Personal Statement: University of Amsterdam

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WhitneyB

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Hi!

My name's Whitney and I'm currently submitting an application for MA Comparative Literature at the University of Amsterdam this coming September. I mostly just wanted someone to double check over my Letter of Motivation, maybe some insight into how I could improve. Thank you very much for your help :)


Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this in application for the MA Comparative Literature course at the University of Amsterdam starting in September 2o20. I was born and currently live in the United Kingdom, where I’m soon to gain my Bachelor of Arts in Photojournalism.


To me, Literature is more than a single entity, but an all-encompassing art form that flows outwards into the world we inhabit and the culture we consume. It’s for this reason why I take particular interest in Comparative Literature. Eventually, my interest only grew with my own personal readings into a wide array of works spanning across fiction and non-fiction, from authors such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Leo Tolstoy, Gustave Flaubert, Truman Capote, Arthur Schnitzler, and more.

During my degree I have also combined critical and literary theories into my work academically. My first-year works included a range of cultural observations and studies, with particular focus into philosopher Walter Benjamin, the cultural critiques of Susan Sontag and fictional author Marcel Proust's magnum opus, In Search of Lost Time. Outside of my degree I’ve also spent the last year working part-time as the Junior Digital Editor for the independent literary fashion magazine, The Ingenue. Despite all of this, I still believe this is only the tip of the iceberg into what I can learn about the dynamics of Literature and how it works within our world, and I yearn to know more.

I believe Amsterdam in and of itself, has been an international hub for Literature since the Dutch Golden Age—a time where more works printed in the Netherlands than in all European counties put together. That the University of Amsterdam was formed in the middle of this literary boom, only proves to me that your institution is built on a foundation of knowledge and interculturality. This, combined with the vibrancy of Amsterdam, could only make the experience of studying Comparative Literature that much more enriching.

With your course, I hope to progress my skills as a writer and interdisciplinary thinker—I not only want to absorb the knowledge your institution can give me, but also give back to you with what I hope is a fresh worldview.


Yours Faithfully
Whitney Bryan
 

teechar

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When is the application deadline? Were you given any guidelines as to what to cover in your letter or how many words to write?
 

WhitneyB

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Hello,

The application deadline is the 15th March. There wasn’t any clear guidelines on word count or what to include m, so I mostly just went off, of what they wanted in a student on the course page.
 

teechar

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I can't see any reference to "personal statement" on that page. Can you show me where it says you have to write one?
 

WhitneyB

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Hi,

The motivation letter section is within the application form itself. It‘s marked with a red asterisk so I have to do it.
 

teechar

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OK.
Do you see the section titled "student profile" (in the link you provided above) which has five points in it? It would be a good idea to show in your letter how you fit all, or most, of those criteria. Do you think you can do that?
 
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WhitneyB

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teechar

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Do that, and post your revised letter below.
 

kayleebrown091

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Can I use same personal statement writing format for other universities?
 

Rover_KE

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Welcome to the forum, Kaylee.

Please start your own thread for this question rather than adding it to another member's thread.
 
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