Letter of Motivation?

Hi, this is my motivation letter for Industrial Ecology in the Netherland. I'm not a native speaker, and this is also my first motivation letter.

I am looking for advice to improve my motivation letter. I appreciate your comment and all kinds of adivce. Thank you in advance!

Dear Sir or Madam,

It is my ambition to become a scientific researcher in the field of Industrial Ecology. Therefore, I am applying for Master’s degree program in Industrial Ecology in ABC University, starting in September 2018. I hold a bachelor degree in Bio-environmental System Engineering from XYZ University.

Thanks to the book “Cradle to Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things” by Michael Braungart, I learned the idea of industrial ecology and circular economy. This book inspired me to think of environmental issues and the prospect of industrial ecology. I found out that industrial ecology, the idea of mimicking natural ecology system is intriguing and complicated. Thus, I took a course about practices in corporate sustainability, which introduces how various industry engaging in sustainable development, in terms of economic, environmental and social consideration. I learned that some corporation applied the principle of industrial ecology to achieve environmental sustainability, while thriving at the same time. The course increased my curiosity in industrial ecology and I started to think how to apply the principles of industrial ecology to Taiwan to make it a more sustainable island. For example, the thermal power plant in Taichung has the highest carbon emission in the world. Thus, I am aimed to research in this field to develop better energy use and better material use in Taiwan. It became my ambition to study in the field of industrial ecology to help develop my homeland sustainably.

As the Master program of Industrial Ecology in ABC University is highly international and multidisciplinary, I believed that meeting students from different countries will be a valuable experience. Furthermore, courses like Closed-Loop Supply Chains, Renewable Energy Systems, Sustainable Innovation and Social Change, and Design of Sustainable Technological Systems are essential to get a better insight of industrial ecology in order to deal with environmental issue nowadays. I especially want to expand my knowledge on Sustainable Innovation and Social Change because I found out that the interaction between innovative technology and society is intriguing and complex. Moreover, the key to actually achieve sustainable development is to have a better understanding of stakeholders and a comprehensive assessment of how new technology impacts stakeholders. Considering prospects and my previous study of the Master’s degree in Bio-environmental System Engineering at the XYZ University, I believed that your program is perfect for my study in industrial ecology and will bring me a step closer to reach my goal of being a scientific researcher in this field.

I consider myself as a diligent, self-disciplined and motivated student. During my bachelor studies, I was trained to think in a systematic way, to analyze a problem while considering other elements which have side effects. I have always dedicated to gaining more knowledge in environmental issues. Thus, I attended an internship program at EFG Technology Corporation, which is an environmental consulting corporation. During the internship, I learned how professionals cope with environmental issues in the real-world situations. I had the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to a practical situation. For example, we can get access to the data of Agongdian River, which flows through Kaohsiung City in Taiwan. The data included flow rate, vegetation, species in the river, and type of dike, therefore I was able to implement the principle of ecological engineering and scrutinize the possibilities to improve the environment where the aquatic animals inhabit. The experience during the internship sparks my interest further in learning environmental issues. Furthermore, I am interested in knowledge and insight from various field, especially psychology. My interest in psychology drives me to think about what are the key factors that influence people’s decision when they are facing environmental issues or how to utilize incentive, cognitive bias, and psychological tendency to help people live an environment-friendly lifestyle. Those insights allow me to see problems in different perspective. Besides my academic activity, I was active in other facets of university life. I was highly devoted to volunteer club in our university. In this club, I had to organize activities, including planning for volunteer programs and designing workshops for club members to learn the skills and background knowledge during our volunteer trips. I was trained to become an organized person as I was working in the club. During my year in the University Volunteer Club, we successfully hold volunteer trips to Penghu, a small island near Taiwan.

Considering my academic performance and my eager to learn more about industrial ecology, I believed that I can add value to the program. I hope to have this chance to study in this program and dedicate myself to making the world a more sustainable place by utilizing the principle of industrial ecology.

Thank you for considering my application.

Yours sincerely,

XXX