Essay for University application

Hi all!!!
I am going to apply to a university and they want me to write an essay. It should be between 2000 and 3000 words and caver the following aspects:

• My motivation for the MSc-programme that I chose.
• Why I wish to conduct this programme abroad and/or in the Netherlands in particular.
• Why you are interested in TU ........
• If there are optional specialisations in the Master programme of your choice: which specialisation(s) interest you most, and why?
• Give three examples of Master thesis topics that interest me and explain my particular interest.
• Write a brief summary (maximum 250 words) of the thesis work or the final assignment done for my Bachelor study /in my case it's another Master study/

Here is what I wrote:
Essay

I am very interested in applying for the MSc Program Civil Engineering and in particular the track Transportation and Planning. I believe my educational background would enable me to make a strong contribution at the University. I mention that I will graduate in year 2010 from a Double Degree Programme between the University ............., Bulgaria and the University , Austria and get two master degrees in:

· Transportation Engineering from the University for Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Sofia, Bulgaria

· Civil Engineering – Constructive Engineering from the University of Technology in Vienna, Austria

As a part of the agreement between both universities I had the opportunity to study for one year in Vienna. In year 2005 I spent half a year taking courses at the University of Technology (for example: Transportation planning, Road design, Building Construction). I was especially fascinated by the lectures “Transportation planning” of Em.O.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. ...................and from that point on I made up my mind what field of the transportation engineering I would like to dig into in the future. Many questions about the way the road network is designed were raised in my mind. I started thinking of all traffic problems, which people in Bulgaria experience at the moment because of the increased number of vehicles on the roads, and the way they can be solved like they are in countries like Austria and the Netherlands.

Three years later, in 2009 I wrote my Master thesis at the Institute of Transportation by the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the University ..................... under the supervision of Ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. ................... Its subject was the factors that affect the distance between two encountering bicyclists on two-way bike-paths. Working on this thesis only deepened my curiosity in the field of the transportation and traffic planning. During my stay in Vienna I took part in a research “Concept for traffic reduction in Cottageviertel, Vienna” with project supervisor my master thesis’ supervisor Ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. ..................... My job was to count all vehicles passing a line at an intersection and writing down the last three figures of their plates. On another 30 or so intersections there were students doing the same thing/job. The objection of this research was to work out a clear picture of the movement of all vehicles through the neighborhood. I was really excited about all the work related with that project (although it was not a lot) and I am looking forward to conducting my own surveys in the future.

Unfortunately traffic engineering is not popular in Bulgaria and therefore not covered in my home university. Since few people do take traffic issues seriously, no significant research is being developed. This means that if I want to study and get involved in this kind of researches, I must go abroad to another country with universities that stimulate those researches.

As a whole the higher education in Bulgaria is not one of the best in Europe. When I started my study six years before, I was well aware of that but even though I didn’t opt for a study abroad because at the age of 18 I was not ready to make such an important step in my life and leave my home country. My first stay in Vienna hugely influenced my way of thinking about studying abroad and living away from my home as a whole. After that I spent two consecutive summer vacations working in the USA as part of a Student Exchange Programme. I worked in two different amusement parks. Working with all those international students was on the one hand fun and on the other an extremely helpful experience. I improved my English speaking skills and managed to get the basics about teamwork. This experience came out to be very useful for my second stay in Vienna, when I had to complete my own research connected with my master thesis.

Several things made the selection of the country, which is best suited for me, an easy job. Firstly, the Netherlands is one of the best European countries to live in. In 2005 I visited Amsterdam for a day. Sadly I couldn’t stay longer. However, it was enough to have a great walk on the narrow streets in the centre of the town, as well as visiting the harbor and the famous central railway station building. All Dutch people I encountered during that day were nice and did speak English, which in my opinion is great for all foreigners coming to the Netherlands either as tourists or students. While working on my master thesis I found out that the bicycle is a very common mean of transportation for Dutch people and the facilities for bikers in the Netherlands are the best in Europe, which, for me, as a bike admirer was fantastic. From Amsterdam to Germany I traveled by car and was amazed by the quality of the highway and the charm of the nature surrounding it. Secondly, the universities in the Netherlands are considered to be some of the best in Europe. In addition they offer a great number of Bachelor and Master Programs thought in English. As a result the country became a very popular destination for students from all over the world. Friends of mine, who already graduated from the ............ Business School, were utterly happy with the reception they have received in the University from their fellow students as well as their professors. Finally, I’m a huge fan of football and when I was a child my favorite football club was Ajax (Amsterdam). I still remember watching Denis Bergkamp, Mark Overmars and Patrick Kluivert on the TV. At the moment I support FC Arsenal London, where Robin van Persie currently plays, who is one of the best Dutch football players at the moment. He started his career in Feyenoord in Rotterdam, which as far as I know is the nearest big city to ...............

As the oldest and largest university specialised in the engineering sciences in the Netherlands ..............., with its excellent international ratings, is my first choice. I was impressed with everything I sow on the university’s web page – from the pictures of all university buildings (especially the library) and facilities to the digital study guide that was very well organized and really easy to use, where I came across the exact subjects, I am going to be attending, and their description. That information was really vital for me by contemplating at which university I will continue my education.

I also became acquainted with two Bulgarian students currently studying Aerospace Engineering at TU............... From the numerous stories about their life in and off the campus it was easy to discern, how satisfied with their choice of university they were. Beside the efficiency of the study program, they were amazed by the friendliness of all university employees as well as the breathtaking facilities that were on all students’ disposal. As a football fan sports are something important and a place where I can practice football is a must. I was delighted when my friends told me about the sports and cultural center located in the campus.

Another thing I am going to be looking for at the TU.............. is a balance between theory and practice. At my home university the emphasis has always been on the theory, which I didn’t admire at all. I realized the importance of practice during my stay in Vienna. It helped me to really get insight the subjects I was studying.

The title of my master’s thesis is “Analysis of the factors that influence the distance between encountering bicycles on a two-way bike-paths”. Those factors are as follows: bike-path width, bicyclist’s speed, age and gender. In order to determine the exact value of the distance numerous pictures of encountering bicyclists on 15 different bike-paths have been taken and afterwards carefully analyzed. All investigated bike-path’s segments are located in the downtown Vienna. The determination of the age and the gender was based entirely on my subjective judgment. The speed was determined by measuring the time needed to pass a 35 m long distance. The implemented statistical analysis explicitly shows that the distance between encountering bicyclists is most dependent on the bike-path’s width. The influence of the age, gender and speed on the distance is rather insignificant. However, some interesting conclusions could be made:

· 60% of all bicyclists are male and 40% - female

· more than 80% are between 19 and 50 years

· female bicyclists keep greater distance to male bicyclists and respectively smaller to other female bicyclists

· male bicyclists tend to use the whole bike-path width

· younger bicyclists keep greater distance to older bicyclists

· a greater distance is usually kept to a slower moving bicyclists

· an increase in the difference between the speeds of both encountering bicyclists leads to an increase in distance between themselves??

I have particular interest in traffic flow analysis, traffic signal design and optimization and Level of Service (LOS) of rural and urban streets as well as performing field observations in order to collect the data needed for the analysis. Therefore I would like to work on one of the following master thesis topics:

· EFFECT OF LONGER SIGNAL CYCLE LENGTH ON SATURATION FLOW

Nowadays the issue of oversaturation represents one of the hottest topics in traffic signal operations and traffic operations on arterial streets in general. In Bulgaria there is no established know-how for the traffic signal designing process. As a result many intersections in Bulgaria do not work at their full capacity. Therefore an optimization in the traffic signal system in the biggest cities is urgently needed.

It is known from the theory that a longer signal length leads to reduction of the time loss and therefore to an increase in the intersection throughput. This means, longer queues are generated on the intersection approaches. When these longer queues are discharged we can observe increase in average discharge headways or reduction in saturation flow rates. This reduction in actual saturation flow rate reduces vehicle throughput and thus makes longer cycle lengths ineffective.

Investigating relationship between signal cycle length and saturation flow rate is essential to finding an optimal cycle length while considering variability of saturation flow rate. Results from this research will provide traffic engineers with the knowledge how to adjust the signal timing in case of saturated and oversaturated traffic demand.

· SYNCHRONIZED TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND THEIR EFFECT ON OVERALL TRAFFIC SITUATION

Synchronized traffic signals allow continuous traffic flow over several intersections in one main direction. This way of programming a sequence of traffic signals is usually referred to as a “green wave”. This model can be applied for vehicles as well as for pedestrians and bicyclist allowing them to cross a given distance with a constant speed and without having to stop on a red light.

Synchronizing traffic signals theoretically allow higher traffic loads. Moreover they reduce traffic noise, energy use and average speed. Vehicles traveling with speed different from the one recommended usually do not take full advantage of the signalized traffic signals. They may arrive at the intersection when the traffic light indicates a red signal, thus stopping the whole traffic flow. Traffic engineers should carefully determine the exact speed, which allows the most number of vehicles to cross the intersection without stopping.

Interesting to investigate is when the synchronizing of the traffic signals is feasible and how all people taking part in the traffic situation respond to it. Different situations should be analyzed and the effect of the synchronizing evaluated, thus finding the best way of applying this model to the city’s traffic signal system.

· DEFINIG OF LOS OF URBAN STREETS

Level of Service (LOS) represents a qualitative ranking of the traffic operational conditions experienced by users of a facility under specific roadway, traffic and traffic control conditions.

For determining of LOS a number of operational performance measures, such as speed, flow and density can be measured or calculated. Moreover individuals tend to evaluate their received quality of service in terms of factors such as freedom to maneuver, traffic interruption, comfort and convenience.

Issues by urban streets are usually connected especially with signalized intersections where numerous conflicts between drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians arise. I would like to look at the problem from drivers’ view and determine how they evaluate the delays caused by the traffic signals. Therefore the control measure for the measuring of the LOS is the signal delay. The signal delay includes deceleration time, queue move-up time, stop time and acceleration time.

In order to complete this research field data at several intersections should be collected and thus the signal delay calculated. Afterwards the effect of various factors on the control delay can be specified.


Can somebody take a look and tell me whether it's fine or not? and if not what should i correct?
Thanks in advance!
Zamanov