Letter of motivation

Hi everybody.

I've been asked to write a letter of motivation for a bschool in France. I really could use some help looking over what I've got so far. I have been lokking at previous post here and I have gotten a lot of help, but since I'm neither a english native nor used to writing these types of letters, some help wouls really be appreciated!

It has to be said that I'm supposed to write 1000-1500 words and I think that I'm at that point where I'm just stuck.... I hope you can provide me with some insights.

Well here it goes:

Dear Sir or Madame,

I am writing to apply for the Master in Management Program at x school of business starting in the fall of 2012.

Already in High-school I knew that I wanted to explore the world and that I had a passion for languages and different cultures. After completing my first year in High-School at home in Norway I decided to move and attend school in France. Since I was only 16 at the time, I lived with a French host family and took part in their everyday life. This gave me a unique insight not only into the French culture, but also the big language-barriers. I arrived in Poitiers to meet my host- family, happy and confident in that this would be the best experience in my life. I loved my host-family, - I still do, but I quickly realized that my French was not as good as I had hoped, and none of my host-brothers spoke English. This made for a rough start. But not being able to communicate in anything other than French made me pick up on the language quickly and when I left for another three months in a language-school in Nice, I already spoke French fluently, and I could enjoy all the other aspects of the exchange.

In 2009, I earned a bachelor degree in marketing with a specialization in Innovation and entrepreneurship from The University of xx United states and xxSchool of management. At first, when we were given our options as to our specializations I did not consider going to xx at all. This for one reason, - I’ve always been afraid of flying, and this flight just seemed way too long to cope with! After some consideration it struck me how ridiculous it would be to let this opportunity go, simply because I did not want to get on a plane. Still hesitantly about the long flight, I started my application, and after a while I realized that I really wanted this opportunity! Only a short year after, I landed in x and I have never regretted my decision even for a second.

At xx I attended classes alongside regular American students and I wrote my final thesis on the topic of innovation in Norway, - all awarded with top grades. This was as a specialization in my bachelor in marketing witch I got from my school back in Norway. One thing that for me was somewhat strange with the Berkeley experience was that I was not allowed to work in the United States. Back home I always held at least one part-time job to support myself, so the experience of being a full-time student was both strange and welcome.

After graduating from college I moved back to my hometown in Norway and I started to work in a new-started branch of a financial company. Starting to work here right in the middle of the financial crisis, gave me a lot of opportunities to use what I had learned in my corporate social reasonability classes at X. I had to deal with customers that had lost all of their savings and customer that had not been getting the guidance that they needed after the marked collapsed. While it was a difficult job to handle, I learned a lot about customer services.

At the present time I work for one of the world’s largest insurance-broking companies, X. Here I hold the position of Account Manager, and I have the responsibility for my own client portfolio in cooperation with the senior brokers. In this position I get to take on a diversity of different tasks, and I get to have the responsibility of the insurance program for my own customers. Mostly I deal with big international companies, and in cooperation with the brokers I do year-to year renewals, tenders and upgrading of their policies. In this job, I not only get to work with big international clients, but I get the opportunity to work with people from several different disciplines and a variety of age. For me, this has been a huge learning experience, not only in what I can learn, but also in what I can learn to a group and how to get the best out of a group with different experiences and credentials.

Over time, I have assumed the roles of a team member, a team leader, a subordinate, a peer and also that of a teacher. I have always loved being involved in different activities and causes, and if I can participate to make something better it brings me tremendous joy. All my experiences has taught me to function at a peak level while operating in chaos, and all the while also working harmoniously with my fellow teammates.

During my free time I am a really active and social person. I enjoy doing a lot of different activities and I love the possibility to do and see new things. At the present time I do both yoga and kickboxing, - which I realize might seem as two contradicting sports, - but I feel I get out two sides of myself and I love them both, in very different ways. Since I live in a relatively small town, one of the things I enjoy when travelling is the opportunity it gives me to try activities witch are not available back home. For example, we went ATV-driving on a desert beach in Mexico and we tried indoor-skydiving in Las Vegas.

There are several reasons why I want to study at this program. I have spent a lot of time researching different schools and different programs in France, and the possibility to do an extended program at your institution and one of the other ABE institutions really spoke to me. I want to acquire the skills to be able to handle working in a global world and how to deal with a world that is becoming smaller and smaller by the minute.

After having worked in both local businesses and in big, world-wide corporations, and after having had the experiences I have had both in the comfort of my own country and abroad, I know that I want to have an international career. I have come to realize that I need international input, whether it be from being able to travel, or from being situated in a multicultural environment, I realize that this is something that I need in my life. With a degree in International Master in Management from Audencia Nantes I will be able to for fill these goals and one day hold a management position in an international company.

One of my biggest dreams must be to be able to participate in the start-up of a local branch or a local department of a company and be able to see it thrive and being able to be the one to make it a success. I have been working with start-up divisions before and I find a thrill in being there from the beginning, and seeing something grow and thrive.

Thank you so much for your consideration and I look forward to your acceptance of my application.

Yours sincerely