They have asked me to write a letter of motivation outlining the academic, professional and personal motives for completion of a study course at a German higher education institution. Can you please help me review it. Any input is welcomed.
Dear Administrative Committee,
COPY-PASTE removed
Since grade 9th, I had planted a seed in my heart to study medicine at university level but looking at the educational challenges faced by students in Afghanistan, it was difficult to nourish this seed. Therefore, I decided to complete my high school study from Pakistan and eventually was able to germinate that seed into full grown plant when I earned a bachelor degree from Shihezi University China specializing in Clinical Medicine. I am very grateful for this degree since it gave me the fundamental and extensive knowledge of all the different disciplines, from the intensive histological observations of different tissues under microscope to understanding cell biology, physiology, microbiology, psychiatry, statistics, which are all necessary for the proper understanding of the master curriculum in Neuroscience. The foundation that I acquired was thanks to courses like biochemistry and medical chemistry, where I learned the functioning of each Neurotransmitter and how they interact with their specific receptors, orchestrating every activity of our organism from emotions, memory, learning, motion etc. Studying neurology subject at undergraduate level allowed me to tackle a wild range of topics concerning the nervous system, which in addition to what I will be learning in this program, would lay the foundation for my PhD and future employment.
During my undergraduate study, I have always been thinking about my goal of becoming a research neurologist. Although, I had gained a bit part of my goal at bachelor level, I still desired an education that will prepare me to do more about my goal and offer me research abilities involved in neuroscience. It was my dedication to go in-depth into the research experience and uncertainty about finding research opportunities back home in Afghanistan, that I enrolled to study a research based master course in pathology at the same university. I have spent much of my past semester learning about research work from my professor Dr Hu Jiang Ming, in anticipation of his lab work which focuses on particular pathways involved in esophageal cancer cells. Nevertheless, this lab work was not related to neuroscience, but has definitely exposed me to a research environment, has provided me with practical research experience and basic knowledge of methods, procedures and techniques that can be commonly used in the field of neuroscience research such as cell culture, western blotting, immunohistochemistry and ELISA but unfortunately, as a result of Taliban offensive during its takeover of Afghanistan in 2001, political instability erupted all over the country which caused economic hardship and financial distress to my family. I couldn't bear the fee cost and living expenditure in such situation. Hence, I drop out of master program after 3rd semester and left my master degree incomplete.
Today applying for Hilde Domin Program give me the same level of enthusiasm as that I felt when getting enrollment into research based master course few years ago, only this time I am optimistic that the enthusiasm will be long lasting and continue to bring me joy as I continue to work long term in Germany. The master program at German higher institution is specifically designed to help me gain the necessary research experience through lectures, methods courses, presentations by research groups leaders and lab rotations. My chosen universities in Germany have excellent reputation in neuroscience and the limited number of postgraduate places available will grant me with the opportunity to closely interact with highly qualified professors every day. I plan to learn German language and pass German medical language exam named as (Fachsprachprufung) along with the master study. After completing my master degree, I aim to continue further research work by completing a PhD in neuroscience along with taking German medical license exam (Kenntnissprufung).
Finally, I strongly believe my academic qualifications combined with my passion, commitment and perseverance will allow me to fit perfectly into German higher education institution. I look forward to joining this program in order to satisfy my thirst for research and knowledge in neuroscience and achieve my biggest goal.
