Letter of Motivation for Erasmus Mundus Scholarship. EMOTION Master Program.

EMOTION program application letter

Hello. I am applying to the EMOTION Master Program offered by Erasmus Mundus as a candidate for a scholarship.

The prompts for the letter of motivation are:
- How past experiences have prepared you for participation in EMOTION.
- How this program is likely to improve your own career perspectives.
- Why the candidate is interested in the Master.
- How the candidate can contribute to the Master. Maximum 750 words.
I would like to know how to strengthen my essay. Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Dearest members of the admissions committee:

My name is XXXX. I am a graduate with a BSc. in Pharmaceutical Biological Chemistry and I am interested in applying to the EMOTION Master Program.

During my undergraduate studies, I gained relevant experience in the areas of chemical regulation and biochemical research. In my penultimate semester, I participated in an internship as a sanitary reviewer in the division of pesticides at the federal regulatory agency in México, COFEPRIS. After completing this internship, I participated as a research intern in two projects related to the cell cycle in plants at my university, both projects were coordinated by the principal of the faculty, Dr. XXXXX.

My first academic experience with the topic of cosmetics happened, as well, in my penultimate semester. I enrolled in the subject Pharmaceutical Technology II, where one of the curricular units was dedicated to cosmetics and the basic principles of their formulation. The final team project of that unit was to develop an innovative formula, test the product claims and create a fictional marketing campaign to sell it. Our team developed a liquid glitter eyeshadow that was light-textured and long-lasting and we received the highest evaluation amongst the class. Although the experience was fulfilling, I realized what I had learned was only a glimpse of the knowledge required to launch a cosmetic into the market and this motivated me to further my studies on the topic.

In 2019, after completing the coursework for my bachelor's degree, XXXX awarded me a full scholarship to study a diploma course specifically about cosmetics. In the course, I learned about skin physiology, principles of formulation and cosmetic regulation; topics that align with the content of the teaching program for the first and second semester of the Master. I believe my previous student experiences regarding cosmetics, combined with the technical skills acquired as a research intern have prepared me to adapt quickly to a research-oriented program as EMOTION.

My motivation for studying in Europe comes from wanting to truly experience innovation in the cosmetic field. Besides having a highly innovative industry, Europe has one of the most advanced regulatory frameworks regarding cosmetics. For instance, the use of animals for testing cosmetic ingredients or finished products is banned since 2013. As a result, scientists and manufacturers have researched alternative in-vitro methodologies to evaluate the safety of a cosmetic. Unlike Europe, in México the official norm that establishes the guidelines to perform safety evaluations for cosmetics still requires the use of animals for the tests; with the current legislation, the regulatory authorities of my country do not promote innovation or the research of new alternative methodologies.

I am interested in learning about the latest in-vitro assays available to evaluate the safety of a cosmetic. Upon completion of the program, I would like to pursue a career as a regulatory affairs analyst in the cosmetics industry. One of my main future responsibilities will be assembling dossiers to notify regulatory authorities of the placement of a product on the market. This dossier must include safety and efficacy assessments. To fully understand and interpret data obtained from these assessments I require to be familiar with the research and development (R&D) process of a cosmetic since this stage is crucial because it tests the safety of the raw materials used to manufacture the product.

Courses at Università del Piemonte Orientale (UPO) will give me the foundations to comprehend the R&D process, particularly the courses in statistics and data retrieval, general principles of R&D and pre-clinical and clinical pharmacology. My choice of preference for the mobility scheme is option A at Universidad Miguel Hernández (UMH) because the courses are focused on in-vitro skin models for testing safety and efficacy. Also, it covers the pre-clinical regulatory requirements for registration and labeling, which is valuable information for my future career path.

I am certain the EMOTION program will benefit my career perspectives with the opportunity of performing an internship at a cosmetic company in Europe. In return, I will share valuable insight and the knowledge I possess of México's regulatory framework to assist European companies looking to export their cosmetics to México and help strengthen the commercial relations between our countries. In the future, I will use the knowledge acquired during my master's studies to actively promote modifications to México's regulatory framework regarding animal use in safety evaluations for cosmetics with the purpose of having a legislation that fosters innovation.

The presentation is strong enough but lacking in reference as to what theoretical, practical, and analytical skills you can bring to the program. How do you see yourself contributing to the learning of your classmates? What type of research are you interested in that could force the university say, further widen its teaching field in this course or, allow for other internship programs during the course? Your unique interests in the field, and your desire to pursue this as a student can add quality to the contribution you can make to the masters course. Aside from this missing point, I believe the essay is strong enough. That is where the problem lies. In order to include a full explanation of what you can bring to the course, you will need to shorten some portions of this presentation. Which sections and how you will shorten these I will leave up to you as I would not want to accidentally cause problems in your information presentation by instructing you on which sections to shorten. All I can tell you is, choose wisely.

@Holt
Thank you so much for your valuable feedback! I will definitely add the missing point.