 Personal statement-editing advice
Hi everybody,
I have to write a personal statement for a postgraduate program (Media and Communicatios studies). As I'm not a native speaker I would be really glad for your opinion and help with editing.
Thanx!
T.
There is what I've written so far:
Dear Sir or Madam,
My interest in media studies dates back to my years at high school when I started to realize how mass media and new means of communication change our everyday lives. I had a chance to observe a huge media system transformation in my country. After years of limited and communist government ruled media scene there were first commercial channels, advertising upswing and later on also mobile phones and internet hype.
This experience influenced my decision to pursue undergraduate education in the field.
During my undergraduate studies I had the opportunity to be exposed to the wide range of practical journalism courses and media studies courses. The Media Studies and Journalism programme at the Faculty of Social Studies offered us a chance to explore not only news writing, web page creating and photography but also courses focused on media research techniques, critical media thought, media audiences and media effects. During my studies at the Masaryk’s University I’ve realized that I would like to extend my knowledge of media theory and research in the future.
The first opportunity for independent research work was my final thesis. I decided to explore the way in which woman’s glossy magazines represent green goods and green consumerism in general. The experience of designing and conducting the research by myself belongs to the most valuable gains from the undergraduate programme. The results of my final thesis were published in a journal specializing in environmental topics.
Faculty of Social Studies has an excellent reputation for its demanding and up to date courses. With a grade average of 1.67 I belonged to the top quartile of the students on the course.
As my related work experience is concerned I already had a chance to benefit from the university gained knowledge in the professional field. In 2006 I was volunteering for a non-profit Fair Trade organization in Brno. I was responsible for media activities such as press releases and press briefings. Currently I’m taking part in an internship with the A.B.C company which is one of the biggest producers of medical goods in the Czech Republic. At the position of a Brand Manager trainee I had a chance to work on advertising campaigns and customer researches. It was an excellent opportunity to see the commercial media world from the client’s point of view which involves all the advertising deals and media lobbying.
In terms of a future career, I see myself either working in media research (commercial or university based) or finding a placement in within advertising business.
In my studies towards a master’s degree, I hope to extend my knowledge on the subjects such as environmental discourse in media, gender and minority media representation and the impact of new media upon society. I was glad to find out that these topics belong to the research interests of the Centre for Mass Communication Research and some of them are covered in the courses offered. Another reason to take the Masters Programme in Mass Communications at your Department is its long established tradition of media research, wide variety of related learning resources and academics who are involved in the current research in the field. I’m also attracted by the possibility of studying in the multicultural setting of the University of X.
As stated above, I’m highly interested in pursuing my master’s degree in Mass Communications. As I am aware of the superb reputation of the Department of Media and Communication I hope you will give me a chance of continuing my studies at your institution.
Best regards,
X.Y  | 
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