Answering a question: why you are interested in the program and why you are a suitable candidate.

Letter of Motivation for International Business

Hi, I am now drafting a letter of motivation for a graduate program, international management and I have no idea if this is a right one. Any suggestions would be greately welcomed!

The LoM requirement goes like:
Please answer a question why you are interested in the program and why you are a suitable candidate.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to apply for the [ ] program offered by [school name], which, I believe, would offer me the best opportunity to deepen my knowledge in business and management as well as to strengthen my competence in the future work field.

Having grown up along with the opening up of my country, I have experienced first-handed the benefits globalization can bring to a nation. This is why I chose International Economics and Trade as my Bachelor specialization, so that I can be part of and can contribute to the global integration. As a senior, I now come to recognize that what lies beyond international transactions, and what is really crucial is the ability to think, practice and manage internationally. As a result, I decide to pursue a degree in International Management.

During my undergraduate study, I first learned, both from textbooks and from practice, the basic management skills. Throughout the years, I was active and worked for different school departments such as university admission department and student union. My experience in the latter, particularly, gave me the most valuable opportunity to obtain managing experience. Being the vice president of a team consisting of over 50 members, I was once entrusted with organizing an annual competition that involved more than 300 students and professors. The practice of ensuring everything go as scheduled and motivating all the team members not only taught me the importance of cooperation and effective leadership, but also made me realize that I still have a lot to improve.

I am currently doing an internship in an international company as a project intern. My main responsibilities are to monitor the progresses of remote site projects in Vietnam and South Africa, coordinate between the sites and headquarter and compose briefings and progress reports. Additionally, because of the small team size, I also help with the bidding preparation and other daily administration. During my time at the company, I cannot help but feel the importance for an international company and for individuals I came to realize the importance of the ability of negotiating between different countries and of an effective management method.

After some research, I decided that [ ] program, the one [school] provides, to be more specific, would be my best fit.

Among all the similar programs, the program [school name] provides not only the academic excellence and the standard exchange and internship, but also the best way to acquire more comprehensive knowledge of the world, the way of approaching a district from an academic perspective by conducting immerse field trips and practical seminars. The knitted combination between practical field work and academic excellence is one reason I take [school name] as my first choice, as I am always incited to learn more and come up with a better result when learning by doing. What's more, such projects strengthen students' academic competence and important real life skills such as analytic and management ability as well as the general but nevertheless important soft skills, such as team working and presentation skills as many students and alumni emphasized in their story.

The close community in [school name] also plays an important role. The small class size of [school name] together with the school Club would give me the chance of communicating with some of the best business people around the world and offer me a perfect ground to establish the next step of my professional career.

In conclusion, I believe that the [ ] program would be my best choice to deepen my professional knowledge and further my career path. And I would be honored if I can have a chance of sharing my enthusiasm and global knowledge with the school community.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Regards,

Greta

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Also thanks for the help!

Hello Greta, I think your essay is very well written with a very specific focus on what you want to achieve.
Your personal projects stand out in a big way and I think this essay can help you a lot in what you want to achieve.

It is very detailed and it does not become tired to read it, it is very specific and I know that probably, with the good that is your essay, you win the quota.

Good luck!

Ge, there is no professional nor academic motivating factor clearly expressed in this essay. From the sounds of it, you only want to continue your studies into International Management because it is the expected next step in your educational process. None of your activities as an intern indicate a motivating factor career wise. Your undergraduate years did not really expose you to international management areas. So the foundation for your motivation is very unimpressive in this area.

You should consider your future career goals first and then think about how an international management degree fits into your future plans. That way you will develop a more believable professional motivation for your interest in the course. Once you know what your professional motivations are, you should be able to decipher what sort of academic theoretical and practical training you will need in order to achieve these goals. Then relate those goals to the reasons why you chose the institution to enroll in.

In order to create a stronger academic motivation, consider what programs the school offers and how it relates to your potential / future career. Indicate what specific classes and training programs directly relate to your learning interests and how it may be applied to your future career.

The keyword in the letter is motivation. That should be supported by an inspiration coming from your future plans. Therefore, your motivation letter should be focused on the future and have a little reference to looking back on your college education and your activities during that time. You are shifting gears from International Trade and Economics to International Management. You are actually doing this in reverse here so your motivating factors need to be connected somehow.

The best part of this essay that you should keep (while discarding the rest) is the part about your internship. That would be the best way to bridge the motivating factor gap between your undergraduate course and this new course you wish to complete. Your motivation could clearly come from the exposure to this international business field and the inter country dealings when it comes to closing a business deal. Consider using that as the foundation of your revised essay.