123 Main Street

College Park, MD 12345

February 5th 2014
8800 Greenbelt Rd
Greenbelt, MD 20771

To Whom It May Concern:

I am interested in the Geographical Mapping of Volcanos on Mars internship position listed on
the NASA intern opportunities website. I am an aspiring Geologist with a focus in Geophysics at
the University of Maryland in College Park. My expanding knowledge of the field, Geophysics,
would contribute to the well-established goals of NASAs Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory.
Geology is a field that continues to intrigue me the more I learn about the subject. I am always
able to connect my expansive knowledge of physics to the geological processes that occur on the
Earths surface. I have performed calculations in physics regarding conditions in outer space and
compared how they differ from conditions on Earth. The combination of the two fields of study
has supplied me with knowledge applicable to the Geographical Mapping of Volcanos on Mars
internship.
I began my college career studying the field of engineering; however when I continued my
education at the University of Maryland I decided to get into a more hands-on and research
oriented field. My previous foundation in engineering has greatly enhanced my versatility in
research opportunities and my knowledge of the physical sciences. At Anne Arundel Community
College I took classes such as Astronomy, Chemistry, Calculus and Physics to further me in my
intended major. At The University of Maryland I am studying Physics, Geology, and Statistics. I
learned a variety of skills that are important to most STEM fields such as mathematical
derivations and integrations, chemical titrations, reactions, and separations, and in depth physical
analyses of objects movements.
The experience in a wide variety of educational fields that I have obtained throughout my college
career provides me with an understanding to succeed in the Geographical Mapping of Volcanos
on Mars internship. I have attached my resume as supporting detail I look forward to meeting
and further discussing my qualifications for the internship with you. I can be contacted at 410867-5309 by phone or studentk@terpmail.umd.edu by email.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Student K

Rhetorical Strategy:
I have started my cover letter by explaining the exact internship opportunity that I am currently
interested in. With NASA being such a large organization it is important to clarify which position
I am applying for. I also explained where I found the internship position posting to further clarify
which position I am referring to. I have gently slipped my intended major into the opening
paragraph to immediately capture the attention of the reader. The field of Geophysics is one of
the main topics studied in NASAs Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory. I go on to discuss my
interest in my field of study to show the reader that I will not only provide expertise to their
Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory, but I will enjoy the experiences and am willing to learn new
skills.
The layout of my cover letter is discussing broad topics, such as fields of study, in the beginning
and working my way towards more specific skills I have acquired from my studies. I even
discuss my history in the previous major of engineering to show the variety of fields that I have
vast knowledge in. Though extras like previous majors seem meaningless, I know that it is a
quality of my education that could earn me the position over a standard Geophysics major.
Through all of my examples of relevant courses Ive taken and skills Ive learned, I am
attempting to convince the reader of my expertise in the field over other candidates.
The layout of my resume is similar to that of my cover letter. I have started at the top with a
vague statement and worked my way down to applicable skills for the internship position. I also
arranged the bolded subheadings in order of most to least important to the internship. I have
decided to place work experience below skills because of the lack of experience I have in that
area. I am counting on my educational background much more than I am counting on my job
history to earn me the position I am applying for. Overall in both my cover letter and resume I
have used techniques such as bolding and organization to guide the reader into promptly noticing
the information about myself that I deem most valuable.

STUDENT K
123 Main Street, College Park, MD 12345
410-867-5309
studentk@terpmail.umd.edu
OBJECTIVE

To explore terrestrial volcanoes in the field of Astronomy and Geological

processes in a controlled research environment.
EDUCATION

2010 - 2013 Anne Arundel Community College

Arnold, MD

Completion of 58 credits towards Intended Major of Engineering

General Chemistry I & II

Calculus and Analytical Geometry I, II, and III

Theories and Applications of Digital Technology

Fundamentals of Physics I

2013Present
College Park, MD

University

of

Maryland

Completion of 13 credits and a Current Course load of 15 credits

Change of Intended Major to Geology with a focus in Geophysics
General Physics: Mechanics and Particle Dynamics

General Physics:
Magnetism

Physical Geology

Science Writing

Vibrations,

Waves,

Heat,

Electricity,

and

RELEVANT SKILLS

Practices Lab Safety

Composes Formal Laboratory
Reports
Experience with Laboratory
Spectrometers, Centrifuges,
and Calorimeters
Performs
Titrations,
Dilutions, and Filtrations
Determines
Mass
Composition of Unknown

Develops
Educated
Hypothesis
Based
on
Impending Problems
Analyzes
and
Organizes
Relevant Data
Calculates and Interprets
Mathematical Data Using
Knowledge
of
Excel
Operations
Creates
Visual

Compounds

Representations
of
Data
Using Excel Operations
Designs
and
Organized
Informative
PowerPoint
Presentations

EXPERIENCE

2008- 2012 Asbury Christian Community ClubhouseArnold, MD

Child Care Assistant

Delegated tasks and responsibilities

Supervised 20- 25 Elementary School Students

Assisted in Elementary Homework Tutoring

Organized Stimulating Activities

Kept record of all children

2010-2011

Red Robin

Annapolis, MD

Hostess/ Waitress

Welcomed Guests and Guided Them to Their Table

Organized Guest Seating and Server Charts

Served Guests Food and Beverages

Provided Enjoyable and Inviting Environment