[Application] Utrecht University Comparative Literature MA Motivation Letter

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zulaalexandra

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Hi everyone! I just need some help proofreading & checking topics of my Motivation Letter for Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
Some background information: word limit is 500 words (I am currently at 466 so I do have room to include more suggestions/information), I am switching fields from Visual Communications/Photography to Comp Lit so I don't have much to say on any involvements I may have had within the field as of yet. Deadline is also the 15th of January so I have quite a bit of time left but I'd like to get this done as soon as possible.

I would really appreciate any help with this! Thank you!

——

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am pleased to be submitting my application to your Comparative Literature Studies RMA for the 2021-2022 academic year. I strongly believe that completing a Master’s degree at your institution will aid me in achieving my goal of producing journalistic and educational content to do with post-colonialist and feminist theory in the twenty-first century.

For as long as I can remember, I have understood my life to be a post-colonialist entity; having been born into the world as a multicultural expatriate child in a Dutch-Filipino household, every culture I was exposed to over the early years of my life encouraged me to widen my worldview and political perspectives. Through this life, I was (and still currently am) granted the privilege to draw from each country and culture I have lived in to shape my own perspective of the world and relate to my surroundings. It was with this that I began my advocacy for women’s rights in Singapore in 2015 as a teenager, which lead me, later on, to develop a passion for understanding human rights on a global level and acknowledging cultural diversity within the scope of critical theory in regards to media consumption, particularly within the feminist movement.

I may not be graduating with a Bachelor’s in a relevant field prior to applying to your program, but I believe the path I was able to follow in the institution I am still attending has allowed me to gain a sufficient understanding of critical theory and cultural studies aside from my life experiences; with aneducation in Visual Communications and Photography I have been trained not only in the craft of basic art principles but have had to quickly adapt my knowledge into both a visual image and extensive critiques wherein processes and reflections are required to be presented. Given my experience in academia as a student of the arts, I understand the demands of a rigorous course, particularly after completing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and most recently acquiring my BA degree. I am willing to commit myself to complete a thesis project at the culmination of this program, of which my research interests stem largely from the influence of post-colonialism in modern media emphasizing feminist culture.

I am confident that my time in the Netherlands while studying at your institution will not go to waste. As a Dutch passport holder getting the opportunity to live and study in the Netherlands after time abroad is a privilege upon itself that I am certain will be put to good use. After researching your institution and programs meticulously I believe that your school would be the best fit for where I would like to be in the future and strongly hope to be considered an MA candidate to your program.

Faithfully,

[name]
 
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teechar

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Did they tell you which areas to cover in your letter?
 

zulaalexandra

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Hi, it took some time to check the requirements but I re-wrote the letter according to the guidelines I was able to find. Here are the guidelines:

· Why have you chosen this Master’s programme, and why at Utrecht University?
· What is your experience/what demonstrates your interest in this field?
· Which subject areas within this field do you find most interesting and why?
· What makes it evident that you possess the required qualities for this Master’s programme?
· How does this Master’s programme correspond with your career or research ambitions?
· Reflect on your academic achievements.

And here is my re-written essay—

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am pleased to be submitting my application to your Comparative Literature Studies Master’s programme for the 2021-2022 academic year. My intention in applying to this course is to not only further my career in academia alongside my Bachelor’s degree but pursue a profession in journalism and publication with a focus on feminist and postcolonialist theory.

Literature has been one of the only stable facets of my life. Growing up as an expatriate child to a Dutch father and a Filipino mother encouraged me to explore the various genres, concepts and larger perspectives within literature and media as it reflected in my own life; this, in turn, led me to discover the field of Comparative Literature, and subsequently, Utrecht University’s RMA CLS programme. The interdisciplinary structure of the Comparative Literature programme as publicized by the University and the transcultural approach to both subject matter and social impact (past or present) is an aspect of the programme that I have become deeply interested in. Being an avid media consumer from a young age, I have since realised the significance of understanding the many approaches to dissecting the literature we take in juxtaposed against a variety of schools of thought. I would also like to attribute the countless webinars and information sessions the University has advertised to prospective students as a strong deciding factor to my applying to your institution and programme. Coming from an arts university, international input has proved to be the most suitable environment for a student like me Intimate class settings have also highly encouraged me to develop into a more comfortable person in interacting with peers and professors, particularly when it comes to assigned discussions and presentations. Studying at Utrecht University would also present the opportunity to live in a city that is highly populated by students—something I was never able to experience in my undergraduate career—and will highly rejoice in the company throughout my time in the programme.

The subject areas I find to be most interesting within the scope of Comparative Literature analyze the real-world applications of critical theory and use them as a starting point for the education of both academics and the general public. Knowing that I will have the opportunity to study Cultural Memory concerning citizenship or trauma, for example, as a “product” of interracial marriage and expatriation is something that deeply drives my interest in Comparative Literature. On top of Cultural Memory—post-colonialist theory has always held my attention as a means of understanding my interaction with the world, drawing from experiences as a multi-cultural and mixed-race child, where it is believed that colonialism no longer “exists” in its purest form. The opportunity to uncover certain myths and misconceptions regarding post-colonialism and how the thinkings of Edward Said prevail in contemporary society is a subject area that will no doubt provide a foundation for my future aspirations and goals. When it comes to my qualifications for this course, I am extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to tailor my undergraduate experience to include courses that enabled me to inform my major in other ways. I was able to take serval English Literature, Art History, and Philosophy classes, as well as become familiar with the fundamentals of Anthropology and Media Literacy with this customization. Each class approached its subjects with both an acknowledgement of the progress the subjects have lent to society, both historical and contemporary, as well as introduced critical theory as a means of furthering our understanding of interdisciplinary work. I believe my Bachelor’s degree in Photography, alongside my previous academic experience with the Humanities, will provide both a stable foundation to the programme as well as introduce a new perspective to the conversation to be had in the course.

The majority of my academic career stems from my partaking in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, of which I graduated from and received the diploma in 2017. Due to the multiple awards I received in both 2016 and 2017 (Open-Minded and Risk-Taker Learner Profiles, respectively), I was admitted into the Savannah College of Art & Design with awards and scholarships for Achievement (portfolio-based) and Academia (based on total IB score). My grades have always been quite stable throughout the first two years of my undergraduate study on campus, however, switching to my university’s eLearning program in late November of 2019 due to a variety of personal and academic circumstances allowed me to venture further into self-discipline in academia. Since becoming a full-time online student my grades have increased significantly and my work ethic has strengthened apropos of time management and project development, as well as communication with professors and peers. It is as an online student that I was able to reinforce achieving my university’s highest academic honour of Dean’s List consistently for several quarters in a row in 2018, 2019, and 2020. My career ambitions after graduating with a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature are to get started in journalism and work with organizations and communities to do with advocacy. I am confident that bringing two industries together and bringing awareness to events that incorporate post-colonialist theory, feminism and other forms of social justice through contemporary media comprehension and an interdisciplinary approach will highly benefit audiences that are willing to understand the world on a much deeper level.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my application and my place in your programme. I strongly believe that the new perspectives I may bring with my previous experience in a separate field introduce an opportunity for a fresher conversation and international input. I look forward to hearing back from you and would love to extend the conversation over interview.

Yours faithfully,

[name]
 
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teechar

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What's the submission deadline?
 

zulaalexandra

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Official deadline for applications is only April 1 but I plan to submit my documents on January 17.
 

teechar

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But now you have 950 words! Do you want to revise it again, or would you like me to cull some of the text?
 

zulaalexandra

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So sorry, I guess I forgot to add in the updated guidelines (alongside the new draft) that this Master's motivation letter can be more than 500 words. There is no strict word limit now, just fits within the limitations of one to two pages in Times New Roman 11 or 12 point font. Hope this clears everything up!
 

teechar

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