My motivational letter to LSE

Question

Hello everyone!This is a very useful forum you have here! I am a Norewgian student who is applying to LSE, England. I need to write a motivational letter, and would love some tips. If someone could read what i have done and give GENERAL comments concerning:        General impression        Structur        What should i focus more on        What should i focus less on        What are the determinants of  a good letter of motivation? Is mine to specific to LSE and the courses i have chosen??In advance, thank youFredrikIntro I have chosen to study the MSc in Decision Science or the MSc in Management Strategy at LSE because they best compliment my natural abilities and, therefore, I believe it is the best investment in formal education I can make. My academic experience, extracurricular activities and international endeavors have given me the maturity, competency and motivation required to extract the maximum benefit from your program. Through social interaction with the staff, my fellow students and the local business community I will not only secure my own professional career but also contribute towards a positive and mutually beneficial work environment for all at your university.First section To be honest, it was only recently that my motivation for such programs appeared. Previously, I was focused on obtaining a degree in finance and using it as a stepping stone towards senior management. Your Master in Decision Science, however, motivated me to think differently. When I read the course description I immediately felt that this was an area at which I could excel. My reasoning develops through an evaluation of my personal traits, interests and attributes. Moreover, I have always held passionate and strong convictions concerning the optimal way of organizing activities to produce the best results, whether in conjunction with academics or employment.   Many factors represent potential hindrances to optimal decision making, some are easily identified and solved while most can be very subtle and vague. I believe such problems require holistic minded individuals with well adapted social skills. This, in many respects, resembles my strongest attribute. I am a well rounded individual who rarely excels in isolated activities, but has the ability to perform consistently well in a wide variety of fields. In other words, I am able to communicate and work well with many different people regarding different subjects in different settings.    I believe there are three qualities by which candidates should be evaluated; competency, motivation and maturity. I have consistently worked well during my undergraduate studies and produced good results (GPA of 3.7/4.0), to which my previous professors will attest. Since graduating high school I have travelled the world and worked with various task. I’ve volunteered at orphanages in Russia and Nepal and worked as an English instructor in northern China, a bartender in Scotland and a group leader for SGS. These experiences have exposed me to great responsibilities and given me the opportunity to challenge myself in ways which have vastly developed my character and maturity. My extracurricular activities surrounding fitness have increased my discipline tremendously. Stringent dieting and rigorous exercise routines helped me understand how planning and setting goals can increase both productivity and results in the academic world. Any thoughts are VERY VERY welcome!

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Welcome to the forum! I hope that you will be a good contributor as well.
Your letter is excellent, but it might be improved if you make an outline of the text, and think about the logical flow. It seemed to me that some reorganisation would lead to a more fluid flow of ideas. You might, for example, give the first paragraph on why you selected this program, and then a paragraph focused on each of the three qualities (sompetence, maturity, and motivation) that you feel are qualifications you possess for acceptance into the program, followed by a summary. The ideas in the present structure are good, but seem to jump around a bit.
There are bits of phrasing which could be improved, such as "worked with various task." Also SGS needs to be spelled out - unless you know that the readers know what that is.
I really like the idea of "synergy" - that you will contribute to the university as well as benefiting. You could develop that a bit more, perhaps in the summary.

Anonymous · Answer

did it work for you?

Anonymous · Answer

my successful letter of Motivation for the MSc Philosophy of the Social Sciences and my second choice motivation letter

Application for MSc Philosophy of the Social Sciences (first choice)

My final results will not be available until the end of September 2013, due to the approximate duration of two years (four semesters) of my current master's studies in political philosophy. However, according to my course plan, one semester (half a year) can be spent at a university abroad. I would like to take up this chance and extend this to an entire academic year in order to deepen and broaden my knowledge of political philosophy and to achieve further academic qualifications.
My personal way route into the foundations of the social sciences began with my studies in political science in Berlin at the Free University (Otto-Suhr-Institut for political science#_ftn1). I finished my studies there with a Bachelor's of Arts (mark: 1.2; equivalent to a first degree). Although my bachelor's degree was, with respect to its structure, more of a broad introduction to the wide and differentiated field of political science rather than an in depth study of a particular strand of politics, I began early on to raise questions about the more fundamental (normative) presuppositions which underlay and were unmentioned during most of my university studies in Berlin. In particular, the courses of Prof Bernd Ladwig (professor for political theory and modern political thought at the Free University, Berlin) for example ‘Philosophy of the Social Sciences – an Introduction’ and ‘Theories of justice’ made me aware of the underlying concepts of political science.
During my studies in politics and international relations at the University of Kent at Canterbury#_ftn2 as an Erasmus student over the course of an academic year, I was able to continue my studies of the more fundamental (in a moral and epistemological sense) questions of politics. The courses of Dr Iain MacKenzie, especially ‘Rights, Freedoms and Individualism: Contemporary Liberalism in Question’, and the course ‘Ethics in International Relations’ by Dr Andrea den Boer, gave me insights into the specific Anglo-American tradition of political thought. Furthermore, they opened up the interesting field of moral considerations at an international/supranational level as well as the broad field of contemporary liberalism. I finished my studies there in the summer of 2012 with a Diploma (merit) in Politics and International Relations. Besides the broadening of my pure academic knowledge of my subject, I was able to improve my English considerably, so that I have passed the Cambridge ESOL Level 3 Certificate of Proficiency in English (C2) with 73 out of 100 points.
My next step towards the foundations of political science and social science more generally was taken by the decision to do my master's degree in political theory/political philosophy at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main. Simultaneously, I decided to focus on the normative foundations of my degree. I will finish my master's studies at Frankfurt in the winter semester of 2014/2015.
My academic interests as well as my current academic strengths lie, therefore, primarily in the field of political theory and political philosophy – to be more precise, in modern political thought and moral philosophy. However, I have also attended more than six courses about methodical issues in politics (quantitative and qualitative methods) during my undergraduate studies and during my studies at the University of Kent at Canterbury.
However, to study the normative foundations of politics alone would result in a biased single-sided perception of the subject. Therefore, I connect with my application for the MSc in the philosophy of the social sciences the intention to explore the more epistemological/methodological foundations of the political and social sciences.
In particular, I would like to take the following courses:

Philosophy of the Social Sciences
Philosophy of Science
Philosophy, Morals and Politics
Philosophical Research and Writing – Philosophy of Social Science

With the first two courses, I intend to deepen my knowledge about the epistemological/methodological foundations of the social sciences, as stated above. With the third course I will deepen my knowledge about the Anglo-American tradition of moral philosophy/political philosophy, as at the Goethe-University at Frankfurt am Main, the teaching focuses on the continental European tradition of political thought.
With the MSc Philosophy of the Social Sciences, I will achieve more than one purpose.
In the first place, the target master's programme will match with my current academic interests in the foundations of social science, especially with the epistemological/methodological foundations, which are complementary to my current master's in political theory/philosophy. Furthermore, the highly flexible syllabus allows me to pursue my own interests.
In the second place, the dissertation for the MSc programme, as well as for the entire master's programme, will be at best a kind of preparation and initial research for my doctoral thesis, together with my dissertation for my political theory master's in Frankfurt on the intersection between political theory and the philosophy of the social sciences.
Besides this, the master's programme in the philosophy of the social sciences will help me to improve my academic skills, such as my logical and analytical thinking, argumentation and critical reasoning, all of which are indispensable for my planned doctoral research. In addition, the study of the philosophy of the social sciences will foster my capability in understanding, summarizing and evaluating complex and sophisticated arguments.
In the third place, the London School of Economics and Political Science offers a wide and rich opportunity to profit from the many talks and conferences, which students may attend, as well as from the philosophical environment of London and the London University.

Application for MSc Political Theory (second choice)

My final results will not be available until the end of September 2013, due to the approximate duration of two years (four semesters) of my current master's studies in political philosophy. However, according to my course plan, one semester (half a year) can be spent at a university abroad. I would like to take up this chance and extend this to an entire academic year in order to deepen and broaden my knowledge of political philosophy and to achieve further academic qualifications.
My personal way rote into the foundations of the social sciences began with my studies in political science in Berlin at the Free University (Otto-Suhr-Institut for political science[3]). I finished my studies there with a Bachelor's of Arts (mark: 1.2; equivalent to a first degree). Although my bachelor's degree was, with respect to its structure, more of a broad introduction to the wide and differentiated field of political science rather than an in depth study of a particular strand of politics, I began early on to raise questions about the more fundamental (normative) presuppositions which underlay and were unmentioned during most of my university studies in Berlin. In particular, the courses of Prof Bernd Ladwig (professor for political theory and modern political thought at the Free University, Berlin) for example ‘Philosophy of the Social Sciences – an Introduction’ and ‘Theories of justice’ made me aware of the underlying concepts of political science.
During my studies in politics and international relations at the University of Kent at Canterbury[4] as an Erasmus student over the course of an academic year, I was able to continue my studies of the more fundamental (in a moral and epistemological sense) questions of politics. The courses of Dr Iain MacKenzie, especially ‘Rights, Freedoms and Individualism: Contemporary Liberalism in Question’, and the course ‘Ethics in International Relations’ by Dr Andrea den Boer, gave me insights into the specific Anglo-American tradition of political thought. Furthermore they opened up the interesting field of moral considerations at an international/supranational level as well as the broad field of contemporary liberalism. I finished my studies there in the summer of 2012 with a Diploma (merit) in Politics and International Relations. Besides the broadening of my pure academic knowledge of my subject, I was able to improve my English considerably, so that I have passed the Cambridge ESOL Level 3 Certificate of Proficiency in English (C2) with 73 out of 100 points.
My next step towards the foundations of political science and social science more generally was taken by the decision to do my master's degree in political theory/political philosophy at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main. Simultaneously, I decided to focus on the normative foundations of my degree. I will finish my master's studies at Frankfurt in the winter semester of 2014/2015.
My academic interests as well as my current academic strengths lie, therefore primarily in the field of political theory and political philosophy – to be more precise, in modern political thought and moral philosophy. However, I have also attended more than six courses about methodical issues in politics (quantitative and qualitative methods) during my undergraduate studies and during my studies at the University of Kent at Canterbury.
Although the MSc in political theory does not provide me with the other part of the foundations of the social sciences (the epistemological/methodical foundation) as stated above, the master's programme will serve me considerably as a valuable source for enhancing and enriching my knowledge about political theory. In particular, it will make me more familiar with the Anglo-American tradition of political thought/political theory and with their particular focus and seminal works. This aim is reflected in my choice of courses.
Specifically, I would like to take the following courses:

Foundations of Political Theory
Dilemmas of Equality
The Liberal Idea of Freedom
Philosophy, Morals and Politics
Dissertation

All three non-obligatory courses will broaden my knowledge about the wide field of liberalism, which I began to explore with Prof Dr Ladwig’s lecture on justice and Dr Iain McKenzie’s lecture on contemporary liberalism. In particular, the course ‘Dilemmas on Equality’, if one follows Kymlicka’s argument#_ftn5 that every theory of modern political thought is an egalitarian theory, promises interesting insights into contemporary liberalism. Furthermore, the course on ‘Philosophy, Morals and Politics’ together with the course ‘Foundations of Political Theory’ will systematize and expand my already existing knowledge on this topic.
In addition, my current master's programme in political theory in Frankfurt am Main, with its strong focus on international political theory and the Frankfurt School and its successors, together with the master's programme in political theory at the LSE with its focus on liberalism and equality as well as more general courses on political theory and moral philosophy, will provide a good foundation for my doctoral research in this area.
These courses will also help me to improve my academic skills, such as my logical and analytical thinking, argumentation and critical reasoning, all of which are indispensable for my planned doctoral research. In addition, the study of political theory at LSE will foster my capability in understanding, summarizing and evaluating complex and sophisticated arguments.
Despite this, the highly flexible syllabus - which fits my needs - and the high concentration of internationally recognized political theorists are further reasons for my application for the master's programme.

#_ftnref1 Homepage of the institute: http://www.polsoz.fu-berlin.de/en/polwiss/index.html

#_ftnref2 Homepage of the institute http://www.kent.ac.uk/politics/

#_ftnref3 Homepage of the institute:

#_ftnref4 Homepage of the institute

#_ftnref5 Kymlicka, Will (2002): Contemporary Political Philosophy. An Introduction. Oxford University Press: New York

Fredrs05 · Answer

Anonymousdid it work for you?

No

My motivational letter to LSE

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Application for MSc Philosophy of the Social Sciences (first choice)

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