North Vancouver, BC, Canada

January 20th, 2019

Dear classmates of ENGL 301,

I hope everyone is having a good semester so far. I am writing as a prospective candidate to be a part of your writing team.

My name is Lia Slager and I am looking to join a group of driven individuals to collaborate with over the course of this semester. I am currently a UBC student in my 3rd year of a BA in Human Geography with a minor in Urban Studies. I am hoping to graduate next year by the Spring of 2020.  Following my degree, I am hoping to apply to graduate school for either a Masters of Architecture or Restorative Architecture.

Working as a legal assistant when I was in my teens, I was expected to send memos and emails that didn’t show my age. As I’ve grown up and continued to work in semi-professional to professional environments, I have learned that technique in writing serves as an important base for everyday communications and impressions. 

Contrary to popular belief, I believe my biggest asset to this course is my creativity! I don’t see technique as a barrier to my ability to innovate, but rather as the building blocks needed for effective expression. Whether we work in a professional or informal setting, people tend to appreciate personality and wit if it’s within the constraints of proper technique.  In addition, I feel that I can be an asset to your team because I value positive and constructive collaboration.

I would say that my greatest weakness- in terms of writing- is the fact that I speak French as a second language. “E’s” tend to find themselves at the end of various words which may be similar in both in English and French. To make sure that I am not speaking “Franglais” I generally spend a substantial amount of time editing, as well as use the ‘Grammarly’ app to check my spelling. I would say that my learning philosophy is to remain curious. I can’t find where I acquired this quote but it has stuck with me over the years: “without curiosity, we remain qualified only for the kind of job we are doing”.

Have a day! 🙂

301-Lia-Slager-Application-Letter-1