APPLICATION LETTER

How did I become a dedicated and passionate student? What experiences have persuaded me that I have to
continue my education?

How I come to adopt an intercultural mind and soul

I would like to express my greatest desire to apply for the course in Intercultural Communication at
your university. As a Motivation letter for my application, I describe here my motives in choosing this program,
along with my relevant academic and social background.

My interest in the field of Intercultural Communication was sparked during the third year at
university. I am now doing my BA in English Language Teaching, final year. Originally, I was convinced to follow
the teaching career by my parents because this profession suits my gentle nature and ensure s a stable income
in the future. However, a change of direction occurred as I transited to the third year of my study. This was the
time I got exposure to "Intercultural communication" in one of my study courses. Much to my amazement, I
got immediately indulged in the concepts of belief, value, stereotype, cultural dimensions, ethnocentrism and
such. My perception of language, communication, and culture has been altered tremendously. Language,
other than a tool to communicate, is a mirror reflecting one's culture, worldview, and perspective. I also
became aware of the fact that the world is becoming increasingly inter-connected under the influence of
media, technology, and easy transportation, which raises the need for the development of intercultural
competence. Such a realization has prompted my desire to enquire deeper into Intercultural Communication.

The aspiration to further my study in this field was affirmed by my involvement in several exchange
programs. In 2017, I was selected to participate in two short exchanges in the Philippines and India. During
these events, I had opportunities to observe and identify several intercultural phenomena mentioned in my
study course. However, as I still craved expanding my command of Intercultural Communication, I decided to
delay my study after the third year to engage in a one-semester exchange at the University of Indonesia, under
the Share scholarship program. The time spent in Indonesia marked a milestone in my life. Never before had I
deeply felt the intensity of cultural misunderstandings resulting from stereotypes, biases and language
barriers. For the first few weeks in Indonesia, I suffered from culture shock due to all the unfamiliar factors:
"unbearably spicy food", "slow administration process" or "strange religion". I isolated myself by just
maintaining contact with few Vietnamese students of the same exchange batch. However, I soon felt this is
against my original motives: to discover the culture and education in another ASEAN country - my neighbor, to
examine the intercultural concepts. That's why I determined to adapt myself, by learning Bahasa to
communicate with locals, making friends with both Indonesian and international students. At the end of my
exchange, not only did I manage to engage in simple conversation in Bahasa, achieve excellent study results,
but I also established precious friendships from all corners of the world. These experiences have nurtured my
passion, which is beyond teaching language. I desire to construct generations possessing world-mindedness,
personal empowerment, and intercultural competence.

Bearing this in mind, I returned to my home university to finish my final year, at the same time set the first
step towards my ambition, with my graduation paper. Instead of choosing a teaching-related issue, I decided
to enquire into the field of Intercultural communication. Specifically, my research attempts to investigate the
changes regarding intercultural sensitivity and personal growth experienced by Vietnamese university
students after participation in exchange programs. The qualitative analysis of written and oral reflections from
a group of Vietnamese sojourners allowed me to gain further insight into the formation of intercultural
sensitivity, which is a key component of intercultural competence. Specifically, the data revealed that the
participants demonstrated features of several stages indicated in the development of intercultural sensitivity.
 Besides my passion for the field, I believe I possess certain competencies relevant to the program's
requirements. The BA program at my university allowed me to gain valuable profession-related knowledge,
develop a firm foundation of Intercultural Communication and nurture my passion for research. My
involvement in extracurricular activities and work experience also contributes to my suitability as a student of
this program. From these events, I recognized the importance of understanding intercultural communication
to ease communicating problems among different cultures. Also, my experience working as an English teacher
not only sharpens both profession and social skills but also allows me to realize a lack of cultural understanding
existed among many Vietnamese students, which is a huge limitation in the context of a globalized and
increasingly interconnected world. This has therefore strengthened my desire to support and help future
generations to gain intercultural communication through means of education and publication.

I believe that your university would provide me a great environment to study and research as this is
one of the most prominent educational institutions in the Netherlands with a long history of the
establishment. Most importantly, ABC University offers a unique Master's program in Intercultural
Communication with an interdisciplinary approach. Several courses I found in other institutions only focus on
Global Communication or Intercultural Business Communication. Therefore, Besides, this program attracts me
by the internship coursework, which enables students to familiarize with the working environment and apply
the learned theories in real contexts. Besides, studying at ABC university would allow me to study and conduct
research under the supervision of distinguished experts in the field. As I aspired to become a professional
Intercultural consultant and researcher, the Master's program at ABC would equip me with valuable
knowledge and skills in the field.

Upon the completion of this course, I plan to pursue a career as an intercultural consultant and
lecturer at educational institutions in ASEAN, to fulfill my desire to support students here overcome any
cultural barriers and promote themselves as global citizens. I also aspire to establish my blog, which includes
my sharing, perspectives over global communication problems and notions, specifically in the ASEAN. This blog
is expected to be a reference source for ASEAN youth to seek information, to educate themselves on cultural
matters.

Given my academic strength and desire, I trust that you will consider my application favorably. Should
you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact me or my referees whose details are indicated
in my submitted recommendation letters and CV.

Yours sincerely