Personal Statement
Program Applied: Marketing & Management
I have had a penchant for setting up for myself one objective after another and make incessant efforts toward their realization. Now, at the time when I am on the verge of completing my 4-year colorful and rewarding undergraduate career at the University of XX, I have formulated yet another brand-new objective for myself—to strive to enter a first-rate institution of higher learning in the world to undertake an advanced academic program in the field of marketing and management, a field that has always fascinated me over the years. A cursory look at my Resume will lead you to cast doubt on my present application: how can a girl who majors in England Language in her undergraduate program become so confident about her ability to distinguish herself from countless applicants who are fighting so fiercely for admission into such a competitive program? The answer will crop up immediately after you have read the following part of my Personal Statement.

I believe that, far from constituting a disadvantage in my application, my specialization in English language will become a sound foundation for me to undertake more advanced studies in a university outside China. My 4-year systematic and solid education in English language and Anglo-American culture has benefited me in two aspects. On one hand, I have developed adequate proficiency in English listening, speaking, writing, reading and translation. My high GPA (91.17/100) and my IELTIES score (6.5) can testify to the fact that I would encounter no language difficulties in my future studies. On the other hand, such important courses as Selected Reading of Anglo-American Newspapers and Magazines, International Economic Study, Situational Audio-Video English through CNN、VOA、BBC have helped me gain an in-depth understanding of the cultures of the English-speaking countries. Through those courses, I have formed a cultural identification with the western countries that would further strengthen my future studies.

Compared with other average applicants, I am convinced that I am by no means inferior to them in terms of the knowledge of economics and marketing that I have mastered. As an auditor, I have self-consciously, throughout my undergraduate career, attended the major specialized courses offered by our Institute’s Department of International Economics. Those courses include “Introduction to Accounting”, “Theories of Economics”, “Statistics”, “Introduction to Marketing Management”, “Market Analysis”, “Microeconomics”, etc and self-studied a certain number of classics in those fields. In this way, I has relatively mastered much necessary knowledge in economics, finance, and marketing, laying a firm groundwork for undertaking a degree program in those areas, which I hope will make my already acquired knowledge more systematic and professional.

Apart from my academic aptitudes and potentials, another essential factor that makes me believe myself as a worthy candidate for your program are the multiple professional qualities and the sound personality that I have evolved for taking up a future career in marketing and management. In 2001, I designed an anti-AIDS public welfare advertisement, which won the Excellence Award in XX Public-Welfare Advertising Campaign’s 2-dimensional design competition. As the head of our Institute’s Etiquette & Model Team, I have led my team members to participate in many public activities, displaying the ethos of present-day college students. I have also served as the leader of our Institute’s women tennis team and under my leadership, our team reached the quarter final in the 8th national tennis competition of college students. Through those involvements, I have demonstrated my commitment to public welfare and proved my organizational and communicative skills as well as my sound analytical and coordination power. At the same time, I came to realize the tremendous importance of teamwork for attaining success in any given undertaking.

Even as an undergraduate, I am very proud of the extensive internships I have undertaken in marketing. In doing those internships, I have paid conscious attention to bringing into full play my greatest inherent potential—creativity. First, as market investigator for XX Chocolate Company，I proposed that, as the consumers of this brand of chocolate are mostly children and students, the outer packing box could be made into the form of a pencil-case, painted with cartoon pictures and school timetable. When adopted by the production department, my proposal helped improve the sales volume by 15% in that season. This is the first instance of my application of consumer psychology. Then at XX, I interned as manager of XX market. I attended the XX Joint Tourism Development Conference and conducted market surveys in XX where I studied its geographical and economic conditions, and its customs policies. I drew up detailed tourism plans based on a comprehensive evaluation of all the important factors and in April 2003, the business plan I formulated has been put into operation. In attempting this project, I have obtained important understanding of all the major processes of marketing operation, ranging from the conception of a product, the formulation of marketing plans, the promotion of the product brand, advertising campaign, the channel management, to the follow-up services.

Another important understanding that I developed through those internships is related to the various problems inherent in China’s present marketing management. As far as I am concerned, there are three prevailing evils. The first is the lack of a well-developed marketing management mechanism as a result of imperfect legal system. For instance, there are countless deceptive and over-exaggerated advertisements that serious undermine the consumer’s interests. The second is the lack of qualified management professionals. Those who do participate in marketing management are outdated in their management concepts, resulting in the disparity between the market and management. Finally, there is the lack of sufficient follow-up services on the part of the business establishments. On the other hand, consumers suffer from a weak legal awareness that prevents them from properly protecting their own interests. Furthermore, the consumers have failed to provide adequate feedback to the manufacturers, thereby affecting the normal operation of the production-supply-consumer-reproduction chain.

Those problems have given full exposure to the undeveloped conditions of China’s marketing and management. They have also led me to contemplate on pursuing advanced studies abroad. I expect that in your rigorous academic climate I can build up adequate theoretical knowledge and accumulate much practical experience. Additionally, as there is much for complementarity between the east and the west in terms of the mode of market operation and market management, I would like to pay special attention to a comparative study of the east-west market mechanism with a view to achieving some creative research results and developing a set of marketing theories and market management strategies in keeping with the actual circumstances in China.

A sound educational background which has endowed me with a god command of English, fruitful extracurricular activities which have trained my leadership and exposed me to the fundamental knowledge of marketing and management, and a strongly self-motivated interest in pursuing a formal degree program in marketing and management that may enable me to seek a worthwhile career objective, those are the strength and motivation on which I base my application. I believe that I will acquit myself satisfactorily in my future program as in my present program.