This is a template I made for my grad school application for a master's program in cognitive science. I have kept it generic and will edit it according to university, There weren't any questions or prompts provided by any university except why i want to transfer from my previous field to cog sci
Dear Admissions Committee,
I am writing this to express my interest in the Master in Cognitive Science program at xxx University.
How do humans think? How do the mind and brain evaluate thinking? How does rationality play a role in this? These are some of the questions that linger around my brain and constantly seeking answers.
I have always been fascinated by human thought and behaviour and how they interpret this behaviour. To somewhat find this answer for my undergraduate degree, I choose to study Psychology. The multidisciplinary nature of the degree at the University of Mumbai allowed me to major in Psychology with dual minors in Philosophy and English Literature. During the second year of my degree, I was fortunate to get a clinical psychology internship at Fortis Healthcare where I learned about different types of psychological therapies and diagnostic criteria. Still, I realised my interest and goal lie in studying the mind and brain structure in complex information processing. I am confident that a Master's in Cognitive Science will be a significant step toward achieving that goal.
The influence that drove me towards cognitive science was when I came across MIT OpenCourseWare on the Brain and Cognitive Science which gave a good introduction to the world of cognitive science, especially how cognitive psychology comes into play with developing Artificial intelligence systems. Coming from a social sciences background I have limited interaction with computer science and artificial intelligence. Still, over the period I have tried my best to take MOOC courses to make myself familiar with computer languages particularly PYTHON and a few high school and undergrad level mathematics courses to understand linear algebra in context to computer science and statistics.
My current research interest is currently broad but lies in the areas of social cognition, perception and philosophy of mind. Even though my research experience is limited to undergraduate projects research One such project that I enjoyed working on was a paper I wrote on the 'Social and Emotional framework of working mothers' guilt' This sparked my interest in understanding cultural influences, social dynamics, cognitive processes, emotional experiences, and situational factors that shape our perception. I am keen on gaining further hands-on experience through research projects that align with my interests and I am particularly interested in exploring the possibility of conducting research with xxx group. Having been studying xxx groups research as of now this research aligns with my interest and I wish to work along with them and even possibly write my master's thesis under the guidance of Prof. xxx.
The interdisciplinary nature, the active research community, the diverse syllabus and the ability to choose two specializations make it unique from other programs this will enable me to carry out cutting-edge research, gather creative ideas, establish new and varied networks, collaborate with top industry experts, and improve my communication abilities. This not only aligns with my academic interests but also opens several career opportunities. My undergraduate degree and the courses I have chosen to pursue create a good base to transition into cognitive science. I have demonstrated good academic competence and social commitment in my previous degree and will continue the same. I wish to be a competent researcher and contribute to the rich field of cognitive science.
Holt Educational Consultant - / 14,835 
4783 You must try to avoid using a template Statement of Purpose, Motivational Letter, Personal Statement, or any other application essay. There are universities that do plagiarism checks for submitted essays. The universities have a system by which they check for similar essay submissions to various universities. This is considered self plagiarism and is frowned upon by the universities where submissions are given by the student. It is important to these universities that you submit tailored applications that would show how you truly understand the course you are applying to at the university, and that you are not just applying for the sake of applying by submitting a template application. Once discovered, the university will automatically disqualify your application.
