Please Review My Motivation Letter

Hello all! I would appreciate if you can check my M.L and give me feedback. Thank you!

ps: As I am planning to use this letter for the scholarship application as well ( with a bit of polishing and tailoring) could you also tell me which parts are unnecessary for the scholarship and which parts do you think need to be highlighted.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to apply for a Research Master's in ......... I have chosen to apply for Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam because it offers this particular program, which I found its context and research interests are an excellent match with what I am keen on for a research master’s degree. I have recently graduated from ........ with a BSc in Gerontology and had a 3.26 GPA.

My undergraduate degree allowed me to become acquainted with a variety of aspects related to ageing and old age from different disciplines such as Sociological, Psychological, Biological Approaches. I realised with Social Stratification and Inequality course that delving into social issues and problems are considerably captivating. Meanwhile, courses such as Research Methods in Social Sciences I-IIand Statistic for Social Sciences I-IIthought me how social events, problems become a research and how can social science answer questions or raising new questions. During these courses, not only did I learnt theories techniques and phenomena’s but also, I had a chance to integrate my new knowledge on qualitative and quantitative methods by designing research projects and by performing statistical analyses with SPSS and Excel.

Additionally, I participated in qualitative field research in Japan with a team, where we interviewed fifty Turkish workers, living and working in Tokyo, about their retirement expectations and their future mobility. The experience of taking part in field research fascinated me about how social science research yields valuable information and expands our understanding.

In my final year of Bachelor's, I participated in the Erasmus+ exchange program in the Netherlands. I followed two minor programs, Innovation in an Intergenerational Society and Children and Media, in Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, which gave me a new perspective on some contemporary social issues such as, inter-generational relations, cyberbullying among teenagers, in Western societies. As this experience widened my horizon, I developed a new way of thinking by observing and learning from a multi-cultural environment. Moreover, I completed an internship at S-Zorgt, a local healthcare provider company in Zwolle, and developed an increased interest in ageing of immigrants and upcoming issues in societies that related to the previous migration movements. I participated in the company's ongoing research about the need for a care home for the elderly with an immigrant background in Zwolle. My responsibilities included carrying out interviews with Turkish immigrants about their needs and expectations of the healthcare system.

My interest in ageing of immigrant communities in Europe led me to write my BSc thesis on the topic of Transnational Belonging of the first-generation Turkish immigrants between Germany and Turkey. I did semi-structured interviews with ten participants by using qualitative research methods, with those who earned their retirement from Germany and currently travelling back and forth between the home and the host country for an extended period in a year.

Alongside, I believe that not only is essential to consider and define social problems but also to try to come up with solutions to them. One of my most significant so far achievement is, publishing a monthly fashion magazine aimed to reduce ageism in the fashion industry. This idea was inspired by a lecture about Ageism from my Sociological Theories of Ageingcourse. As I started alone by designing the magazine and creating the contexts, I continued to publish the magazine for 2 years with a team. In recognition of this work, I won Bilgi Young Social Entrepreneur Awards in 2015, which is initiated by International Youth Foundations and the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation (the USA), under the YouthActionNet initiative.

Most recently, I did a three-month internship in ILA, an NGO in Nijmegen (the Netherlands). During this internship, I honed my soft skills by means of being responsible for project coordination, networking, and representing the NGO and their values in K1+ projects in three different countries. I have since been selected for the European Volunteer Service in Kasteel (Belgium), which I will complete between March and July 2019. I am looking forward to this experience and the Dutch language course that will also be provided by the receiving organisation.

Overall, my experiences and skills gained during my undergraduate years, internships and fieldwork have been crucial in my decision to seek a career in research. I firmly believe that having the opportunity to study at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam will give me the best qualifications and opportunities necessary to undertake doctoral research on the ageing of immigrant communities. Additionally, the ...... program is a perfect match with what I hope to obtain from research master's by offering a multi-disciplinary approach, and the opportunity to come up with solutions to social problems through big data, not just analysing the data but also providing solutions to social problems. Courses such as Big Problems and Foundation of Societal Resilience will help me build deep insight into societal issues. Simultaneously, Big data, Small data, Advanced Methods I: Data Mining & Text Analysis and Advanced Methods II: Tutorials would give me a solid foundation for data analysis. Due to my interest in migration and ageing, Diversities and inclusive communities and Care & Welfare would be the themes I would choose for the Thematic Courses classes.

While I understand that a research master's requires a tremendous amount of dedication and hard work, I am confident that my knowledge and interest in Social Sciences have prepared me to meet any challenges and will motivate me in high-pressure situations. I am incredibly excited about everything that this program has to offer. Thank you for your consideration.

Yours faithfully,