Provide good arguments for why you want to do this master's programme at UM

Motivational letter - Msc Supply Chain Management in UM

The requirement of the university:

Provide good arguments for why you want to do this master's programme at UM and why you expect that you can successfully complete the programme.

In the letter I made relevant explanation to the weak points in my application package:
70-out-of-100 average score in undergraduate study
a 5-year gap between two job experience

My letter:

With this letter, I would like to extend my interest to UM in applying the MSc program of International Business with specialization in Supply Chain Management. I strongly believe that both my academic skills and work experience make me a qualified candidate and will enable me to successfully complete the program.

With a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, I graduated from ECUST, one of the top universities in China. I have 6 years of experience in supply chain for world renowned consumer goods companies. My responsibilities ranged from capacity planning, order fulfillment to supply planning.

My interest in Supply Chain Management took root in the days when I was with A China as a Supply Planner. I was greatly enlightened of the positive impact that well-structured supply chain management could have on business, especially when the once booming market had shifted into a cost-and-efficiency oriented phase. Becoming a SCM professional has since been my career goal.

I later joined J Asia as Supply Planning Supervisor to gain hands-on experience. Over the two years I reduced overall responding time, expanded service scope and brought up a team of two junior staff. But gradually I feel myself at my wits' end. I lack a systematic approach to analyze a complex supply chain strategy and point out any potential risk. An effective Supply Chain Manager need to possess both technical competency and scientific methodology in tackling complex supply chain issues. And I intend to be that kind of manager. Taking a master program in Supply Chain Management I believe will perfectly fuse the two qualities.

It did not take me long to decide on UM. I've always favored European culture most. As self-learning, I've been following supply chain blogs of a SCM guru, Dr. M. A. In one of his articles, UM was among the top European universities he recommended to go for. Reading through the program syllabus, I'm thrilled to find the courses so compatible to my expectation. I'd take special interest in "Supply Chain Research Methods" and "Supply Chain Metrics". Mainstream concepts of supply chain improvement are not brand new, yet according to my observation very few Chinese companies implement them very well. I believe I will find answers through these two courses.

Being a strong learner and a persistent person, I'm confident of the study in master degree. Once an English competition winner and a scholarship winner, I was a straight-A student all the way through high school. I also obtained high score in college entrance exam. As I was lost of my goal for undergraduate study, the results turned out to be less satisfactory. Nevertheless it prepped me well with critical thinking and SCM mindset. With Band 8 in IELTS and 650 in GMAT, I believe I've proven myself academically adequate for the master program.

As the only child in the family, I once had to put my ambition second priority and be a care taker when my parents were consecutively diagnosed of cancer. I lost my mother, but thankfully my father lives well beyond the 5-year survival threshold which means a complete cure. It is time for me to put my plan in action and seek advanced education.

Thank you very much for considering my application. And I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Remove the references to your weak points. The instruction clearly states that you are to highlight only your strong points. You should focus only on the skills, talents, research acumen, and other points of reference that will show that you have what it takes to complete the course. The reviewer will look for an applicant with a strong research background, a relevant current profession, on the job training that can be applied to your masters course of interest, and any other skills and training that you have which might indicate that you have something unique to bring to the learning experience of the other students.

By focusing on your weak points, you are convincing the reviewer that you would like to complete the course, but you might not be able to because... weak points. Nice way to make sure you personally remove yourself from consideration for the student slot. That is not how you write a motivational letter. Focus only on your interest in your career, how the course will help you improve, and why you chose the university, not necessarily the country.

You have mistaken the motivational letter for a personal statement. Those are two different essays. These discuss 2 different interests that led to your desire to study the course. Write a new letter that sheds light only on the factors that made you professionally interested in pursuing more academic and technical training. Include a reference to what motivated your decision to enroll in the university with a slight reference to why you chose to study in the country. The country part should relate heavily to your professional advancement through exposure to the same field as a visiting student.