Letter of Motivation to German Universities

Dear Mountain Hiker,

I am applying for Masters in Embedded Systems in German Universites. Currently, I am writing a Letter of Motivation for the European Master's Program in Embedded Computing Systems being conducted by the Erasmus Mundus Program. I will be glad if you could review it and give your views on it. Thank you.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am applying to your European Master’s Program in Embedded Computing Systems starting in August/September 2011. This program is a concrete step towards becoming an expert Embedded Systems Engineer. In 5 years’ time, I see myself designing and developing grand projects that will benefit mankind by bringing convenience to people’s lives and enhancing personal and workplace safety.

I have been interested in science since childhood as I was curious about how things work thus I used to take things apart to observe their mechanisms and then put them back again all the time. I enjoy problem solving and figuring things out that is why one of my favourite past times is puzzles solving. Hence it was only natural that I pursue Electrical Engineering as my undergraduate majors. During my studies, I was introduced to the fascinating field of Embedded Systems and I consistently scored very good marks in the relevant courses e.g. Electric Circuits, Semi-conductor Devices, Digital Systems, Design and Analysis of Algorithms, Signal and Systems and especially C-language for which I discovered I had natural aptitude for and I scored 100% in the practical. Also I was fascinated by the world of possibilities offered by Microcontrollers and FPGAs. My final year project was wholly implemented in an FPGA using a Hardware Descriptor Language and I received 341 out of 350 marks, a score that belongs to the top 5% of my class of two hundred and fifty students.

I started off my professional career in the field of Embedded Systems and by June 2012, my total experience will be of two years. During my work, I realized that the future of Embedded Systems is brighter in Europe and commensurate to my skills and knowledge, the Automotive Industry will be a perfect fit. I have worked on protocols and electronics that are used in the industry e.g. Modbus, SPI, I2C, ARM Microcontrollers, PIC32. I am cognizant about the standards used e.g. MISRA C plus I have grew up around cars so I have a functional knowledge about its workings, maintenance and mechanics.

Apart from the above reasons, I chose to pursue this course because I am looking forward to be trained in the area of System Software, Embedded Systems Hardware Architecture and Automation and Control by the leading institutes of the field where knowledge is disseminated and inculcated by praxis-oriented education. I am sure that the hands on experience I will gain at the universities will enrich my intellectual abilities and also enhance me as a person. It will also give me the opportunity to experience European culture in two different countries and help me adjust and integrate with the European Society and norms before I commence my career there. I am confident that the knowledge and skills I have acquired will keep me in good stead in the years to come. But to be the best in your profession you have to be up to date with the latest technologies.

I consider myself to be a highly conscientious individual who strives for excellence in any endeavour that he pursues by working diligently and industriously. I strongly believe that I am a good leader and I have made a difference in the lives of other people. In 2007, I took the initiative to assemble a delegation of my university to participate in a local event held at the LUMS University called LUMUN (LUMS Model United Nations). I handled the logistics myself while at the same time organized training sessions for the team members to prepare for the competition. I helped them in every step of the way, motivated them, advised them, learned from them as well and it was this hard work that enabled us to win two awards even though we were all novices. Subsequently, I lead two more delegations in the following years, to LUMUN again in 2008 and GIKI-MUN in 2009 and each time we won awards. Even during my final year project, I stepped up to be the group leader designating responsibilities, organizing group meetings and daily monitoring the progress to lead the group to a complete and successful project.

I will now talk about my transcript because I know it has some shortcomings. But rather than focusing on why it happened but I will focus on what I did about it. Having gone through some of the worst moments during bachelors which are too personal to talk about, I had hit nadir emotionally, psychologically and academically but now I believe that it was important for me to struggle through those times so I could realize that real life is extremely difficult and it is no bed of roses, a far cry from the comforts of my privileged upbringing. Having learned the lessons, I toiled then to bring my life back on track. I taught myself Communication skills, Conflict management, learned to read Body Language, attended seminars on Motivation and Assertiveness etc. while at the same time polishing and upgrading my engineering skills and knowledge such as C language, Verilog, making projects on 8051 microcontroller and Spartan 3 FPGA, subscribing to Embedded Systems Engineering websites and magazines such as Spectrum, EETimes etc. And now, when I decided to pursue my Masters, I extensively researched all prospective countries such as Australia, UK, USA, Canada, Sweden, Germany even Singapore and I chose to apply for European Masters for the reasons mentioned above. Since then, I have been preparing myself so that I can fully take advantage of the benefits that this course will offer me by reading about the industry, economy and culture of all three countries and by learning German, from Anne-Marie Schimmel Haus, Lahore, and afterwards I will enrol for Norwegian.

I am aware that life abroad will be tough and knowledge will have to be hard earned. But as ancient African saying goes, “Smooth oceans do not make skilful sailors.” My objectives are clear. I want to be an engineer who does more than simply justify the trust placed in him. A workman is only as sharp as his tools and my inherent qualities of concentration and perseverance along with a degree from these esteemed institutions are the best tools to shape my future.

Thank you for your time.

Yours Sincerely,