Motivation letter for PhD entry

Please, would you be able to take a look at my motivation letter for PhD entry and make any corrections in order to improve it? Thank you very very much in advance.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am applying for a Phd position within the area of Neuroscience as an independent researcher for the academic year 2016-2017. My research topic is Neuropackaging. I believe there is a gap in this area and I aspire to become an expert in this field.

I hold a second class honours (upper division) Bachelor degree from <University> in Business Studies and Management and a Master’s degree in Finance and Investment from < University, UK>. During my undergraduate studies I had a placement year working as a Strategic Planning Coordinator for the <company>. During my time there I came to learn a lot about working in a diverse environment and as part of a team. At the same time I had to conduct independent research in order to submit an in-house survey regarding Total Quality Management (TQM) and Corporate Benchmarking that was to be applied to all <London branches>. I consider my time there most valuable as it forced me to combine various methods and synthetical skills which I came to advance during the rest of my academic studies and professional life.

Following my specialisation in Finance and Investment, during my master studies, I took up posts having to do with finance. In all of them there was a strong demand for accurate and in depth analysis of data from varying aspects while I had to apply marketing techniques in order to achieve a successful outcome, that is attracting customers. That meant, most of the time, working long hours and under pressure, which I came to enjoy as having to work at such pace, for me raises mental performance and hence productivity. At the same time I developed strong communication skills in order to successfully get through to others.

Although I wanted to get hands on experience and I tried to have a portfolio of jobs, pursuing a Phd and follow a career path that would combine academic and business was always the ideal next step but I could not exactly formulate what exactly I wanted to devote myself to as various topics seemed appealing. In 2011 I attended an open class at the University of Macedonia (Greece) regarding Neuromarketing and I was impressed with this new direction that made marketing a completely new field incorporating science and technology in a way that it did not before. Since then I kept looking for people who could inform me and opportunities to learn more on the subject. In 2014 I got acquainted with the director of a company that is working with neuroscience. During our various meetings and discussions I tried to find a gap on what was going on regarding neuromarketing. With him and another friend I came to the conclusion that this gap was neuropackaging.

That was the calling I was waiting for so I decided to pursue my academic aspirations and I started to teach marketing in various institutions while at the same time I tried to strengthen my theoretical knowledge by studying thoroughly on the subject in order to catch up with the new bibliography. While quite often I am asked why I turned to marketing as I have a strong background in finance I feel that I have the same background in marketing. All the posts that I have served had to do with marketing as part of daily business so perhaps the jobs’ titles seem to be marketing irrelevant but in their essence in their majority were half finance half marketing posts.

During my undergraduate and postgraduate studies, I successfully completed many research projects that required high-level analytical skills and literature analysis. Furthermore and throughout my professional career, I have undertaken a variety of distinctive projects that required extensive research and analysis of organisational management theories. My involvement with these projects was an opportunity to develop my quantitative research skills by analysing statistical and economic data. I also utilised my qualitative research skills by interviewing business executives along with evaluating a variety of marketing, management and financial theories. I have always completed every research within the predetermined deadlines and presented the results according to academic or professional standards, as expected. Additionally, as I am committed to researching international bibliography that is relevant to neuromarketing and due to the fact that I perceive myself to be an intrinsically motivated learner, I have undertaken a number of distance learning courses on topics ranging from visual perception and neural data to neuroscience, neuromarketing and how the brain takes decisions, therefore being in a position to claim that I acquire a satisfying level of understanding of the fundamental theoretical background of my research topic.

I want to study in the Netherlands because of the cutting edge research in neuroscience that is taking place there. I was lucky enough to come across a graduate who finished her masters in Neuroscience there last year and she confirmed it so I am confident of my decision. She and some other friends from the academic and business world who deal with neurosciences advised me to apply to <University>. I will benefit from your outstanding educational systems and excellent facilities. I will have the opportunity to study at a place where academia is strongly connected to the business world and this makes the research conducted there of more substance. Additionally, the university’s excellent equipment and cooperation with other renounced institutions will provide me with expert knowledge and the opportunity to be in the cutting edge of neuroscience research, a dream and ambition to which I am totally committed to.

I am not the traditional candidate but what perhaps I lack in academic credentials I fill with my wide professional experience and that along with my international background will bring diversity to the programme. I am confident that my commitment to excellence, enthusiasm and energy for research, along with my professional and teaching experience will ensure that I will exceed your expectations. Furthermore, I will enrich your programme by enabling fellow students and professors to benefit from my ambitious and open nature.

Thank you very much for considering my application, and I look forward to your acceptance.

Yours sincerely,