Hi,
On this website, I learned a lot not only from reviewers' feedback but also from others' letters. Based on what I learned, I just completed a motivation letter, and would greatly appreciate any feedback to it.
Its target program is an interdisciplinary Erasmus Mundus program in neuroscience and data science. While I have some research experience in applied settings, I did not elaborate on their details on my motivation letter because those projects are well described on my CV.
Thank you so much for your time, attention, as well as the good will to help others.
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How is aesthetic experience modulated by expected and actual uncertainty? This question has anchored my interest throughout a three-year career as both a researcher and a digital marketer, during which I applied cognitive neuroscience findings to analyze and optimize advertisements. I am now seeking to investigate this question within a rigorous academic framework by pursuing a Master's degree in neuroscience.
My undergraduate studies in psychology provided me with a systematic training in perceptual processes, covering both their underlying neural basis and their cognitive models. What particularly intrigued me was the free energy principle, which introduced how diverse psychology theories and neuroscience findings can be unified under the account that organisms seek to minimize uncertainty. This framework later became a lens through which I interpreted observations in my subsequent work experience.
After graduation, my interest in neuroscience led me to begin my career as an associate researcher in a neuromarketing firm. Then, I transitioned into a marketing role to apply neuroscientific findings in large-scale advertisement experimentation. Across these applied settings, I observed that stimuli associated with greater actual uncertainty reduction relative to expectations were accompanied by more favorable aesthetic evaluations, along with increased frontal alpha asymmetry and longer gaze duration. This led me to consider the possibility that greater actual uncertainty reduction relative to prior expectations may be associated with subjective aesthetic experience.
This preliminary insight needs theoretical refinement and empirical examination in order to be developed into a sound hypothesis, which is not feasible for a psychology bachelor working in an applied setting. I require further formal training in neuroscience to refine my working hypothesis theoretically and examine it under more rigorous experimental control and variable operationalization. Moreover, findings from experiments conducted in corporate environments can scarcely be falsified, as they are often poorly controlled, insufficiently operationalized, and rarely permitted for external publication. Developing and examining my intuition through formal training and rigorous empirical practice therefore constitutes my direct motivation for pursuing postgraduate study in neuroscience.
By pursuing an M.Sc. program, I aim to establish a strong foundation in neuroscience and data science, both in their methods and theories. This foundation will enable me to investigate my research question by combining electroencephalography, eye-tracking, and computational operationalization as a Ph.D. candidate. Such training and investigation are necessary steps toward my long-term career goal of leading a cognitive neuroscience laboratory as a principal investigator, advancing research at the intersection of attention, predictive coding, and neuroaesthetics.
While searching for M.Sc. programs aligned with my educational background and long-term goals, the unique interdisciplinary curriculum of the NeuroData program immediately caught my attention. My inquiry, guided heuristically by the free energy principle, requires sophisticated operationalization through computational neuroscience methods, in which I currently lack formal training. The NeuroData program can provide the extensive training and close supervision I need in this area.
Another aspect of the NeuroData program that resonates with me is its emphasis on challenge and community. As a project manager who led a marketing initiative involving 50 members, I navigated manifold challenges collaboratively with my team and ultimately exceeded our goals. This outcome would not have been possible without resilience and effective teamwork. Such experience has led me to strongly value the high standards and closely knit community that the NeuroData program brings to the students.
A further inspiration for applying to the NeuroData program is its international curriculum. As a South Korean who studied and worked in China, I experienced how multicultural environments sharpen one's perspective and broaden intellectual horizons. This experience motivated me to seek immersion in an international academic environment, which is why the program is the perfect fit for me.
Elaborating and examining a line of scientific inquiry is challenging work. I am prepared to make a sustained commitment with a clear purpose, and I believe the NeuroData program will provide the interdisciplinary training and international community that are crucial for achieving this goal.
On this website, I learned a lot not only from reviewers' feedback but also from others' letters. Based on what I learned, I just completed a motivation letter, and would greatly appreciate any feedback to it.
Its target program is an interdisciplinary Erasmus Mundus program in neuroscience and data science. While I have some research experience in applied settings, I did not elaborate on their details on my motivation letter because those projects are well described on my CV.
Thank you so much for your time, attention, as well as the good will to help others.
---
How is aesthetic experience modulated by expected and actual uncertainty? This question has anchored my interest throughout a three-year career as both a researcher and a digital marketer, during which I applied cognitive neuroscience findings to analyze and optimize advertisements. I am now seeking to investigate this question within a rigorous academic framework by pursuing a Master's degree in neuroscience.
My undergraduate studies in psychology provided me with a systematic training in perceptual processes, covering both their underlying neural basis and their cognitive models. What particularly intrigued me was the free energy principle, which introduced how diverse psychology theories and neuroscience findings can be unified under the account that organisms seek to minimize uncertainty. This framework later became a lens through which I interpreted observations in my subsequent work experience.
After graduation, my interest in neuroscience led me to begin my career as an associate researcher in a neuromarketing firm. Then, I transitioned into a marketing role to apply neuroscientific findings in large-scale advertisement experimentation. Across these applied settings, I observed that stimuli associated with greater actual uncertainty reduction relative to expectations were accompanied by more favorable aesthetic evaluations, along with increased frontal alpha asymmetry and longer gaze duration. This led me to consider the possibility that greater actual uncertainty reduction relative to prior expectations may be associated with subjective aesthetic experience.
This preliminary insight needs theoretical refinement and empirical examination in order to be developed into a sound hypothesis, which is not feasible for a psychology bachelor working in an applied setting. I require further formal training in neuroscience to refine my working hypothesis theoretically and examine it under more rigorous experimental control and variable operationalization. Moreover, findings from experiments conducted in corporate environments can scarcely be falsified, as they are often poorly controlled, insufficiently operationalized, and rarely permitted for external publication. Developing and examining my intuition through formal training and rigorous empirical practice therefore constitutes my direct motivation for pursuing postgraduate study in neuroscience.
By pursuing an M.Sc. program, I aim to establish a strong foundation in neuroscience and data science, both in their methods and theories. This foundation will enable me to investigate my research question by combining electroencephalography, eye-tracking, and computational operationalization as a Ph.D. candidate. Such training and investigation are necessary steps toward my long-term career goal of leading a cognitive neuroscience laboratory as a principal investigator, advancing research at the intersection of attention, predictive coding, and neuroaesthetics.
While searching for M.Sc. programs aligned with my educational background and long-term goals, the unique interdisciplinary curriculum of the NeuroData program immediately caught my attention. My inquiry, guided heuristically by the free energy principle, requires sophisticated operationalization through computational neuroscience methods, in which I currently lack formal training. The NeuroData program can provide the extensive training and close supervision I need in this area.
Another aspect of the NeuroData program that resonates with me is its emphasis on challenge and community. As a project manager who led a marketing initiative involving 50 members, I navigated manifold challenges collaboratively with my team and ultimately exceeded our goals. This outcome would not have been possible without resilience and effective teamwork. Such experience has led me to strongly value the high standards and closely knit community that the NeuroData program brings to the students.
A further inspiration for applying to the NeuroData program is its international curriculum. As a South Korean who studied and worked in China, I experienced how multicultural environments sharpen one's perspective and broaden intellectual horizons. This experience motivated me to seek immersion in an international academic environment, which is why the program is the perfect fit for me.
Elaborating and examining a line of scientific inquiry is challenging work. I am prepared to make a sustained commitment with a clear purpose, and I believe the NeuroData program will provide the interdisciplinary training and international community that are crucial for achieving this goal.
