Admission Essay Sample: MSc in Hospitality and Tourism Management

What do you want to be when you grow up? What an odd question. I was about ten years old when I made my first trip to Europe. I visited Disneyland in Paris with my parents. I was so excited when I got off the plane. A whole new world appeared to my little eyes. The buildings, the people, a language I couldn’t understand, everything was perfect. I remember myself asking all these questions and wondering how many different cultures exist out there. When we came back, I realized that I had found the answer. I wanted to become a "traveler".

 Growing up, I tried to take advantage of any opportunity that came my way. As a student, I took part in every cultural program that my school had organized. So, by the age of 18, I had already visited many European countries. But that wasn’t enough. I needed to know what was beyond Europe. So, after I finished high school, I decided to visit the USA and more specifically Manhattan in New York City. I was the eighteen-year-old girl living the dream. Nevertheless, the most memorable trip was my visit to Dubai, one year later. The people there, are hundreds of years ahead in terms of technology, construction, and development but unfortunately, that comes at a huge contrast with women’s rights and the restrictions of local law.

Over the years, I realized that it wasn’t only the trip itself that excited me, but the whole experience of organizing it. I think traveling is a constructive way to break the routine of our daily lives and it’s important and educative to get a taste of how other people live. That’s why I set out to integrate my love for travel into an industry context and develop my knowledge of the business aspects of travel and tourism.

Therefore, I managed to graduate from the Department of Economics at the University of Macedonia, and since then I have been working as a cashier/accountant/personnel manager in a night-time business. I have always been business-minded, but my current job taught me the valuable leadership and administrative skills I will need to succeed in an extremely competitive industry. The science of economics is quite interesting itself, but something was always missing. Thus, I decided to follow the path of tourism management, which has always fascinated me. In this way, l could combine all the experience I had gained from traveling over the years, with all the knowledge I would like to get regarding the businesslike approach of tourism.

The Postgraduate Program of your institution “MSc in Hospitality and Tourism Management” represents exactly the subject that aspires to follow in the continuation of my academic course. In fact, it deepens in the fields of Human Resources Management in Tourism and Entrepreneurship in Tourism and Hospitality, which are of particular interest. This Master’s degree is able to provide me with all the supplies I need to start my professional career. I will have the opportunity to enrich my knowledge alongside experienced teachers and get in touch with colleagues with similar interests.

I hope my strong organizational and teamwork skills make me a valuable and effective candidate for your program. After graduation, I am planning to spend some more time abroad and take up a role within the travel and tourism industry.