Personal Statement
Applicant: XX   Program: Finance

As claimed by a Chinese economist Prof. Wu Xiaoqiu, market economy in its most developed form is essentially the economy of finance. He predicts that the 21st century is bound to be an epoch of finance. Economics as a science of optimizing the allocation of limited resources and the crucial role of finance as a lever in economic development have intrigued many people to commit themselves to the study of those important subjects. I am no exception.

Now, toward the conclusion of my undergraduate program in finance at XX University, I am determined to pursue an advanced degree program abroad. My present application is by no means motivated by any whimsical impulse. Modern economic and financial theories developed in the west and a degree program in finance in the United States, the center of the international financial world, is bound to most rewarding as such a program will impart to me the most advanced knowledge in finance and the related knowledge in economics.

The significance of economics and finance is incorporated in the guidance that they provide to the healthy operations of an economy and to the rational behavior of investors. In other words, they are essentially a tool that bear on practical problems. In view of this, I have made self-conscious efforts to develop practical problem-solving knowledge and skills. Throughout my undergraduate program, I have particularly excelled in subjects in applied disciplines such as investment science, study of the financial market, and analysis of the securities market, scoring 91, 87, and 90 points respectively in a 100-point grading system—the highest scores in the class. In the final exam on investment science, I applied the game theories in microeconomics that I learned as a sophomore to a case study, with a detailed investigation of the particular reasons for the unique phenomenon of banker shares, in connection with its formation and existence, in China’s stock market. My teacher expressed much appreciation of my case study.

Realizing the importance of a good command of mathematics to doing a good job in economics and finance courses, I acquired much advanced knowledge of mathematics through self-education. In the optional course Mathematical Modeling I attended in the Department of Mathematics, I claimed an exceeding high score of 95 points, rare even among the students from the Department of Mathematics itself. This testifies to my unquestionable capacity and potential for more challenging academic undertakings.

My distinguished performance in various practice activities shows that I have been right in choosing the focus of my study and in applying my study strategies. In the second year, through strict screening tests and with my knowledge of China’s macroeconomic situation, as well as a deep understanding of the land issues in Chinese rural areas, I distinguished myself from a total of 100 undergraduate and graduate students and became a member in a project jointly undertaken by XX and our university on the transfer of farmlands. Upon completing this project, we launched a symposium The First Academic Conference on China Rural Cooperative Economy and Village Construction, jointly with XX Village Construction Institute. Helping the local farmers set up a pepper production cooperative, I applied my knowledge of macroeconomics and finance and helped formulate the charter of the cooperative. I further proposed that the local farmers apply for small-scale loans from rural credit cooperatives to buy farm tools. Back in school, I received a telephone call from a credit cooperative informing me of the smooth implementation of the loan project. In addition to those field work, I attended the Everbright Financial Talents Training Program launched by the Department of Finance of our university and Everbright Bank, one of China’s leading commercial banks. Out of 138 students in our grade, only top 20 students were eligible and through this program we learned much about the current conditions of China’s financial world apart from the country’s overall economic situations.

A wide-ranged knowledge base is a crucial factor for my confidence in applying for your well-respected program. Recommended by my teacher of International Settlement and International Financial Market, I worked for  Prof. XX, a leading Chinese scholar on regional economy and the supervisor of Ph.D. programs in economics, helping him edit his collection of research papers for publication. This experience proved immensely helpful in improving my academic buildup because in the process I read, naturally with great care, many of his economics papers and the literature in his collection.

In Nov. 2003 I attended the International Symposium on Corporate Reform and Managerial Innovation held in our university. Leading participants included scholars from universities, presidents of celebrated business schools, and CEOs from major enterprises, both at home and abroad. In the course of this symposium, I was responsible for editing the speeches delivered and contributing articles to the journal of our Everbright Financial Talents Training Program. Through this experience, I gained a deep understanding of corporate management as the central issue of modern financial management.

China’s accession into the WTO marks China’s involvement in globalization and implies that China’s financial market will experience fluctuations in accordance with those on the international financial market. To regulate and standardize the operations of China’s financial market and to guard against the otherwise inevitable risks of the financial institutions, well-trained professionals become the key factor. As a would-be professional in China’s financial sector, I would like to hone my ability to interpret the changing challenges of international finance and their effect on China’s financial situation by pursuing an advanced degree program at XX University. The program as offered by your highly-respected International Business School prepares leaders for global economy and finance and allows students to develop international experiences and perspectives. Under your program, I can learn applied financial theory, develop strong analytical skills, and receive training in financial management in business and investment. International Investments or Business Finance are the two areas I would like to concentrate on.

My undergraduate life has taught me not only to study hard but also to seek all possible opportunities for demonstrate my talents. As an official of the Students Union, I am well aware of the role of acquiring leading knowledge and skills in genuine leadership. In an English speech contest, I was first not nominated but through my persistence I was qualified and in the end won the second prize. Those special experiences have taught me how to acquire the personal qualities necessary for success. In undertaking your program I will continue to develop those qualities and make my study at your university a complete success. They will further help me surmount all conceivable difficulties on my way to fulfill my objectives.

However, my academic performance is not strong in every aspect. My overall GPA might seem not as high as I would have hope it to be and this has much to do with my inability to conform to the exam-oriented practice characteristic of Chinese education system. I failed to achieve very outstanding results in International Finance and Macroeconomics because those courses tended to be overly theoretical, which constituted a considerable disadvantage to me because I favor applied subjects more and I have the habit of devoting my time and energy to the study of those subjects that can contribute to my ability to work on and work out realistic problems. In addition, I like to read the latest publications on economics and to familiarize me with the western classics of economics, which did not have much use in exams where only the past and sometimes outdated knowledge is tested and students are subjected to mere passivity. Those factors have combined to affect the exam results of some subjects but I believe that a true student should by no means be a bookworm. Instead, a true student should have broad perspectives and the ability to solve problems flexibly. It is precisely out of a strong dissatisfaction with some of the inadequacies of China’s existing educational system that I am determined to make a change. Your program allows students to pursue their own interests, train students to be an active and self-conscious seeker of knowledge, and promotes the free play of the mind. It perfectly accords with my personality and your program can make a great difference by bringing out my potential and developing my scholastic aptitudes to the fullest extent.