DAAD Scholarship Letter of Motivation

This is my letter of motivation for DAAD Scholarship in Germany, for the students applying for masters in Architecture or Urban Planning. Please, help me with improving this letter further.

Thanks in advance!

"Dear Madam / Sir,
I appreciate this opportunity to provide further information to support my application for DAAD Scholarship in the field of Architecture, to aid me in pursuing an urban and regional planning programme in Germany.
Until now, as a graduate, I have been trained and working as a spatial planner, and I expect to continue to work as a planning professional, keeping myself open to all sectors, viz., government, non- government and consultancy services. However, in a few years, I do look forward to getting involved in policy planning as well, especially focusing on climate change and regional resilience.
While pursuing my bachelor’s degree, I developed a keen interest in subjects such as regional planning, urban sociology, planning theory, and community planning. I also gained proficiency in Geo-Informatics Systems (GIS), graphic and statistical software, and report writing. During the two summer internships I undertook, that focused on poverty alleviation and improvement of the conditions of urban poor, I had the opportunity to work with, and for the bottommost section of the society. Fascinated by what I learnt, I decided to conduct my own study on slum dwellers and their quality of life as my final year dissertation. During the four years of my academic training, I not only gained ample knowledge in the planning and development sector, but also grew a strong sense of empathy, and responsibility towards my profession. The facts that 35% of Indian urban population lives in slums; the nation’s capital is choking on polluted air, which is 200 times above its safe threshold limit; and thousands of farmers are committing suicide every year due to climate change, really concern me. I am aware that I cannot solve all these issues in my lifetime, but I am quite sure that with my persistent efforts and right intentions, I have the capability of doing something substantial for cities and regions in India.
After graduation, I have been working as an Urban Planner for over a year for projects under India’s first ranking Smart City, Bhubaneswar, in the Smart City Mission; wherein I contributed to several projects of different scales and sorts, such as Complete Street Project, Neighbourhood Plan, Street Vending Plan, and Regional Resilience Plan to name a few. I was responsible for both technical and management tasks such as conducting surveys, data compilation and analysis, mapping in ArcGIS and Adobe Illustrator, conducting extensive stakeholder consultations and workshops, writing reports, and managing interns. During this time, I had the opportunity to work under the eminent regional planner, David Stein, who absolutely changed my perception of urban issues, and directed my attention towards climate change and the urgency of resilience.
I have recently decided to join as a Research Assistant at XXX in XXX, to have a hands-on experience in research on urban planning and governance. This dual professional exposure in research as well as practice, I believe, will eventually help me decide my approach in the master’s programme and be precise in selecting appropriate electives.
I have specifically chosen programmes related to urban and regional planning as they all focus on sustainable development and evidence-based planning. Their courses dealing with environmental and developmental issues specific for developing countries, and additionally the exchange semester in various partnering universities across the globe to choose from, particularly caught my attention.

In my first priority programme of Masters in Sustainable Development from Leipzig University, I very much look forward to attend courses based on “Environmental Planning” followed by specialization in “Environmental Governance” and “Policy Analysis” from Utrecht University or “Sustainable Development in the Indian Practice” from TERI University, in its exchange semester. Similarly, in my second priority of Infrastructure Planning programme at Stuttgart University, I wish to opt for all three modules of Urban and Regional Planning, and Applied GIS, with my final semester thesis based on Climate Change and Regional Resilience through Infrastructure Planning.
Lastly, in my third priority programme of “Urban Agglomeration” at the University of Frankfurt, courses such as infrastructure, transportation, and governance at the regional level are of my area of interest. Undertaking them would eventually shape my research area. In the exchange semester, I am interested in attending Politecnico Di Milano for “Urban Planning and Policy Design”.
I want to pursue a post-graduate degree particularly in Germany, because unlike the conventional approach to teaching in planning and design schools in India, I found the German educational system highly flexible, interactive and liberal, which allows its students to explore and experiment in the process of learning. Moreover, the overwhelming options of quality courses along with promising financial assistance from the German government is one of the major factors for me to aspire to an academic journey in Germany. On a personal note, I am fascinated by the sustainable and democratic model of development in Germany and would like to spend two years in the country to experience and understand it personally, so as to come back and try to adopt its improvised version in the far more diverse and complex context of India.
In conclusion, I would certainly like to avail an opportunity to be a student at a German University. With my existing proficiency in technical and social skills and a strong background in urban planning and development sector, I am confident that I can bring a good amount of energy and innovation while gaining new ideas in the programme.
Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to your positive response.
Sincerely,
XXX"