Motivation letter for the PhD programme at the Aarhus University Faculty of Arts

Hello to everyone

Graduate school application letter

I am applying for an open call at the Art, Literature and Cultural Studies PhD program on the Graduate school at the Faculty of arts. I really need this letter to be good. Any suggestions or constructive critic is very welcome. please help

Dear members of the assessment committee,

I was always an excellent student, not because of a desire for the competition, but because of the mere euphoria the very act of learning gave me. I have loved art since I could hold a pencile, and there was no other call for me but the be an artist. Because of a wide range of my interests I learnt lot of useful skills, art techniques and tried myself at various art fields. I learned how to sculpt, make mosaic, furniture restoration, fresco painting, create pastels, tempera, oil colours, mediums and siccatives from the raw ingredients, various graphics techniques, glass art, ceramic technology, photography, graphic and web design.

With my Bachelor's and Master degrees I gained a solid practical and theoretical foundation in art. Although my MA degree is in Painting, I still believe that my motivation, and curiosity, together with my affinity for history, psychology and philosophy has capacitated me to equally effectively conduct research in the field of art history. In the final year of my MA studies, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness that prevented me to pursue a PhD degree. Although unfortunate, a pause I took from studies had some advantages, because I gained certain reflections on hypotheses and theories of art during this period I would not have been able to develop as a young student. In 2018, I enrolled in PhD program at Ondokuz Mayis University in Samsun, Turkey. I spent a year and a half attending courses to earn the mandatory 30 ECTS points. Although these courses were a time consuming, they served as an opportunity for me to research variety of topics. My interests stretched in the spoon from BioArt, through semiotics and symbolism all the way to the influence of Augmented Reality on the current development of art. I did not apply for a credit transfer because the courses offered on the Art, Literature and Cultural Studies PhD programme at the Graduate School of Faculty of Arts are too valuable to be skipped. Because of a number of problems in my current studies, that were out of my hands, I realized it was impossible to create a work on a level required for a PhD research. Since I am a perfectionist, and one who believes in the rules, my conscience, my moral and ethical principles did not allow me to receive a PhD degree for a work that is not quality enough. I started searching for the most suitable PhD programme where I could use my aspiration for perfection and create project I could proudly stand behind.

My greatest dream is to be in an inspiring environment that encourages and nurtures development, where one can create fruitful relationships with colleagues, and connections with other institutions. I found all that and more at the University of Aarhus Faculty of Arts. The opportunity to teach and help other students that the Aarhus University provides for doctoral students was also a reason I decided to apply. I love sharing my knowledge, helping others, encouraging them to find a solution on their own, and teaching them to look at problems in a deductive and logical way. I hope Your Faculty will give me opportunity to develop all my potential, and I solemnly oath that I will not disappoint, and that I will dedicate myself to be equally beneficial to the Faculty as I am sure it will be for me.

The letter is good in the sense that you really show the development of your motivation and how you hope to continue learning about Art. However, it sometimes feels like there are irrelevant information included in your desire to heighten your profile as a potential applicant. Additionally, there seems to be a missing discussion link regarding why you are motivated to apply for the open call position. Why were you attracted to the open call? Why do you think you should be a part of this program based on the requirements they have for the applicants? Why at this university and why this graduate school at the faculty of arts? These are 2 questions that need to be addressed a part of the motivation. Personally, I believe the essay can do with some professional editing so that these important questions can be seamlessly integrated into the overall letter presentation.

@Holt thank you so very much for your suggestions. You are right about everything. I have limited space of 35 lines max. and in the first draft i wrote 65 line, guess I am too motivated 🙈 I have hard time keeping it short.