leadership opportunities such as the Jarvis Leadership Program, LeaderShape Conferences, and consequently, allowed for me to hold several leadership positions within various organizations such as intramural sports, the Figure Skating Team, the Student Media Board, and the Russian Club. All of these organizations gave me the opportunity to communicate with students of varying cultures and backgrounds, which I found to be extremely enlightening. The highlight of my undergraduate experience was an international studies course in which my class was able to videochat with students from Russia, Gambia, and Czech Republic. In this class, we taught each other about our cultures and created an open learning environment where we could appreciate one another and the customs, traditions, and religions we celebrated. This course was instrumental in shaping my desire to increase my education beyond the classroom. Upon this discovery, I chose to study at Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia to expose myself to communicating strictly with foreign students and to further enhance my fluency in the Russian language. I found that I excelled at linguistics and have a desire to learn additional languages. As you can see, my undergraduate experience severely motivated me to pursue my interests in international and intercultural affairs. Although I received decent grades in academics and put forth my maximum amount of effort into my education, frankly I believe I could do better. My desire to constantly exceed previous expectations led me to pursue a master’s degree because I believe it is the best way to contribute to my goal of becoming an expert in the field of intercultural communication. Upon searching for graduate programs, I found the Masters of Intercultural Communication and Administration at Vaasa University to be the one that peaks my interest more than the others. After much research and conversation with professionals, I believe the program accurately identifies with my interest and passion to study the administration of cultural differences. I understand that the teaching staff is viewed as some of the best in Europe and I would consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to have them has professors and mentors. I am specifically interested in Professor Ari Salminen’s research in Public Management and Public Sector Ethics. I find these subjects to be of unique topic and am interested to learn his standpoint on how these two subjects affect an international context. To benefit from his experience would be an understatement. I chose to apply to this specific program because I firmly believe that my education and experience has laid the perfect groundwork for the courses that are offered. With acceptance, I hope to gain an increased understanding of how varying cultures react and respond to one another with specific interest in the courses, Public Ethics, Managerial Decisions, Practical Training, and the Finnish Language. However, I feel this masters’ degree is a very comprehensive program and I am highly interested in all of the courses offered. My goal in completing a Masters in Intercultural Communication and Administration is an intense desire to work in an international environment, impressing upon society the understanding and education gained, in order to lead a community into a world where cultural differences are not only accepted, but celebrated as well. An example would be a spokesperson for an international organization or corporation. A position with such an organization would allow me to utilize the skills and education from this program to decrease the negative aspect of communication exchanges within an intercultural context. While at the same time, showcasing my ability to interact successfully with people of all backgrounds and cultures. Another goal I have is to further my education in a doctorate program to increase my expertise in this field in hopes of having a platform in a university classroom to discuss and teach these findings to other young students like myself. I hope my sincerity and passion is conveyed in this letter, as your Masters program would not only aid me in accomplishing my goals, but also provide a once in a lifetime experience by living in a country where so many cultures are accepted. To reiterate, I believe that I can offer, A commitment to successAn extreme work ethicA determination to fully experience what VAASA and Finland has to offerAbility to view challenges as opportunitiesExcellent group contributorMotivation and a sincere interest in the course topics These are a few reasons why it would be beneficial to except me into your program. I sincerely thank you for considering my application as I look forward to becoming apart of such a dynamic University.

Thanks guys, I was hoping to get clear cut advice. And that really helps alot. As for my intentions for grad school, I graduated in three years because I was very motivated to get into the workforce (unfortunately I didn't know the economy would be as bad as it was) and spent a semester of that time abroad. So I wasn't at my university long enough to establish relationships with my professors like I would have wanted to. The semester I spent abroad was my last semester and therefore received my degree after my credits from the university abroad rolled in. My plan at the time was to go back abroad and teach english until the economy cleared up and I could find a job, but due to circumstances, I ended up finding unpaid work as an intern for an organization. I am actually applying to grad school abroad because I want to get a masters and at the same time, have more experiences abroad while I am still young. I am very capable of earning a masters, I just timed things wrong from the beginning and now find myself scrambling. I have a professor in mind for one, but as for a second, it will be a stretch. I unfortunately lost all my coursework samples not too long ago so that may be a challenge. I was just curious if professors are used to having to write LOR for students they don't remember and if so, how good could the letter possibly be?

I have hit a bump in the Grad school application process... It has been over two years since I have been in college and couldn't find a job until recently either. So I decided to go to grad school but I need LOR's and my college professors won't remember me. My only choice is to have an old high school teacher write one ( who is a family friend as well) and possibly my supervisor from my job. Will this be accepted? The universities want LOR's to be on an official letterhead and I'm not sure my high school or my workplace has them. I'm not sure what to do. Do I risk not sending in a LOR from my college? Or do I try to track down an old professor and ask them?