Wie auch viele andere vor mir, bitte ich um die Korrektur meiner Bewerbung für ein Auslandssemester. Hintergrund: Meine Universität hat einige Partnerhochschulen im Ausland, wo man, mit finanzieller Unterstützung der eigenen Uni, ein Auslandssemester machen kann.
Die Anzahl der Plätze ist natürlich begrenzt, darum muss man ein Motivationsschreiben (natürlich auf Englisch) an die zuständigen Dozenten schicken, die dann auswählen wen sie ins Ausland schicken und wen nicht. In dem Schreiben sollte stehen warum man ins Ausland möchte, man sollte 3 Prioritäten angeben was die College-Wahl betrifft und warum man sich gerade für diese Colleges interessiert.
Ich habe mein Motivationsschreiben so weit fertig, und würde mich sehr freuen, wenn ihr mal drüber lesen und es auf korrektes Englisch und Fehler überprüfen könntet.
Vielen Dank im Voraus!
Liebe Grüße
Lucia
1[sup]st[/sup] priority: University of South Carolina Upstate
2[sup]nd[/sup] priority: Pitzer College
3[sup]rd[/sup] priority: Coe College
Dear Mrs. Dr. xyz, dear Mr. Dr. YYY,
With this letter I would like to apply for an exchange to one of the universities mentioned above in fall semester 2014. Currently, I’m studying English and German for secondary school in second semester and I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to spend the time after my third semester abroad.
When I learned that students of English for secondary school have to spend at least 12 weeks in an English speaking country, and that the English department in Landau enables students to study abroad at a partner institution, I started to get really enthusiastic about the idea. It is something I’m looking forward to for quite some time now.
There are many reasons why I would like to study abroad. First of all it would be the optimal opportunity for me to improve my English skills. I would live together with native students and therefore be surrounded by English on a daily basis. I think hearing and speaking a language in proper cultural context is the most effective way to get fluent in this language.
Additionally studying abroad would help me to grow as a person. For me it would be like an adventure, academically and personally, because I would be confronted with new situations every day. This would definitely help me to increase my independence, which would be very useful in many different future occasions. I would learn how to manage my time, how to achieve my goals, and how to plan ahead.
Furthermore it would allow me to get to know new cultures. When I came to the point where I had to choose my priorities for this application I read up a lot about all partner institutions of the University of Landau. I searched the internet for information, read through all the partner College’s websites and collected student reviews.
I chose USC Upstate, Pitzer College and Coe College as priorities because, among other things, I learned that each semester they host many international students.
I would love to meet people from all over the world and to learn something about their habits, beliefs and values. I think it is important to experience cultural differences personally and to gain an understanding from cultures different from your own, especially when becoming a teacher.
The opportunity to travel is an important factor for me as well and was also a factor for my priority choices. Weekends and academic breaks would hopefully make it possible to visit some great places. USC Upstate would allow me to visit cities like Greenville, Charleston or Atlanta. Pitzer College would allow me to take a trip to Los Angeles and Coe College itself is located in the very interesting city Cedar Rapids, not far from Chicago.
As mentioned above my third preference would be to go to Coe College in Cedar Rapids. As recognized by several widely respected college ranking publications Coe College is one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Additionally Cedar Rapids seems to be a great city as it consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top communities in which to live, work and raise a family. It would be great to be part of this community for a few months.
Pitzer College is my second preferred exchange destination. What I love about this College is the fact, that it is small and personal. I think it would be easy to get to know other students and your professors. The location of Pitzer College is surely one of the most positive factors. From what I heard Claremont is a cute little town and Los Angeles is just a one hour drive away, which provides the opportunity to take a trip there every now and then.
And finally my first preferred exchange destination is USC Upstate. A friend of mine, also student in Landau, went there for her semester abroad. She told me a lot about her time in Spartanburg and about College Life. She told me that the atmosphere on Campus is great and that all students are very friendly. Classes are relatively challenging but the professors are knowledgeable and always willing to help you out. Because USC Upstate hosts many international students she was able to meet interesting people from all around the world and made friends for a lifetime, which is exactly what I would like to do.
In general the U.S. holds some kind of fascination to me, because I have never been there. I’m very curious about the American culture, about people and their lifestyles. I’m also curious about College Life, how living together with a stranger is like and I’m looking forward to every challenge I’m sure I’ll have to face.
Beside the fact that I want to learn something about cultures different to my own, I would like to give people from the U.S. an understanding of the German Culture.
I think I would be a good ambassador for the University of Landau as I grew up in a village near to Landau and therefore are familiar with the environment and the Rhineland-Palatinate culture. I would recommend the university to everyone abroad who is interested in spending a semester in Germany.
By studying in America I hope to become more open and flexible, gain experiences and new cultural insights, improve my English and of course just have a great time! I hope I have succeeded in convincing you to accept me as an exchange student.
Kind regards,
