Graduate /
Motivational letter for Bachelor's degree at CBS [3]
Hi, I am writing a motivational essay for admission at a business school and I would really appreciate any comments and corrections!
thank you
Dear Sir/Madam,
This is my application for the BSc in Business Language and Culture at Copenhagen Business School. Firstly let me start off by introducing myself; my name is Sara xxxx, I'm 21 years old and I'm from xxxx. My interest in learning languages started at a very early age, my parents being from different countries and us moving from Athens to Copenhagen in 1993. By the time I started kindergarten I was speaking Greek with my father, Bulgarian with my mother and Danish everywhere else. It's easy to say I was always the weird foreign kid on the playground, being dragged to Greek school in the afternoons when everyone else was free as a bird.
I just recently returned from three years in Spain, and am now readapting to my old lifestyle here in Copenhagen. I was accepted at CBS in 2010, straight after high school, but after the first semester I was desperate for a change, especially because of the difficulty I was having with the course that was taught in Spanish. I took a drastic decision, and a couple of months later, I'd landed in Madrid with the intention of staying 6 months to learn the language. By the end of that year I had started my first real job working for an English company coordinating conferences all across Europe. Being part of a small sales team, it was our responsibility to sell our product to clients as well as come up with ways to make the conferences more desirable. With this job my English skills went through the roof, but my Spanish was rarely used. For this reason, I later accepted an offer for an administrative position at a big travel insurance company which was eager to hire me because of my Danish. It was great working alongside people from different countries, the common language only being Spanish. The job consisted of various translations, mainly medical documents, from Danish to Spanish but also English and the odd Greek. It was my role to provide our clients with support through email and telephone, using my language and communication skills on a daily basis. All communication with colleagues and my superiors was in Spanish, so I had to learn quickly to keep up. As scary as that might have been in the beginning, it was truly the best way to learn and I can now proudly add Spanish to my list of languages.
I can confidently say that going to Spain was the best decision I've ever made, and the last three years have been the best on my life. It is on that note, that I am now applying once again, more confident than ever that this is what I want to study. I've always loved speaking English, and whereas before I didn't feel comfortable enough to study in a foreign language, I now speak it on a native level. When I first read about BLC I couldn't help but think that this programme was made for me. I am the epitome of mixed languages and cultures. My father's family being Greek, my mother's Bulgarian and me living in Greece, Denmark and then Spain, has truly opened my eyes to different parts of the world. I think that because of my background and my recent experiences, I can really bring something unique to this course, and perhaps even help guide other students who might feel a little lost like I did back in 2010.
What attracted me to this programme, is how it combines culture with the economical aspect of business in such a broad way making the possibilities after graduation are endless. The fact that BLC equips you to be part of any international organization is just the kind of academic path I am looking for. I love being in an international environment, and my ideal future scenario is to work in a Spanish speaking country preferably in marketing, which I am planning on focusing more on by doing a Masters degree. I would like to become the manager of an international oriented company because I am interested in both management and intercultural relations.
I have now experienced the relationship between a Spanish and a Danish company, what cultural differences there are and how to liaise between the two. My last job really taught me that language really isn't the only barrier when working in an international environment, but how understanding someone else's culture really is the key.
By travelling and living on my own I've really learned to make my own decisions, especially when faced in difficult situations such as finding work, a place to live, school etc. I can truly say that I've grown a tremendous amount since 2010 and I owe it all to myself for taking that leap of faith, which has led me back here today. Sometimes it takes time to figure out what you want to do and taking a step back to reconsider, may just help you make the right step forward. I now know I have what it takes to focus on my studies and also learn independently, which I know is essential while studying at CBS.
There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to choose CBS. No other university has attracted me in the same way, and the bubbling atmosphere and social networking is unbeatable in my opinion. Attending the open house at the beginning of the month only reassured me that I had made the right decision. For me the next step is now to get my degree, experience university for myself and enjoy this new phase of my life. I truly hope you find my application of interest, and I will be looking forward to hearing from you.