Statement of Purpose

Hello everybody,

I'm from the Netherlands and I have been busy with writing a motivation letter for an English undergraduate program I am planning to attend in September. I'm pretty sure I've got a good first version now, and I wondered if somebody could take a quick look at it, just to make sure I haven't made some very dumb mistakes.

Thank you in advance!

Elyse

Motivation Letter:

Dear members of the IBCoM Examining Commitee,



over the past few decades, the world has started to move fast. The main cause of this is the development of communications media, such as the mobile phone, Internet, and new forms of human interaction like instant messaging, Internet forums and social networking. This all made it possible to interact with friends and family in many ways and throughout the day one has a full time job staying up to date, through various types of media, about everything going on. But is this all fun without any negative sides? It is not according to the recent study “Changes in Dispositional Empathy in American College Students Over Time: A Meta-Analysis,” by Sara Konrath, a researcher at the University of Michigan. The study showed that today's college students have less empathy than students of earlier generations. That is, their ability to understand and share feelings for another, has diminished. So in a way, people are getting disconnected while connecting in so many ways. When I first heard about this, it instantly caught my interest. I read more articles about this phenomenon and realized it is just one of the many ways to view the subjects of communications and media. I know now that I want to learn about this and study it more!

The 'I' in this letter is Elyse ...... I was born in The Netherlands, in Capelle aan den Ijssel on ......, ....... Currently I live in Nieuwerkerk aan den Ijssel. Besides holidays and school trips, I have no international experience. But that is about to change, seeing that my first real international experience is currently a part of my nearby international future. That is because January 30^th, 2011 I will be going to Costa Rica for 4 months. I have chosen to do this, because in school I enjoyed Spanish very much and was at the top of my class. So, when I had just graduated High School, I decided to take a year off, work very hard and then go to Costa Rica to learn Spanish and get a DELE diploma in it. By doing this I want to gain experiences and life lessons that will enrich both my person and my life, and a new language I will be fluent in. Besides being the reason for going to Costa Rica, enriching myself and my life is also a motivation to apply for this study.


I have had a lot of ambition from a young age, but the type of second education I attended is also something that made me the ambitious person I am now. I attended VWO-Anders at the Ijsselcollege in Capelle aan den Ijssel. During the six years of my second education I was introduced, earlier than students attending other educational levels, to foreign languages and to subjects that comprised many different areas, including foreign ones like a lecture about innovations in Dubai. This started and fed my international orientation and motivation. I wanted to learn many languages, see the world and know how global systems operate in this fast moving, and consequently changing, world.

When I look at the “Bachelor International Communications and Media” and all it has to offer, it seems to tick a lot of boxes for me. It offers a study taught fully in English, an international mix formed by the group of students attending this study and in-depth courses about cross-cultural communication processes and media systems and institutions. There are no universities, except the Erasmus University, where one can find all of this. On the other hand, applying for a study in Rotterdam might not be such an obvious choice for me. That is, because I always saw myself studying in a for me yet undiscovered city, where I would be able to be in a different environment with new impressions for me to encounter. I saw myself somewhere opposite from the city I know so well: Rotterdam. But then I found out about all the Erasmus University has to offer and I was convinced. The opportunities for international internships, international masters and exchanges are extensive with the many partner universities the Erasmus University has. And the aphorism of the university speaks for itself: “act local, think global”. In short, this is the ideal study for me.


After finishing the undergraduate degree I want to apply for a master program in either the field business administration or international administration. I want to follow the program preferably abroad, because this will enlarge my chances for an international career even more. I choose these fields as possibilities to continue my academic career in, because when I look at my interests, Communication and Business seems to be the ideal focus area for me in my second year of the undergraduate program. So after completing a minor in this area, applying for either the master Business Administration or International Administration will be possible.

In terms of a professional career I still see a few options for myself. These are public relations, international communications and marketing management. Which option it will be is a decision I make presumably after acquiring some field experience during internships and gaining knowledge in lessons and by doing assignments. There is one thing, though, when it comes to my career aspirations, that is inevitable. That is, that I want a career that enables me to work with, or in, organisations and companies that operate on the international stage. Doing the best I can do in the fields that interest me is what I want to reach. One quote applicable to this, and which is a guideline in life for me, is: “It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.” by William Somerset Maugham. That is exactly what I am going to use in my career. I want to function successfully and fulfill an important function in this global society where it is so easy to get stuck as one of the herd. I see myself achieving progress in any organisation's hierarchy level and I am motivated to establish responsibility and a potential status in my career.

The International Bachelor of Communications and Media would be a precious experience both in terms of my academic and professional career. It will be a professional stepping-stone for me. I hope you will give me the opportunity to realize my ambition.

Yours faithfully,