Motivation letter for a master's degree

Hello! I am applying to various masters, and I need to write a motivation letter.
I have little to no previous experience in academic writing, so I would be extremely thankful if you could give me a few tips on how to make my letter acceptable. This is what I have so far:



Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my interest in applying for the Erasmus Mundus Master in Global Studies: a European Prospective, as I reckon it is the perfect course for my academic career and, foremost, for my growth as an individual.

I hold a honours degree in Oriental Languages and Cultures from the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. My thesis focused on the dialectic conflict between government and freedom of speech in Tokugawa Japan: I carefully investigated and analyzed how censorship influenced the production of literary works, scientific divulgation, media and news transmission.

The subject of my thesis sheds light on my future research topic and job: investigating how censorship operates in nowadays’ democratic societies. Censorship is clearly apparent in authoritarian societies, yet it is present, in a more subtle and less invasive way, in modern democracies as well: my ambition is to become an international reporter and unravel the hidden workings of Power.

I profited from my undergraduate degree in entertaining a deep understanding of Asian history, politics and society, particularly in regards to Japan and Korea: in an age of such profound global transculturalism, my solid background, with my language skills, would make for an exceptionally useful bridge across worlds.
I also possess a firm and complete knowledge of the Western world, mostly Europe: in high school I attended classes in world history and politics, basic economics and law, foreign languages and cultures.

The Erasmus Mundus master in Global Studies perfectly complements my academic training: by learning such technical subjects as global economics, international politics, governance, etc., I will acquire as deep an awareness of the world as few can claim to possess. I will have in my hands the weapons with which to investigate and be a free, competent journalist.

I am extremely versatile, as I am driven by an unquenchable thirst: the irresistible need to learn about Man; like an omnivore, I have attended courses that do not strictly relate to my own degree, to broaden my horizon, such as a course on Economical and political development geography and Life science philosophy on evolutionary biology, which I both successfully passed with high marks.

I have impressive skills in problem solving, material assembling and researching, either in group or individually. I was in fact chosen as a representative of my school amongst the most outstanding students for the European didactic program P.O.N. in 2003/2004 and 2004/2005: as a group we researched and worked together on a project about Irish customs and folklore. I was one of the main contributors to the project, thanks to my proficiency in the English language, to my leadership aptitude and to the aforementioned talent in problem solving.

I’m perfectly capable of carrying out a research on my own, but this experience, aided by 3 years of voluntary work with disabled teenagers, helped me in interpersonal relationships, collaborations and group work.

Studying for such an exclusive master would both provide me with excellent academics and an international context: this is precisely the personal and professional enhancement I long for.

I am confident I fulfill the requirements for the course.

Thank you for considering my application. I’m looking forward to your positive response.



Yours sincerely,



Angela Paradiso