Motivation letter writing
Hi everybody
I'm applying for a 2 year master's program in the Netherlands and my ML needs a bit of correction because I am not very competent with writing these sort of statements. Thank you in advance for your help and consideration.
PROMPT: A clear and relevant essay in English (1,000 - 1,500 words) addressing the following:
·Your motivation for choosing this MSc programme.
·Why you are interested in TU Delft and what you expect to find here.
·If this MSc programme has specialisation(s), which specialisation interests you the most and why?
·Describe your hypothetical thesis project: what kind of project would you prefer? What would you want to explore? Please limit your answer to three possible topics.
·Summarize in a maximum of 250 words your BSc thesis work or final assignment/project. Please include information about the workload.
MY LETTER:
Dear Admission Committee
I am writing to express my interest in the Joint Master's degree program in Applied Geophysics. In regards to my previous education, experiences, and personal interests, I aspire to pursue a career in environmental and engineering geophysics and I hope to expand my knowledge on the subject as well as my social and cultural awareness by obtaining an international master's degree.
I was first introduced to seismic and electromagnetic methods in Structural Geology course. I was fascinated by how these ingenious methods are used for studying the subsurface of the Earth. I was determined to learn more therefore I took a few prerequisite courses such as differential equations, rock mechanics, and principles of mineral exploration in order to be able to take an Exploration Geophysics course which offered an in-depth study of geophysical methods and one unit of field survey. The practical part of this course comprised of working with magnetometers, seismometers, and gravimeters in the field and later on working with software programs to study the collected data. The main program taught in the class was Oasis Montaj. Upon completion of this course, I decided to take an internship in the Geophysics lab of the university.
The internship was an extremely enlightening experience in that it provided an opportunity to learn and work under the supervision of some of the greatest geophysicists in my country. Over the course of the internship, I was introduced to the broad range of responsibilities of a geophysicist and the importance of seismological investigations.
First, I was taught about project planning before visiting the site and designing data acquisition plans after visiting the site. The next phase was collecting data over a series of field surveys. I was already familiar with this stage because of my background in exploration drilling and geophysical field survey courses. I was completely comfortable with deploying seismometers and observing the recording equipment for detecting anomalies. The last phase was processing and interpretation of the acquired datasets and working with software programs such as Petrel (Reservoir software by Schlumberger), Surfer, and ArcGIS. Analyzing seismic reflection data and well logs, alongside mapping 2D and 3D seismic data were among the practices that were focused on in this phase. Another topic discussed throughout the internship was signal processing which invited me to self-study the subject further. This was not particularly difficult for me because I had passed the Engineering Mathematics course in which I had gained a well-established understanding of the Fourier Transform.
This whole experience was fundamental in inspiring me to pursue further education in applied geophysics. It was immensely diverse and interesting and required so much creativity and problem-solving skills, exactly the way I desire my career to be.
I took my second internship in the exploration division of a relatively small company. In advance to the weekly visits to the field and data analyzing work that was supervised by experienced exploration engineers of the company, I had the privilege of working alongside other interns on group research projects which stimulated my leadership and team work skills.
During one of these research assignments, I stumbled upon Unmanned Airborne Vehicles that are used for carrying geophysical equipment. This especially sounded clever to me because of the low cost and the capability to collect data from hard-to-reach locations. I had always found RS rather exciting but we were not taught that it could be used in cooperation with geophysical equipment, so I used to think it was unpractical due to the interference of the signals from the equipment and the UAVs. This occurrence inspired me to incorporate remote sensing into my final project.
Based on this interest in RS and my experience in programming, I chose an environmental investigation project using Google Earth Engine (GEE) as my bachelor thesis. GEE has two APIs, one of which is a browser-based Code Editor which requires basic knowledge of JavaScript and the second one is a Python API. The goal of the project was to explore the effects of Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine on its surrounding area using satellite and aerial imagery. Sarcheshmeh mine has been active for nearly 40 years and is the largest open-pit mine in Iran. In conjunction with aerial imagery that my professor provided for the project, I took advantage of GEE's comprehensive data catalogue. I utilized supervised classification algorithms to determine how landcover, surface water, and land use have been altered and how much of it could be attributed to the mining process. Additionally, I observed soil pollution and natural hazards in the area throughout the years using hyperspectral imaging and digital elevation models. The results of the project were promising and my professor advised me to publish the results in an academic journal.
This project took me two semesters to get through, mostly because of the overwhelming amount of data that I had to analyze. GEE was a helpful tool which reduced the amount of image processing labor tremendously. For instance, using Landsat products, I was able to easily get access to cloud free images. Nonetheless, I managed to finish the project with acceptable outcomes in time; since I have worked alongside my studies, I am used to working under pressure and capable of managing time and being flexible.
This project encouraged me to study multiple environmental journals, participate in an online environment and sustainable development conference, and look into the significant role that geophysics and remote sensing can play in preserving the environment. These are among the reasons why I would prefer to specialize in environmental and engineering investigations.
I first learned about (THIS) MSc in Applied Geophysics from a friend who was at the time doing his PhD at (UNIVERSITY OF ...). Later on, I searched and read about this program at (UNIVERSITY's MAGAZINE) and other sources. I was captivated by how much this program matched my adventurous personality and suited my career goals. Lectures at three of the best universities in the world alongside comprehensive field courses and traveling across Europe for two years feels like a dream come true for me. One of the most important reasons why I am so attracted to this program is how close to the industry it is, so I would love to do my thesis in an industry laboratory.
In addition to the academic side of this program, I would like to mention that it has been an ambition of mine to study at TU Delft for a long time because of its amazing community. The advocacy of free speech and supporting groups like >>>, >>>, and >>> have truly inspired me. I would like to participate in such groups and activities and motivate more people like myself to pursue their passion. I am sure that if I get the chance to study along (UNIVERSITY OF ...)'s students, I can graduate a better person for society and industry and I hope to contribute to the well-being of my peers and classmates in every possible way while I am studying too.
At the moment, my curiosity is devoted to land contamination and environmental preservation projects, therefore one of the subjects that I would like to explore in my thesis would be investigating soil and groundwater contamination using resistivity and electromagnetic methods. Also having come from a mining engineering background, I would enjoy conducting a project in mineral exploration using seismic methods. Lastly, I would like to carry out an interdisciplinary project that incorporates geophysical methods with remote sensing techniques to expedite mineral exploration processes.
Sincerely,