Accepted

I have been accepted into university. As you can probably guess I'm quite thrilled. I said a few weeks ago that if I got in I'd post my motivation letter, so here it is, the motivation letter that got into the VU Social Psychology program: (Maybe you can find the two grammar mistakes in there?)

Re: What motivates me?

The first time I was asked to write a motivational letter for university I never even mentioned what motivated me, not once; yet the letter, according to the selection board, was essential in getting me accepted.

Now, eleven years later, I’m being asked to do it again. The assignment is the same, the purpose is the same, shouldn’t I therefore behave the same? Pavlov and his behavioural psychologist would answer ‘yes’. For me the answer is ‘no’. It’s therefore a good thing that behaviourism is no longer a mainstream psychological philosophy – something that the request of a letter of motivation by a psychology department testifies to.

The big disparity between then and now is indeed internal; then I didn’t care that much about whether I would get in or not, this time around I came back to the Netherlands – after seven years of absence – to get into the VU Social Psychology program. So the difference between the letter now and the letter eleven years ago is encompassed in one word: motivation.

I’ve become fascinated by people. This wasn’t always the case. For the longest time I was far more interested in thoughts than in the people that had them. That changed when I read about Antonio Damásio’s research in which he suggests that emotions are a fundamental part of every decision. Suddenly my entire world image flip – I realised that thoughts can’t be considered separately from the people that have them.

For that reason I want to learn about us and add to our understanding of ourselves. Though I’m constantly reading about and observing the human condition, there are limits to how much you can do with just books and anecdotal evidence. That’s why I want to join the Social Psychology Research Masters program at the Vrije Universiteit; where I believe I’ll be able to both take from and add to the field of Social Psychology.

There is a big difference between wanting to contribute and being able to contribute, however; so how do I think I can contribute? There are a myriad of ways, but I will only discuss a few here.

Since very young I’ve lived all over the world, which makes me the quintessential outsider. The constant exposure to other cultures has forced me to re-evaluate my assumptions over and over again. I believe – an assumption, of course – that this has forced me to always be objective and open minded.

While my time as a writer and a teacher has given me an analytical and critical mind. The reason for that is that any serious student or editor will not let you get away with mistakes or omissions. You must learn to explain things both clearly and succinctly. The best in both professions can make complex things appear simple; since the beginning this is the skill I’ve strived to learn.

These skills and more I want to bring to the field of Social Psychology; initially in the capacity of a student and eventually in the capacity of an educator. And that brings me to the end of my answer – which is a question of my own: will you have me?

Best Regards,


Jelte ten Holt