Marup
Feb 26, 2016
Graduate / Thoughts of a 99 years old on his deathbed; SOP for MA in International Studies (Studying abroad) [6]
Revised yet again :) I have noted all your comments and tried to follow them as best possible while still using my own language in the eassy. But you have been a great help, I can feel it's getting close to being the finished version :)
I'll try and give yours a look and see if I can give some worthy feedback, but it seems you already have a good grasp on writing :)
_____________________________
"Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can; there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did" - For me, this quote has been one of the single greatest sources of motivation for me when choosing a direction in life, since I truly believe that it is important to keep learning new things.
While growing up in Denmark I have always had an interest in learning about languages other than Danish. Already at an early age, I quickly learned English and considered it almost as a secondary native language. At the age of 10, I started to watch English movies more frequently as I could bring home movies from the movie rental section in my parents' bakery/convenience store.
After my primary school around age 15, I started working in my parents' bakery until I had become more mature and got a sense of what direction I wanted to choose for myself. So when I turned 18 I voluntarily signed up to do military service to try something different. Afterwards doing my military service I went to work for The LEGO Group for a few months, but I felt mentally under-stimulated and that I needed to find a more suited line of work, I realized that I had become mature and decided to start studying again, so I could find a career path for myself where I could put my mind to better use.
While attending secondary school, I was doing an internship at an accounting company where I would work under supervision of certified accountants, doing tasks such as data entry and assisting with ad hoc tasks, it was here I got the sense that I wanted to get into the field of business, but it was still unclear to what specific courses that interested me.
I enrolled in a two-year AP Degree program in Marketing Management, which could be combined with an 18-month top-up program for a complete Bachelor's degree. I chose this program because it offered a wide range of courses in the field of business, so I could better figure out where my specific areas of interests were and it gave me better opportunities to go in different directions afterward according to what I wanted work more with. It was during these two years that I found my passion for subjects such as Macroeconomics, International Business, Commerce and especially Law. This became apparent to me when I became increasingly more engaged during classes. I started spending more time reading about Business Law, International Economics, and Marketing Communication, and I also began doing extra work for my assignments and reading ahead of the curriculum to better myself in these areas. What made these areas special to me, was when I was able to do projects with a multidisciplinary approach.
During my Top-up Bachelor's program in International Marketing & Sales, I had no doubt that I wanted to choose EU Law when it came to the selection of my elective course because it gave me the opportunity to work with one of my favorite subjects and gain more knowledge in this field before applying for a Master's degree. In this course, I chose to base my exam project on the Danish referendum on converting the current opt-out of EU legislations, as this would allow me to combine Law and Politics. My interest in this project was based on the lack of information provided to Danish citizens by politicians and it fascinated me how the law of the European Union and Danish national politics was connected. This course also helped prepare me to study International Studies as it is not only a course offered at <Department name> but it also taught me the best way to approach, disassemble, and analyze every relevant aspect in a given subject.
The World is becoming increasingly more global and borderless, which makes it more important to have a good understanding of how seemingly unrelated things like International Law and Macroeconomics, can have an effect on each other. This is what intrigued me to pursue International Studies at <University name>. During my undergraduate, I chose to take my all courses offered in English as I found it to be more of a descriptive language. This also gave me the opportunity to work with students from around the world with different perspectives compared to a class with Danish students. It has been a long-time goal for me to study at <university name>, because it will provide me with an incredible opportunity to study in a diverse culture with students from around the globe, meanwhile being able to learn more languages.
What attracted me to <department name> was the high level of education offered by esteemed professors like Dr. <Professor name>, Director of International Human Rights Center (IHRC), who continuously work with and publish new research in Politics, International Law, and Area studies among other things. What truly stood out about <department name> and made me have no doubt that I wanted to apply, was that beyond the core compulsory courses, I would be able to choose the exact electives that I am most passionate about.
In my spare time, I enjoy engaging in strategy-based games and sports, so I can use my mind and stimulate my own intellectual abilities. Most recently I have taken up learning how to play one of the oldest board games in the world called 'Go', as it vastly complex game yet with simple rules. Besides engaging in games and sports I also enjoy spending time reading books and articles about things I find interesting. Lately, I have spent my time reading about Blue Zones, which is a concept used to identify a demographic and/or geographic areas where people live longer lives.
In a school-related context, I am hard-working and like to participate actively in lessons and group work. These factors are just a few examples of what makes me well suited for studying <degree name> at <University name>. What I believe are my greatest strengths and sets me apart from other applicants can for example be seen from when I immersed myself in my project in EU law, it gave more academic experience and tools to work with so I had a greater analytical ability to better understand a subject, and even during my spare time I seek knowledge both within and outside my field of study when I come across an interesting topic that is unknown to me, so I can take my knowledge to a higher level.
In regards to future plans, I have considered a few possibilities about what I want to use the <name of degree> for. I would either like to apply to do a Ph.D. at <University name> with the long term goal of teaching in the given field or after finishing my Master's then if I can find a job in <country name> then I could also consider that choice. In regards to future personal development, I would like to learn more languages such as German and Japanese. My decision will be based on what I believe is the best opportunity to further my tacit knowledge and gives me the chance to work with interesting areas.
Revised yet again :) I have noted all your comments and tried to follow them as best possible while still using my own language in the eassy. But you have been a great help, I can feel it's getting close to being the finished version :)
I'll try and give yours a look and see if I can give some worthy feedback, but it seems you already have a good grasp on writing :)
_____________________________
"Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can; there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did" - For me, this quote has been one of the single greatest sources of motivation for me when choosing a direction in life, since I truly believe that it is important to keep learning new things.
While growing up in Denmark I have always had an interest in learning about languages other than Danish. Already at an early age, I quickly learned English and considered it almost as a secondary native language. At the age of 10, I started to watch English movies more frequently as I could bring home movies from the movie rental section in my parents' bakery/convenience store.
After my primary school around age 15, I started working in my parents' bakery until I had become more mature and got a sense of what direction I wanted to choose for myself. So when I turned 18 I voluntarily signed up to do military service to try something different. Afterwards doing my military service I went to work for The LEGO Group for a few months, but I felt mentally under-stimulated and that I needed to find a more suited line of work, I realized that I had become mature and decided to start studying again, so I could find a career path for myself where I could put my mind to better use.
While attending secondary school, I was doing an internship at an accounting company where I would work under supervision of certified accountants, doing tasks such as data entry and assisting with ad hoc tasks, it was here I got the sense that I wanted to get into the field of business, but it was still unclear to what specific courses that interested me.
I enrolled in a two-year AP Degree program in Marketing Management, which could be combined with an 18-month top-up program for a complete Bachelor's degree. I chose this program because it offered a wide range of courses in the field of business, so I could better figure out where my specific areas of interests were and it gave me better opportunities to go in different directions afterward according to what I wanted work more with. It was during these two years that I found my passion for subjects such as Macroeconomics, International Business, Commerce and especially Law. This became apparent to me when I became increasingly more engaged during classes. I started spending more time reading about Business Law, International Economics, and Marketing Communication, and I also began doing extra work for my assignments and reading ahead of the curriculum to better myself in these areas. What made these areas special to me, was when I was able to do projects with a multidisciplinary approach.
During my Top-up Bachelor's program in International Marketing & Sales, I had no doubt that I wanted to choose EU Law when it came to the selection of my elective course because it gave me the opportunity to work with one of my favorite subjects and gain more knowledge in this field before applying for a Master's degree. In this course, I chose to base my exam project on the Danish referendum on converting the current opt-out of EU legislations, as this would allow me to combine Law and Politics. My interest in this project was based on the lack of information provided to Danish citizens by politicians and it fascinated me how the law of the European Union and Danish national politics was connected. This course also helped prepare me to study International Studies as it is not only a course offered at <Department name> but it also taught me the best way to approach, disassemble, and analyze every relevant aspect in a given subject.
The World is becoming increasingly more global and borderless, which makes it more important to have a good understanding of how seemingly unrelated things like International Law and Macroeconomics, can have an effect on each other. This is what intrigued me to pursue International Studies at <University name>. During my undergraduate, I chose to take my all courses offered in English as I found it to be more of a descriptive language. This also gave me the opportunity to work with students from around the world with different perspectives compared to a class with Danish students. It has been a long-time goal for me to study at <university name>, because it will provide me with an incredible opportunity to study in a diverse culture with students from around the globe, meanwhile being able to learn more languages.
What attracted me to <department name> was the high level of education offered by esteemed professors like Dr. <Professor name>, Director of International Human Rights Center (IHRC), who continuously work with and publish new research in Politics, International Law, and Area studies among other things. What truly stood out about <department name> and made me have no doubt that I wanted to apply, was that beyond the core compulsory courses, I would be able to choose the exact electives that I am most passionate about.
In my spare time, I enjoy engaging in strategy-based games and sports, so I can use my mind and stimulate my own intellectual abilities. Most recently I have taken up learning how to play one of the oldest board games in the world called 'Go', as it vastly complex game yet with simple rules. Besides engaging in games and sports I also enjoy spending time reading books and articles about things I find interesting. Lately, I have spent my time reading about Blue Zones, which is a concept used to identify a demographic and/or geographic areas where people live longer lives.
In a school-related context, I am hard-working and like to participate actively in lessons and group work. These factors are just a few examples of what makes me well suited for studying <degree name> at <University name>. What I believe are my greatest strengths and sets me apart from other applicants can for example be seen from when I immersed myself in my project in EU law, it gave more academic experience and tools to work with so I had a greater analytical ability to better understand a subject, and even during my spare time I seek knowledge both within and outside my field of study when I come across an interesting topic that is unknown to me, so I can take my knowledge to a higher level.
In regards to future plans, I have considered a few possibilities about what I want to use the <name of degree> for. I would either like to apply to do a Ph.D. at <University name> with the long term goal of teaching in the given field or after finishing my Master's then if I can find a job in <country name> then I could also consider that choice. In regards to future personal development, I would like to learn more languages such as German and Japanese. My decision will be based on what I believe is the best opportunity to further my tacit knowledge and gives me the chance to work with interesting areas.