Erasmus Mundus: Neurasmus Motivation Letter; neuroscience with a specialization in genomics

Letter of Motivation

Since the beginning of my university, I have been enrolled in courses that teach neuroscience which piqued my profound interest, and I decided to set a goal of continuing my graduate school in neuroscience with a specialization in genomics. This is why I would like to apply for the Neurasmus master's program in neuroscience.

During high school, I was introduced to the basics of neuroscience with familiar examples of why we react due to reflex action and the flow of electrical signals. This ignited my interest when I was enrolled in physiology classes in my first year of the Pharmacy major at BRAC University, Bangladesh. The curriculum covered an in-depth comprehension of the subject appropriate for undergraduate students. I was deeply immersed in that course which later progressed in my Pharmacology courses. In pharmacology, I had to learn the association between drugs and neurons in the treatment, which includes cholinergic medications. My strong base helped me succeed satisfactorily in my academic studies and laboratory activities. After noticing my enthusiasm and academic performance, my course instructors and family encouraged me to continue higher education and develop deep knowledge.

Being a multidisciplinary major, Pharmacy leaves many doors to explore life science and chemistry and the theoretical and applied knowledge of drugs. As a part of my coursework, I studied many articles on neuropharmacology and neurogenomics. I attended many seminars. Dr. Newton Howard (Professor of Computational Neurosciences and Functional Neurosurgery at the University of Oxford) presented one of the seminars on the Future of the Brain in 2019. In the seminar, he explained his research outcomes on how chips can be transplanted into the human brain to enable patients to manage the signs of neurological diseases. It influenced me to pursue neuroscience in the future by exploring more neurological disorders and the diversity in human consciousness. Besides, I want to understand the entire nervous system on a genetic basis, as a big part of my undergraduate thesis was studying protein-tyrosine genes. I want to connect both of these in my graduate study.

I have chosen to select track 2 in my application form, which means that in my first year, I want to study at the University of Bordeaux in the first year, and at VU Amsterdam in the second year. I want to specialize in neurogenomics in my second year at VU Amsterdam. For my core courses, I want to study at U. Bordeaux because of the laboratory facilities that attracted me the most. Also, both cities have enriched their historical and cultural sides with monuments and arts, which I would like to explore.

My interest revolves around assessing the genome aspect of neurological diseases. For example, I have been particularly interested in the current research on exome sequencing that finds rare genetic abnormalities as factors associated with Alzheimer's disease. While looking over the Neurasmus webpage, I have grown to appreciate the variety of courses it provides to assist one become a specialist in this area. My long-term objective is to obtain a Ph.D., and this program will allow me to partake in a research-based Thesis and interact with industries during my studies. Access to the finest labs and the fortune to sit in a classroom taught by world-renowned faculty members will be a life-changing scope for my career.

More than 80% of this essay is irrelevant to the proper motivation for attending the program. Since this is a highly competitive international scholarship with a medical focus, the candidate should not come across as a newly graduated academic or professional, which is what the personal statement aspect of this presentation does. It makes the applicant seem amateur rather than professional. If i were reading this essay as a reviewer, I would disqualify the candidate before I even reached the second paragraph. That is because there is no immediate motivation presented in the discussion. The first 2 paragraphs should be used to solidly present the professional motivation of the candidate, which would lead to a clear discussion as to the relevance of the Neurasmus program to his future career path. I do not get a sense of an actual career path based on the scholarship studies in this essay. It does not accomplish the task of creating a viable candidated based on the applicant qualifications. There is no clear motivation presented, only an interest in applying to participate in the program, which is not the same as a motivation.