\documentclass[a4paper]{letter}

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\signature{João Paulo Pizani Flor (3860418) }

\address{João Paulo Pizani Flor \\
    Av. Santa Catarina, 174 -- Bela Vista 1 \\
    São José -- SC \\
    88110-300, Brazil}


\begin{document}
 
    \begin{letter}{Universiteit Utrecht \\
        International Office -- Graduate Admissions \\
        Heidelberglaan, 8 \\
        3584 CS Utrecht -- The Netherlands}

        \opening{Dear Sir or Madam:}
        \vspace{7pt}

        %% Why did you choose for this Master’s programme and for Utrecht University?
        %% What is your experience with this field / how does your interest in this field show? 
        %% Which subjects and subject areas are you most interested in and why?
        %% What proves you possess the required qualities for this Master’s programme?
        %% How does this Master’s programme connect to your career ambitions?

        I write to you in order to clarify my motivations to pursue graduate studies in Utrecht University,
        more specifically in the Computing Science M.Sc programme. During my undergraduate studies I always
        wished to pursue a research career in Europe; also, I have long been interested in functional
        programming and in the Haskell programming language. Because of its excellent reputation in this
        subject area, I have chosen to apply for the Computing Science M.Sc programme at Utrecht.

        Since my second year at college several of my lab assignments and course projects were coded in
        Haskell. Unfortunately, the software industry in my city offers no opportunities for functional
        programmers, so to compensate this lack of professional FP experience I developed a few personal
        projects in my spare time. Links to some of these project can be found in my CV.
        
        A topic which I would like to explore in Utrecht is the connection between functional programming
        and high-performance computing. More specifically, the implementation of functional massively-parallel
        systems, whether in software or hardware. In my B.Sc thesis I already developed ideas regarding
        hardware synthesis from high-level languages. Such synthesis -- with parallel Haskell code as
        input -- is a possibility I would like to investigate, ideally contributing to existing initiatives
        such as Data Parallel Haskell or the Accelerate library.

        I see my background education as a solid foundation for a Computing Science master's course. I
        achieved very good marks in CS fundamentals like Computability \& Complexity Theory, Discrete
        Mathematics and Data Structures; also in applied courses such as Compiler Construction, Embedded
        Systems Laboratory and Pattern Recognition. Furthermore, I was involved in research, taught
        short-courses and led student-organized academic events while member of the PET group (a brazilian
        honours scholarship programme). Last August I took part in the Utrecht Summer School, and in December
        my first paper will be published in the 18th IEEE ICECS conference. Together, all these experiences
        make me feel very motivated and prepared for graduate studies in Utrecht.

        In my understanding, Utrecht will provide me not only with excellence in teaching and research, but
        also with a favorable environment for career development. The Netherlands are a center of functional
        programming activity, and by working close to experts I hope to pave the road for my long-term goal:
        work -- in academia or industry -- as a leading functional programmer and researcher. At last, but not
        least, I want to be considered for the Utrecht Excellence Scholarship. In fact, the UES is the only
        scholarship available for students with my background, and without the support of the UES (in its
        largest possible amount) I will not be able to finance my studies.

        With these motivations in mind, I kindly request your attention and look forward to your reply.
        
        \closing{Yours Sincerely,}

    \end{letter}
 
\end{document}
