Letter of Motivation

Hello everbody,

I have to write a letter of motivation for an American school in order to be accepted for an exchange trimester there. It should be arround 2 pages long. Could you please proofread my letter and tell me what I could do better or correct errors that I made. Thank you very much!

Greetings, Phil

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Dear Sirs and Madams,

I am applying for admission to the exchange program at California Polytechnic State University because I want to enrich my study program with the experience of attending a trimester at a university in the United States and intend to consolidate my knowledge of the English language.

Since my childhood I have been fascinated with the application of knowledge and therefore I indulged in doing practical things like building tree houses with friends rather than only reading about how it is done. At the age of 14 my family bought a personal computer and this technical equipment has been fascinating me since then. I enjoyed trying out its functions and soon wrote my first computer programs.

Due to my interests I attended Technical School and was determined to study Computer Science which has a high practical orientation. I achieved my Bachelor of Science degree in July of 2009. During my years of study I have worked at several companies in order to improve my practical skills.

One year ago I began studying for a Master's Degree in Software Engineering. Especially the focus on new technologies in this study course is very interesting. Currently I'm in my third semester and plan on getting the Master's Degree in 2012.

Before starting my studies in university I spent one year in Florida as an exchange student and obtained my High School Diploma. I enjoyed my time there a lot and besides getting to know many people and improving my English skills I had a chance to learn more about the American culture. In addition to taking the required courses I also played in the school's soccer team and attended several clubs and meetings like International Club or a cooking class. I lived with an US host family who gave me the opportunity to learn about the American way of life. Back then I decided to spend a semester abroad during my study time.

I have decided to go to a university in the United States because I liked the people and culture when I was spending my High School year in Florida. Furthermore in computer technology the US are one of the leading countries in the world. I like California University the most because of various reasons.
As I have read on the homepage there is a major focus on applied sciences at CalPoly and there are many practical courses offered in the curriculum. Furthermore CalPoly is consistently ranked as the best public largely undergraduate university in the West which I think is a fantastic result. I also can't deny to fancy the great location of San Luis Obispo in California between Los Angeles and San Francisco a few minutes away from the beach and the mountains.

As I have already learned from my High School exchange year such an experience can shape somebody's life in a very positive way. Besides learning for my later profession I also want to further improve my social skills because I want to work with a group of people in a team later.

In my youth I have spent some time in social groups like the altar server group at the local church or several sport teams. Furthermore I'm currently working as a tutor in my dormitory and take people out to bike and hike tours which I enjoy very much.

In addition to having a solid background in English because of my exchange year in High School I continued to work on my language skills by taking English classes in university and by keeping in touch with friends from Florida. I also read US newspapers on a regular basis in order to be up to date with the political and cultural situations.

I am confident that I possess the knowledge and social skills required to spend a successful exchange trimester at California Polytechnic State University.

Thank you for considering my application.

Kind regards