LETTER OF MOTIVATION

The decision of choosing one’s postgraduate studies is at a very crucial juncture in one’s life.
In the following paragraphs, after a detailed introduction of my family and academic
background, I will illustrate how and why I got particularly interested in studying at
Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg.

My name is Muhammad Bilal Akram. I do belong to a well respected background. My father

is a public servant working for the federal Bank of Pakistan. My father always affirmed that
me and my siblings do well at our academics, respectively and assured quality education to
us. My elder brother has completed his Bachelor in Business Accounting from IQRA
University, Karachi, Pakistan and Masters in Business Accounting (Finance) from Asian
Pacific International College, Sydney, Australia. My younger sister has just completed her
Intermediate and now she is pursuing her degree in Media Sciences from SZABIST, Karachi.
My family has always been a massive support throughout my studies and career building
due to which I always managed to outshine in my academics. My experiences in life have
been based on competing ethically for what I want, being organized and to bring the best
out of everyone.

I have completed my Matriculation Examination in July 2008 with 85.88%. I decided to

pursue my further studies in the field of Pre-engineering and for my high school studies
(Intermediate) I got enrolled at Local Government College in August 2008. I selected Pre-
engineering as a major subject in Intermediate and did quite well. I completed my
Intermediate in September 2011 with 64.18%. To pursue my higher studies, I got enrolled in
a reputed university named Quaid-e-Awam university of Engineering, Science and
Technology, Nawabshah in January 2012. I did bachelors in Energy and Environment
Engineering there. During my bachelors from QUEST, I learned a great deal about the basics
of Engineering and studied a lot of engineering related courses like Thermodynamics, Heat
and Mass Transfer, Atmospheric Chemistry, Wind energy, Solar energy, Hydro Power
Engineering, Fluid mechanics, Power plant technology, Petroleum and Gas exploration
assisted me to become acquainted with the environment and practical world. Among all the
courses, I found Solid Waste Management, Pollution and Control, Instrumentation and
Control, Environment Impact Assessment, Health Safety and Environment,
Thermodynamics, Heat and Mass Transfer, and Clean Coal technology to be closely related
to my interests. I graduated in April 2016 with 82.50%.

My undergraduate studies proved highly instructive and inspiring. Most importantly, the
classes and laboratories I participated in helped to solidify my determination to devote my
long-term career to this area. Internship in Steel Mills of Pakistan added fuel to the fire.
There, I learnt a lot of experience by observing the process practically. Furthermore, I
developed leadership qualities for achieving goals and targets in time. Currently I am
working as a Trainee Engineer at Effluent Treatment Plant, Rajby Textiles, Karachi. This
helped me to gain knowledge and understand the various processes that are being carried
out during purifying the unwanted water and again recycling it.

For my master’s degree, I considered a number of universities. These universities were

global in scope i.e. all over the world. Out of all the countries, Germany stood out. This is
due to a plethora of reasons. Firstly, Germany has had a wonderful history regarding
intellectuals since the last millenium. Germany has produced great philosophers like Hegel,
Neitzsche, Heidigger and many others. It has produced eminent scientists like Albert
Einstein, Max Planck, Heisenbery and many others. I could cite more examples from
different fields but then this motivation letter will turn into a list of eminent scholars.
Secondly, Germany is one of the most affordable countries for a student in the world.
Thirdly, Germany is the only major world economy that provides either completely free
education or in some states has a nominal fee relative to the quality of education it imparts.
Fourthly, German economy is strong and sturdy due to the strong engineering culture its
industry boasts. There is much to learn from this culture. All these reasons combined
present a strong case for my choice of searching for a university in Germany to pursue my
Masters degree.

I have searched thoroughly for universities which provide high quality education and
impart pragmatic skills. After passing many universities through a very strict filter, my
search yielded only a handful of universities. The filter included many factors but there were
three on which I had no capacity for compromise. Firstly, the quality of faculty should be
top-notch and most, if not all, members of faculty should have a portfolio full of research
papers and cutting-edge research projects. Secondly, the university should have an active
body of students who consistently dazzle with their university studies and projects. Thirdly,
any university should have a healthy amount of funds so that it can be less dependent on
outer parties and pursue its research and projects independently. As you can infer, the filter
is already quite tough and many universities fail to pass through it. Despite the
impermeability of my filter, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg easily squeezed through it. It boasts a
very competent faculty, a vibrant collection of students and more than adequate funds for
academic endeavors. BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg has a rich history and possesses an inspiring
ascent to its current status of quality education. It was initially founded as a construction
engineering college in 1954. After the fall of the berlin wall, it was elevated to the status of a
technical university. In 1994, it was rebranded as Brandenburg Technical University.
Recently the Hochschule Lausitzwas assimilated by the university and it was then renamed
to its current title as ‘Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg’.

On top of all this, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg has an impressive curriculum. I have selected
the program as accordance to my interest coupled with my degree, Msc in Environmental
and Resource Management. The program has all essential modules such as Municipal Solid
Waste Management, Methods of Water Resource Management, Waste Water and Sludge
Treatment, Safety and Risk Analysis for Process Plant, Free Surface and Groundwater
Modelling, Strategic Environmental Assessment and Environmenal Impact Assessment, and
many more. I have several reasons for this choice. Firstly, all the subjects that were related to
Environment, in my bachelor’s course, piqued me more than other subjects. This means that
I developed a healthy interest in Environment and Resource Management. Secondly, the
research oriented nature of the program will give me first-hand experience of the German
research circle. The German academic is renowned throughout the world. Its research and
projects are respected everywhere and are credited with many scientific advancements. Such
experience will definitely elevate my engineering portfolio. Thirdly, there has been an
increase in demand of Environmental Engineers in Pakistan owing to shift in the perspective
of the industry. The industry aims to create its own style of products for the market here in
Pakistan. Also, the much trumpeted global level project known as CPEC is also underway in
Pakistan. The project hopes to deliver numerous Water Treatment, Waste Water Treatment,
Environmental Analyst, Risk Assessment, Environment Protection and Management jobs. I
want to capitalize on this opportunity. I will definitely have an edge over other prospective
participants in Pakistan’s industry if I have a competent Masters degree in Environmental
and Resource Management. In short, I have exclusively chosen these programs because of
this institute’s bright future, the sturdiness of its academic degree and the advantages I can
procure from this degree in my home country.

I hope you will find my application worthy and my reasons for applying convincing.

Regards
Muhammad Bilal Akram