Motivation Letter to Apply for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Grants

Hi. Please give me your opinion about my motivation letter, there is a maximum number of 500 words. I would appreciate any comments. Thank you very much.

Prompt:

In the Motivation Letter, the candidate is asked to tell his/her personal story, study path, academic interests and explain the reasons for choosing to study in Italy, as well as the purpose and objectives of their study project.

Letter:

Dear MAECI Admission Committee,

I am writing to express my interest in the grants offered by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) for the academic year 2024-23. As a Computer Scientist with a strong academic background and practical experience, I am particularly drawn to the fields of data science and artificial intelligence. I am also eager to contribute to Italy's cultural, scientific, and technological landscape while pursuing my studies

My passion for data science started during my undergraduate studies, where I participated in several research projects and hackathons that involved applying machine learning techniques to solve real-world challenges. For instance, I was selected for an internship at University XX from a pool of 500 applicants from my university. There, I worked on two cutting-edge projects that focused on enabling efficient and scalable machine learning applications. Another notable achievement was winning second place in the Programming Competition XX from 200 participants, where we had to handle large datasets and perform a comprehensive data analysis to train a predictive model. Our project achieved a remarkable result of predicting up to 90% of food waste.

Through these experiences, I have developed the skills and knowledge to handle complex and incomplete data efficiently. I have also developed a keen sense of the value of information in the decision-making process, and the challenges and opportunities that data science and machine learning present in today's competitive world.

Italy's rich cultural heritage, scientific contributions, and world-class educational institutions make it an ideal destination for my studies. I am drawn to the MAECI grants because they foster international cooperation and promote Italian language and culture. Studying in Italy will allow me to immerse myself in a diverse academic environment and collaborate with experts from various backgrounds.

I have carefully selected three outstanding Italian universities for my graduate studies. I am attracted by Politecnico di Milano's reputation for excellence in computer science and engineering. Professor XX's recent work on convolutional neural networks fits perfectly with my interests in machine learning and data science. In addition, Prof. XX's expertise at the University of Bologna in artificial intelligence coincides with my area of research. I am also interested in Luiss University's unique combination of technical-scientific and business disciplines. Professor XX's experience at the XX Research Center adds immense value to the program.

My goal is to become a subject-matter expert in deep learning for data analytics. I envision transforming raw information into meaningful insights for business users. Furthermore, I aspire to pursue a Ph.D. or secure a leading research position in the industry after completing my master's program. I am confident that my academic achievements, motivation, and enthusiasm make me a strong candidate for the MAECI grants. Thank you for your consideration of my application. I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

You have the academic year reference reversed. Additionally, it is the academic year 2024 - 2025, not 2023. If you use this reference point, your application will be rejected for irrelevance. The academic year you are applying for has already passed. There is no sense in considering your application.


Reference more specific reasons for your interest in this scholarship grant. What advancements has Italy made in your area of study? You can be general in reference. The idea is to show the reviewer that you are familiar with the strides that Italian universities and professors / researchers have contributed to the field, making it a learning destination for you.


What exactly do you plan to contribute to the professor's work that would make you an exceptional future student who can join his research team?

The 1st paragraph, you miss a dot (.) here "while pursuing my studies".

2nd paragraph, you listed some achievements, but you can use other ways to show they your real passions, by talk more about your most admirable achievement. This sentence is amazing "Our project achieved a remarkable result of predicting up to 90% of food waste."

Develop more about it "I envision transforming raw information into meaningful insights for business users." What benefit you will bring to the world after your study?

"Furthermore, I aspire to pursue a Ph.D. or secure a leading research position in the industry after completing my master's program.": i think this sentence is a bit general, so you should show more details in your future plan, ex: which companies you consider to apply; will you work in italy or somewhere else? You should show them in the most clear way.

"Italy's rich cultural heritage, scientific contributions, and world-class educational institutions make it an ideal destination for my studies." this sentence is also general, may be you can replace it by compared Italy opportunities with other countries?

I think the last 3 paragraphs is less convinced than the first 3 paragraphs.

Hope my feedback will help you! Please ignore my grammar errors.