Motivation letter

Hello everybody!
I'm applying for the scholarship to study in Germany. Your forum and the discussions here inspired me for this motivation letter. The scholarship is vey-very important for me, so would anybody be so kind to look throught the letter and give me a feedback. Thank you so much and have a nice day
Ksenia

Dear Sir or Madam;
I am writing in order to apply for the *** scholarship.
I have selected three Master programs in Germany starting in October 2013.
My first choice is *** with specialization in “***”; second is Master program *** in *** and third – Master program *** at the University ***. I would like to tell you about myself and explain why I prefer these universities.
For the first time I got interested in psychology when I was in high school. Our Psychology teacher organized a volunteer helpline for teenagers. The students of our Gymnasium and the first- or second-year students of the Psychology Department could take special training in the weekly evening groups and after that work as volunteers at the helpline to cope with problems of their peers. I took part in this project during the last 1,5 years at school and decided to continue my education in the field of Psychology.
Currently I am enrolled in a 6-year Clinical Psychology Program at *** and will graduate it in ***. My degree focuses on specific impairments in patients with different types of neuropsychiatric disorders. I acquired the knowledge in different branches of medical psychology and such disciplines as mathematical methods in psychology, methodological issues in clinical psychology, methods of psychological research and statistical software SPSS. I also took several courses in physiology and functions of the brain which provoked my interest to understanding the way human brain works and effects the way we operate.
After taking a course in “Neuropsychology” I decided to broaden my knowledge in this field. During the last 3 years I am involved in a research of cognitive and emotional disorders in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Moreover, I am working as an assistant of Clinical Psychologist at the Department *** having patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and different types of traumatic brain injury. I have a passion for research and am especially interested in further developing my skills in empirical research.
Having been immersed in the area, I have personally witnessed how psychological examination can help doctors in diagnostics and assessment of the treatment results, which encouraged me to update and improve my knowledge.
Many people could say that they are interested in psychology because they enjoy helping people or because they want to understand themselves and be successful in life. But, to be honest, it is not the only reason for me: I strongly believe that the human brain is one of the most challenging, amazing, complex systems we could ever meet in the world, so trying to understand its mechanisms is what really makes me fond of the area I study and work in.
My career ambition is to become a doctor in ***, devising and researching new modern methods to explore how the health or damaged brain is organized, how it function and what happened when some parts of it stop working in a proper way. The development of these methods would allow detecting the neurocognitive disorders at the first stage and choosing the effective treatment, as they can show even small changes in the status and functioning of individual cognitions.
By choosing Master Program in German University I will learn international scientific standards and achievements in order to build up my professional career in research.
The course in *** will provide me with the state-of-the-art experimental procedures to study the neurocognitive functioning. Firstly, it is one of the best programs, offered in Europe in this field, as it had been awarded as one of the “Top 10 International Master’s Degree Courses made in Germany”. Secondly, the program suggest not only theoretical knowledge but also provide an opportunity to practice your skills in individual work under the guidance of the supervisor, which I consider important issue in learning the techniques of research especially when you have the possibility to ask questions and get the feedback of your teacher. Finally, my future career is connected with the interactions with the different people, both specialists and the patients, so interpersonal, communication and leadership abilities could be significant. In my opinion, the way educational process is organized in *** university help to develop these qualities by attending the seminars, participating in discussions and making projects in small groups.
University of *** attracts me because it suggests a wide range of laboratories to study and make research in and is one of the best-equipped in the area. Firstly, I am interested in the “Neuropsychology lab” that enables to work with modern neuroscience tools as functional magnetic resonance imaging, mageneoencephalography and eye tracking technology. There methods are not well developed in Russia and there are not enough specialists to work with them. After attending an international conference on “Noninvasive methodologies to study the whole brain functions” last year, I got strongly interested in this area and wish to learn it better. Secondly, the University organizes free courses of German as a foreign language and language partnership of the students. Good knowledge of the local language always helps in adapting in a new place and studying in groups of highly-motivated people of the same age could make it much easier to learn German.
University of *** is interesting for me because it is the part of the Max Planck Institutes, that organize all necessary equipment and good structured courses to prepare young scientists to meet challenges in state-of-the-art research. The program will provide me with the interdisciplinary training and help to see the future scientific issues from the different perspectives which are always essential to consider the nuances and make the effective results.
With a foundation in academic theory on clinical psychology and research experience gained through the Master’s Degree program in ***, I am sure that I will have the skills and knowledge that will provide me with the opportunity to deal with complex issues in the developing field of neuroscience.
Thank you for considering my application and I look forward to your acceptance.
Sincerely yours,
Ksenia