Help with Erasmus Motivation Statement.

Hello there, recently i found a great guide in this forum:
I used it for writing my motivation letter for the Erasmus programme of computational Mechanics i'm applying for... This is how the registration form asks for it:

Please write a motivation statement in the box below. This should not exceed 2 pages. Please include why you are applying for admission to the MSc Computational Mechanics programme, explain your reasons for undertaking graduate work, as well as an explanation of your academic interests, including their relation to your undergraduate study, life and professional goals.

Please note that as lenghty as it looks it doesn't go over 2 pages, with a size 11 typeset.

What do you think of it? Please feel free to point anything out.

Motivation statement:


In the year new career path opened for me. I took a three-day course in 3D CAD modeling. The subject wasn’t covered in the mechanical engineering programme of my University, at least not at the time, and I didn’t have any idea of the development, use and opportunities in computational methods for a mechanical engineer. More than just focusing on developing one skill, it piqued my curiosity into computational mechanics, drove me to investigate about it, and after the course was over, I continued my training by using tutorials provided by the software developer itself. I didn’t know it by then, but this small course had a big impact on the career decisions I was about to make.

After taking the advanced course in CAD modeling, I had already decided I would specialize in this subject as much as possible; even though it wasn’t a requisite, I used CAD modeling for design-driven projects and assignments during my undergraduate studies. It sped up the process of creating drawings and graphical representations. For some, the time spent on tutorials and problem solving within the software was a waste of time; it was a great opportunity for me, since I was already thinking of the skills I needed to develop to work on this field.

On the same year, I attended a lecture on a research done on the Faculty’s Energy Department. It featured a CFD analysis of a can combustor. Using computational methods for this kind of analysis involving fluid flow and heat transfer was a novel idea for me, and I took note of the lecturer’s final words: “If you are interested in research involving CFD, just look for us in the Energy Department.”; little did I know he would be the tutor for my upcoming thesis.

Nevertheless, I did not take action immediately after this lecture. It was only around June 2007, when I was presented with an opportunity for developing a thesis project on the design of a sand mixer for a foundry. There was funding, the design was rather simple, and I would work in the project with my best friend. That’s when I remembered the lecture, and how there was a chance to work in this subject. I headed to the Faculty’s Energy Department, and asked for a thesis assignment. That was when I started working on the CFD simulation of a cooling tower, and declined the offer of the sand mixer design. Besides showing my background, this sheds some light on how far I will go to stand by my goals and long-term decisions.

My internship was on PDV, ’s Largest oil company; Sadly, it was unrelated to my field and I worked in the maintenance department of an Oil field in another city. Even still, I had a good performance, and I found out there were opportunities for me to work on a thesis project, which would surely end up in a job placement; By that time my thesis with the Energy Department was already approved and the Cooling tower geometry and mesh was almost done. Then again, I chose to stick to my goals. I still believe it was the best decision.

During my project I spent a lot of time reading scientific papers, Literature and tutorials on the CFD code used by the department (ANSYS CFX) and talking to Post-grade students and teachers. It was then I decided I would pursue a career on Computational Fluid Dynamics and computational mechanics in general by starting a post-graduate course as soon as I obtained my first degree.

This Erasmus Course opens up a lot of doors for me. After if obtain this Master degree, I plan to engage in research by applying for a PhD studentship right away; Swansea University has some research on Fluid-Structure Integration modeling (FSI), which is one of the non-compulsory courses I plan to take if I receive the scholarship. Since this course and my choice of institutions are not focused only in Fluid Dynamics, but has structural / material mechanics as well, it gives students a great knowledge base for engaging in research for this topic. The UPC University in Barcelona also has a doctoral degree in thermal engineering that covers many subjects of my interest. There are also more choices, such as Cranfield’s PhD studentship in CFD for Compressible Flows. It might be hasteful to list some examples of topics I would be interested for a doctoral degree, but I like to be systematical and plan things ahead. I even have plans for what kind of short or post grade courses part-time I could take after I have obtained my doctoral degree.

I’m interested in getting work experience in this field, and developing team-work and communication skills; this will be probably until I can obtain funds to take on a Doctoral degree course, or after it. That influences my choice, because CIMNE’S Computational Mechanics course with the Erasmus Scholarship might be the best preparation I could get in the world for working in this field at the moment; The Erasmus Programmes are recognized worldwide, and so is the quality of the Universities involved in them.

To summarize, I can state that I am sure of how much I want to pursue this career, and this Erasmus Course is a great start. The subjects are challenging, but that is the same way I felt about my thesis project at the beginning. I am also aware of the competition for obtaining the Erasmus scholarship is fierce, but I believe my background, experience with Computational Mechanics and CFD software goals, preparation and motivation are more than enough for applying.


... And that's it. I was thinking of basiclly slaugther that paragraph about my internship... what do you think? Thanks in advance, guys.