Search results for 'tag:Regards tag:Universities' matching tags 'Regards' and 'Universities'

Motivation letter for a Ph.D.

djoe — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:45:29 GMT

Hi everyone,

I have written a draft for a motivation letter, which i'll include in a Ph.D. application.

Because, at the moment, I don't have acces to someone from whom I can get feed back, I'll post it here, and hopefuly someone will be able to read it and comment.

Thank you in advance to whom might read it.

To whom it may concern,

Application for the *** Ph.D. Program

The present letter will explain the reasons why I'm applying to a Ph.D.
degree.

By enrolling on the undergraduate course on Systems and Informatics
Engineering at the *** University, I came in contact with different
paradigms, technics and methodologies for software development.

In the early years of my studies at the university I was a student of
Professor *** which introduced
me to the basis of Formal Methods for software development and verification.

Soon I discovered the interest for Formal Methods, and
got involved in the Grand Challenge in Computer Science initiative.
This experience gave me a taste of what research in Formal Methods is.

Before terminating the under-graduation I entered another challenge like
project, forming a team of students like my self for the ***
contest, under the category of Software Design.
We made it through to the *** finals with a project for a
distributed environment where mobile devices could be used to increment the
contents already available on social data sources like Wikipedia, and others.

Enrolling in the MSc on Informatics at *** was a natural choice in order to
keep working with, and in, Formal Methods,
allowing me to continue the research in the context of the Grand Challenge.
My thesis subject is ***, which includes
building formal models of a informal specification and it's correction
verification.

Under Professor ***'s supervision I have done research on the
possibility to use different tools for different aspects of the formal
development and verification of software.
Which lead to a paper submitted and, presented by me, on the ***
Workshop at the *** symposium.

The contact with researchers from all over the world made me want to keep
doing research on Formal Methods, and push the Grand Challenge initiative
further with my contribution.

In 2007 I was invited to join a development team, as a junior developer, to
design and build an information system for the "*** *** ***" (***).
From November/2007 to May/2008 I worked at the *** facilities together with
domain experts to design and build the software system, while maintaining the
research related with my MSc studies at the university.

I believe that through Formal Methods one can achieve true engineering
concepts for software correction by construction, and that, due to the
overwhelming expansion of software applications, not only critical systems
should be proven safe and correct.

Nowadays software is embedded in almost every system we use, and in most
cases,
the producers os these artifacts not only don't provide warranty, but will
relieve themselves from any obligation with disclaimer notices.

Formalizing software development, as other engineering driven development
communities have done in the past, will give it scientific grounds to hold on,
and probably increase its quality.

Kind Regards,

***

Re: (IELTS) Help Me to check my Complain Letter

Mister Micawber — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:15:41 GMT

.
I have stricken out inappropriate portions and underlined some problem areas:

Dear Sport Club Manager:

I am writing this letter to have an enquiries regards with sport club membership. ~~First of all I would like to introduce my self.~~ I am a ~~college~~ student of Sydney University. ~~In addition,~~ I got a reference from my classmate ~~in the university~~ that your sport club has many facilities and kinds of sport equipments. Last week, when I surveyed your ~~sport club place~~ facilities. My first impression was very good and feel convenience. There are three reasons. First, sport club location is strategic, close to the city and campus. I do not have any difficulties to go there. Second, your sport club has many kinds of sport equipment and facilities such as treadmill and a large swimming pool. Furthermore, you keep toilet and swimming pool to be always clean and sterile.Third, you have fitness tutors who are very helpful and friendly to help all the member.

I have some enquiries ~~as the following~~ ~~bellows~~ :

Â· How much does the registration of membership fee ?

Â· How much does the monthly membership fee ?

Â· What are the required document for membership registration ?

Â· What are the sport packages that you have ?

~~I am waiting your reply. I am expecting you will give me the complete information.~~

I really appreciate ~~for~~ your assistance.

Regards,

(IELTS) Help Me to check my Complain Letter

smartguys — Sat, 31 May 2008 16:11:55 GMT

Hi,

could u help me please to check my english grammar ?

I have one complain letter for IELTS test.

I really appreciated for your help

Regards,

Dear Sport Club Manager:

I am writing this letter to have an enquiries regards with sport club membership. First of all I would like to introduce my self. I am a college student of Sydney University. In addition, I got a reference from my classmate in the university that your sport club has many facilities and kinds of sport equipments. Last week, when I surveyed your sport club place facilities. My first impression was very good and feel convenience. There are three reasons. First, sport club location is strategic, close to the city and campus. I do not have any difficulties to go there. Second, your sport club has many kinds of sport equipment and facilities such as treadmill and a large swimming pool. Furthermore, you keep toilet and swimming pool to be always clean and sterile.Third, you have fitness tutors who are very helpful and friendly to help all the member.

I have some enquiries as the following bellows :

Â· How much does the registration of membership fee ?

Â· How much does the monthly membership fee ?

Â· What are the required document for membership registration ?

Â· What are the sport packages that you have ?

I am waiting your reply. I am expecting you will give me the complete information.

I really appreciate for your assistance.

Regards,

***

Help with sentences

Fizzi — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:24:47 GMT

Hi all,

Can somebody please help me with the English?
Regards,
Fizzi

Before continuing my studies, I used to work as a doctor in a government hospital, clinics and multinational companies. Following that, I have been given a full scholarship with salary by a university and X government to work on my PhD studies. Upon completing my studies, I will continue working as a lecturer in the university. With the experience and connection with people in government, business and academic sectors, it has equipped me to become a good ambassador for California. On top of that, as my research activities and writing career develop, California will always be with me, as it is the place where everything begins.

Re: Motivation letter! Would anyone check this for me, please?

Mister Micawber — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:31:14 GMT

.
It is generally well done in regard to content. I have underlined some problem areas:

Dear Madam,

I am ~~hereby~~ writing to apply for a two-month working experience in England, in which I am particularly interested. My name is Katerina Vaculikova and I am a 21 years old student in my second year of studies, at the St. Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology, PalackÃ½ University, Olomouc. The purpose of this letter is not only to describe my educational and professional background, but also to ~~focus your attention on~~ demonstrate how highly motivated I am for such an opportunity.

I first became interested in social work through being involved into an integrating project for handicapped people under the aegis of EU, The Inclusion Czech republic. ~~Within this project~~ I was responsible for preparing and organising 2-day workshops as well as ~~for~~ keeping foreign relations, relations with donors and also with those who made this project really working â people with any kind of handicap.

During the last two years of my studies, I went through my working experiences in a variety of institutional and other facilities and with many types of clients. As my school practices went on, I subsequently realised who I want to work whit. I feel the closest relation to the target group ~~represented by~~ of elderly or mentally handicapped people. I know that I can offer them the best of myself, try to make their troubles more tolerable and accept them as unique beings. I cannot even describe how satisfied and happy I always feel while working with them.

~~Concerning~~ my language skills~~, they~~ are based on my working experiences abroad. I spent almost six months in London, working and discovering a beauty of England and I found this place very beautiful. This two-month working experience could give me a chance to improve my language skills and show me what the care is alike in one of the most advanced countries of the world. Because no matter where you are and no matter what you do, the main principle of social work should still be to help to the needed ones as much as possible.

In order to ~~be good and~~ achieve high standards, I need to obtain not only theoretical, but also practical knowledge and I am convinced that this higher level of experience could help me to prove that. I would like to combine the knowledge I already know and ~~any~~ new information, align the knowledge and gain a wider perspective on the matter. Furthermore, I feel that such an opportunity is a way how to find out what I really want and if my life journey has taken the right direction. Taking this type of challenge can help me to discover what is truly hidden inside me.

French novelist Anatole France once said: âTo accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act.â After a few years of child dreaming I came to know that if I finally try to turn my dreams into reality I could better envision my future and direct the path of my lifeâ¦ and therefore I am catching this opportunity. J

Yours faithfully,

Re: Hi, online english teacher needed. :-)

Anonymous — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:22:52 GMT

I have years of teaching experience. I have a certification form the Cambridge University.

I can definitely help you improve your communication skills.

My skype id is [removed by moderator] or email is [removed by moderator] [Moderator's note: please register and add your contact details in your profile]

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Tina

Personal statement - editing help

tazeri — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:58:30 GMT

Hi everybody,

I'm working on my personal stetement for postgraduate programme (Media and Communications Studies). I've managed to put there everything I wanted, but I'm not sure whether it's uderstandable, gramatically correct, atc.

Any advice appreciated!

Thankx.

Dear Sir or Madam:

My interest in media studies dates back to my years at high school when I started to realize how mass media and new means of communication change our everyday lives. I had a chance to observe a huge media system transformation in my country. After years of limited and communist government ruled media scene there were first commercial channels, advertising upswing and later on also mobile phones and internet hype. This experience influenced my decision to pursue undergraduate education in the field.

During my undergraduate studies I had the opportunity to be exposed to the wide range of practical journalism courses and media studies courses. The Media Studies and Journalism programme at the Faculty of Social Studies offered us a chance to explore not only news writing, web page creating and photography but also courses focused on media research techniques, critical media thought, media audiences and media effects. During my studies at the Masarykâs University Iâve realized that I would like to extend my knowledge of media theory and research in the future.

The first opportunity for independent research work was my final thesis. I decided to explore the way in which womanâs glossy magazines represent green goods and green consumerism in general. The experience of designing and conducting the research by myself belongs to the most valuable gains from the undergraduate programme. The results of my final thesis were published in a journal specializing in environmental topics.

Faculty of Social Studies has an excellent reputation for its demanding and up to date courses. With a grade average of 1.67 I belonged to the top quartile of the students on the course.

As my related work experience is concerned I already had a chance to benefit from the university gained knowledge in the professional field. In 2006 I was volunteering for a non-profit Fair Trade organization in Brno. I was responsible for media activities such as press releases and press briefings. Currently Iâm taking part in an internship with the A.B.C company which is one of the biggest producers of medical goods in the Czech Republic. At the position of a Brand Manager trainee I had a chance to work on advertising campaigns and customer researches. It was an excellent opportunity to see the commercial media world from the clientâs point of view which involves all the advertising deals and media lobbying.

In terms of a future career, I see myself either working in media research (commercial or university based) or finding a placement in within advertising business.

In my studies towards a masterâs degree, I hope to extend my knowledge on the subjects such as environmental discourse in media, gender and minority media representation and the impact of new media upon society. I was glad to find out that these topics belong to the research interests of the Centre for Mass Communication Research and some of them are covered in the courses offered. Another reason to take the Masters Programme in Mass Communications at your Department is its long established tradition of media research, wide variety of related learning resources and academics who are involved in the current research in the field. Iâm also attracted by the possibility of studying in the multicultural setting of the University of X.

As stated above, Iâm highly interested in pursuing my masterâs degree in Mass Communications. As I am aware of the superb reputation of the Department of Media and Communication I hope you will give me a chance of continuing my studies at your institution.

Best regards,

X.Y

Re: Letter of recommendation check

Grammar Geek — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:20:10 GMT

Hi tazeri, and welcome to the forums.

It's not clear if X actually created the advertising campagns, wrote the leaflets and brochures, etc., or if she coordinated their delivery. It's a big difference, but I can't tell from your description.

To whom it may concern: There is a lot of discussion about the use of this phrase. Grammatically it's correct, but some advocate for Dear Sir or Madam:

X.Y. has been with our company's marketing department for a year, working as a paid intern as a Brand Manager trainee, under my direct management. I enthusiastically recommend her to postgraduate Mass Communications programme at the University of Leicester.

[Company name] is one of the largest producers of medical equipment and hygiene products in the Czech Republic. X has worked on advertising campaigns and the creation of marketing materials, including leaflets and product brochures. Her skills and understanding of our business was such that I placed her in charge of developing some of our new product launch packets. She has repeatedly demonstrated both her creativity and her sense of responsiblity. Her studies have enabled her to offer very useful tips and on-point recommendations concerning our media activities. As just one example, her rating analysis of radio stations helped us in our selection of the right station and advertising time slot to reach our target audiences.

X has put into practice the theory she had learned about research methods, preparing surveys and questionnaires for our customer briefs. I'm not sure what a customer brief is. Her most recently research project was our regional "mystery shopper," focusing on pharmacies. X created the questionnaires for our mystery shopping agents and analysis of the data obtained, and also provided administrative support for the whole project.

I'm confident that Xâs tenure at our company has been extremely beneficial to both parties. She is a valued asset to our company. We will be sorry to see her move on and continue her studies. I'm also confident in her future success, both in business and academically in your programme.

If you have any questions concerning my recommendation or require further information on Xâs work performance, please donât hesitate to contact me.

Best regards, There has also been a lot of comment about closings in letters. As an American, I use "sincerely" for everything, but I think that "Yours truly," is correct in this case. You'll want to confirm that though!

Ing. A.B.

X is lucky that she had a great manager in her internship and should be very happy with this letter.

Letter of recommendation check

tazeri — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:59:37 GMT

Hi everybody,

this is my first letter of recommendation. As I'm not a native speaker I would be really glad if somebody could help me with proofreading and general correction...

Thanx!

To whom it may concern:

X.Y. has been with our companies marketing department for a year. X.Y is one of the largest producers of medical equipment and hygiene products in the Czech Republic. X is taking part in a paid internship program as a Brand Manager trainee. As her manager she is directly accountable to me.

X is responsible for provisions to advertising campaigns and management of promotional materials such as leaflets and product brochures. She was also in charge of developing and capitalizing for some of our new product launch packs. During her work she proved to be creative and responsible. Her field of study has empowered her to offer very useful tips and recommendations concerning our media activities. For example her rating analysis of radio stations has helped us to choose right station and time to reach our target group with advertisements.

Practical theory development within research methods has enabled X to comprehensively prepare surveys and questionnaires for our customer briefs. Last research task X was involved in was our regional mystery shopping project focused on pharmacies. X responsibilities were creating the questionnaires for our mystery shopping agents, general administrative support for the whole project and final processing of the obtained data.

As Iâve outlined above Xâs stay within our company has been extremely beneficial to both parties. She is a valued asset to our company. Although we would be sorry to see her go I realize X is a very ambitious young lady and therefore I understand her intentions to carry on with her studies. I wish her all the best in her future endeavours and recommend her with no hesitation for your postgraduate Mass Communications programme at the University of Leicester.

If you have any questions concerning my recommendation or require further information on Xâs work performance, please donât hesitate to contact me.

Best regards,

Ing. A.B.

Paper on Dracula (why he is a monster), can you please help improve?

aerorock — Sat, 10 May 2008 22:00:01 GMT

The Monstrosity of Bram Stokerâs Dracula

Fictional writers often represent evil as an entity, or âindividualâ with inhuman abilities and sinister objective. This is what we refer to as a monster. They are often personified with repulsive attributes and give a story a strong sense of immorality and central conflict. A more than fitting paradigm of a story that truly epitomizes a monster is Bram Stokerâs suspenseful gothic novel, Dracula. The antagonist in this epistolary narrative, Count Dracula, is a vampire who resides in a vast Transylvanian fortress. He is intelligent and well mannered in his faÃ§ade yet holds a malevolent state of mind. From the beginning of the novel, it is stated that Count Draculaâs intended destination is London. Here he could inhabit his race more effectively. The story begins with a compilation of Jonathan Harkerâs journals. Jonathan Harker is a British solicitor who travels to Count Draculaâs castle in the Carpathian Mountains to aid him with the legal documents for his move to England. Credulous at first, Harker sees Dracula as a sophisticated elderly man who wants to relocate due to his isolation. His suspicions begin to mature as he notices some very unusual behavior by the count. Ultimately, the Count imprisons Harker in his castle with pitiless intentions in mind and then makes his way to England to begin his conquest where he commits most of his violent acts. By sucking the blood of his victims (whom are all female), they eventually become vampires themselves, thus adding to Count Dracula's line of vampirism. Analogous to common vampire legend, he is immortal unless pierced through the heart with a stake and then decapitated. Dracula also commits many other âmonstrousâ actions throughout the story. According to an article by Hanna Meretoja: ââ¦monstrosity refers to something inhuman, unnatural, abnormal, and freakish.â Contrary to the common assertion that Dracula is not a monster due to his human-like manifestation (or lack thereof), he possesses the majority of characteristics that Meretoja lists with his atypical powers. Meretoja further suggests; ââ¦those who do terrifying, evil deeds are designated as monsters.â Dracula is a well-defined instance of a monster in literature due to his inhuman abilities, malicious acts toward the human race, and most significantly, his intended conquest of England.

Chris Martinez, a student at Texas A&M University, states; âA monster doesn't have to be a beast that rises out of the water causing death and destruction to millions of people. It can be a man, or men, who let greed and corruption take hold of their lives.â Several of the hideous actions Count Dracula commits in this novel could have been achievable by a highly troubled individual. This does not make him any less of a monster. His complete disregard for human survival is a factor that grants him added horrific elements. The first section of the novel entails Jonathan Harkerâs imprisonment by the means of Count Dracula. If you look at a monster through Meretojaâs perspective, you can say that this is truly a monstrous act. By the fourth chapter, it becomes evident that the Count had no intentions of releasing Harker. In one of Harkerâs journal entries, he writes:
Last night the Count asked me in the sauvest tones to write three letters, one saying that my work here was nearly done, and that I should start for home within a few days, another that I was starting on the next morning from the time of the letter, and the third that I had left the castle and arrived at Bistritz â¦ He knows that I know too much, and that I must not live (Stoker 64). Dracula with murderous mindset. Another instance of monstrous behavior is when Dracula provides his three wives a child for âdinnerâ. Jonathan Harker writes in his journal:

âAre we to have nothing tonight?" said one of them, with a low laugh, as she pointed to
the bag which he had thrown upon the floor, and which moved as though there were
some living thing within it. For answer he nodded his head. One of the women jumped
forward and opened it. If my ears did not deceive me there was a gasp and a low wail, as
of a half smothered child. The women closed round, whilst I was aghast with horror. But
as I looked, they disappeared, and with them the dreadful bag (Stoker 63).

This was one of Draculaâs most repulsive acts as it is now evident that children are not spared. Claiming Dracula is not a monster after committing such a despicable act would be complicated since murdering a child is commonly seen as something only a monster is capable of.

Noel Caroll, author of The Philosophy of Film: Introductory Text and Readings, defines a monster as âany being not believed to exist now according to contemporary scienceâ (168) His definition describes Count Dracula accurately. Draculaâs inhuman strengths are added distinguishing characteristics of a monster based on Carollâs classification. One of the first noticeable instances in the book is when Jonathan Harker catches a glimpse of him out his window. âI saw the whole man slowly emerge from the window and begin to crawl down the castle wall over the dreadful abyss, face down with his cloak spreading out around him like great wingsâ (Stoker 58). It is highly improbable that any scientific occurrence similar to the latter could happen in the time period that this novel was written in. While itâs not evident that this particular action could be used for evil, it does give Dracula a monstrous ambiance in Carollâs respect. Dracula is also spellbinding in several different fashions. For instance, he is able to possess other humans and they must submit to his powers. All of Draculaâs outlandish mind control capabilities are used for acquiring further supremacy. An example of a character that is possessed by Dracula is R.M. Renfield. He is the âmadmanâ of the story who is isolated in a âlunatic asylumâ. Later in the novel, it is learned that Dracula in fact, possessed him after he gains consciousness. He pleads with Jonathan Harkerâs wife, Mina Murray to flee from the trance that Dracula also has over her. In this regard, Count Dracula is manipulative for power and malice. Another peculiar ability of Draculaâs is how he is able transform into various animals. Once again in reference to Carollâs definition, this isnât logical in that time period.

It becomes very evident of Dracula's cruel intentions as the reader submerges deeper into the novel. His sinister objective to conquest England becomes more than apparent in one particular quotation.
You think to baffle me, you with your pale faces all in a row, like sheep in a butcher's. You shall be sorry yet, each one of you! You think you have left me without a place to rest, but I have more.

My revenge is just begun! I spread it over centuries, and time is on my side. Your girls that you all love are mine already. And through them you and others shall yet be mine, my creatures, to do my bidding and to be my jackals when I want to feed. Bah! (Stoker 304)

This makes Count Dracula monstrous in the relation to terrorism. âTerrorism becomes a monstrous evil because it threatens to expose self-subverting characteristics in the global systemâ (Derian 334-35). Itâs apparent that Dracula feels no hesitance in invading England. He clearly lacks any respect for human life and would go great lengths to take others against their will and turn them into vampires. This makes his monstrous in both Chris Martinezâ and Hanna Meretojaâs definition. After 9/11 Most Americans look at terrorists as monsters.

Dracula is a monster in many different aspects. Hanna Meretoja and Chris Martinezâs description of a monster describe it to be nothing more than an evil entity. According to them, attributes such as size and intelligence are completely irrelevant. On the contrary, Caroll explains a monster as something that cannot exist according to contemporary science. Dracula fits all of their definitions. With his utter disrespect for the human race, his disgusting behavior toward humanity, and his intended conquest of England, calling him anything less than a monster would be absurd. Stoker purposely gave him all of these monstrous characteristics to give the novel central conflict.

I'm not a great writer when it comes to content. I feel that this paper is pretty weak-- espeically towards the end. Any suggestions, critiques, etc. would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you for your time!