Personal Statement
Program Applied: Management Science and Engineering
It is an apparent truth that, in modern technology-dominated and highly competitive society, the kind of people who will be most highly appreciated are those who command central business regulations and legal rules，grasp advanced technology ahead of others and apply it to productive utilization, and possess outstanding management talents and interpersonal communication skills. Although, with the alarmingly rapid integration of global economy and the dramatic changes of technological advances, competitions among management talents are also becoming increasingly fierce, the professional with the aforesaid combination of talents will ultimately prevail, and are bound to become the most sought-after people on the job market. As a person who has achieved moderate successes in market competitions, I have made a seemingly abrupt and incomprehensive decision—to suspend my booming career in favor of an application for admission into the Management Science and Engineering program at your prestigious university. However, the motivation behind this present application is sufficiently simple—to develop myself through your program into a well-trained professional with that special combination of talents, with a strong academic background, who can stand up to the challenges of tomorrow.

My confidence in my potential is derived from the outstanding performance that I have produced over the past few years in my business activities. Upon graduation from The XX Institute of Light Industry in 1996, I, despite my undergraduate specialization in leather engineering, chose the employment with the XX International Trade Company in an effort to satisfy my interest in business and management. From working as sales representative to sales manager of the Company, I carried out important responsibilities and made important achievements. I was responsible for marketing computer accessories and network equipment in the three provinces which constitute the entire Northeastern part of China. I was also in charge of selling XX automobiles and my annual sales volume reached an average of 50 million RMB. Then in 2000, I switched to work at China XX Information Technology Corporation, one of the top 100 electronic enterprises in China, where I participated in the implementation of more than a dozen projects, including several major projects such as the project of renovating the large screens in the XX at the worth of 10 million RMB. My equally outstanding performance in those projects won high evaluations from my immediate superior.

My six-year painstaking efforts allowed me to develop rich project management experiences, ranging from resource allocation, human resource management, cost control and the application of advanced technology. But it has painfully but irresistibly dawned on me that the past education that I received is insufficient to lend me the kind of management theories and skills that I most urgently need. In this aspect lie the major inadequacies of my past education, which has highlighted to me some of the possible crises that I would encounter if no changes were made. It is precisely this sense of crisis that has prompted me to the decision of applying for an advanced academic program which promises to lead me to a systematic education in management science and engineering. I believe this decision is a choice of necessity, for only by achieving a higher level of expertise in management science and engineering and attaining a perfect marriage of the two can I compensate for the inadequacies inherent in my past education and enrich myself in terms of both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of management. Only in this way can I remain invincible in the increasingly fierce competitions of the future.

My ability to carry out effective study and research as demonstrated in my past academic career is sufficient to convince me of my adaptability to a new academic environment and to a rigorous curriculum. As a child from a once impoverished farm family, it is all too natural for me to have experienced an academic pursuit replete with hardships and challenges. It is exactly this direct experience and deep insight into the difficult conditions of human existence that resulted in my sustained diligent efforts at my coursework, hence my consistently distinguished academic performance. In the local best middle and high school, I was ranked first, participating in national physics and mathematics competitions and city-level English contests and winning good results. I self-studied the college courses of mathematic analysis and advanced mathematics, and took up English and Japanese as my first and second foreign languages. The XX Institute of Light Industry which I subsequently entered is one of the key colleges of China and I handled all my coursework with much facility. Among a wide variety of specialized courses, I liked Advanced Mathematics, Physical Chemistry and Principles of Chemical Engineering most, and my self-education focused on Linear Algebra, Probability Theory, and C Program Design. The study of those abstruse courses was a kind of enjoyment for me, not only training my ability of logical thinking but also providing me with a sound mathematics foundation. When a sophomore, I was the first in my class to pass the National English Proficiency Test (Band VI). Although I had to work hard part-time in order to cover my younger brother’s and my own tuition, I did not allow my part-time jobs to interfere with my proper academic work, achieving very satisfactory results in almost all the courses. My score for mathematics was the highest in the class and I was awarded third-class scholarship.

Even during my undergraduate career, I had tried to gain some management skills. In the second year, I was made responsible for the management, logistics and personnel recruitment of the Students Part-Time Store invested by the Institute itself. In the third year I took part in the training sponsored by the XX Company regarding advanced process of leather treatment and product utilization. I was also very active in extracurricular events, launching student organizations such as the departmental Chess Association and Calligraphy Association. Those activities helped me improve the precious ability in communication, coordination and negotiation and profoundly realize the importance of teamwork. My undergraduate thesis is my first major adventure into the realm of management. Entitled The Overall Design of a Leather Chemical Engineering Plant and its Leather Chemical Engineering, my thesis was designed to change the then prevalent trend of leather treatment dominated by manual labor which fell far short of optimum resource allocation and utilization. I creatively modeled my design on the advanced technological processes of XX and other foreign companies. The large-scale leather chemical engineering plant that I designed preserved traditional processes while featuring advanced equipment, more rationalized processes and resource allocation. When applied to several plants, my design helped reduced costs by 20 percent and my thesis was rated “first-class.”

My unremitting learning has extended well beyond my undergraduate program. I have attended many training programs in IT, studying a series of courses such as XX’s CCNA, Network Structure, and C program design. In economics, I self-studied microeconomics and macroeconomics, project management and some of the MBA courses. In 2001, I was on an exchange program of engineering project management sponsored by the XX Company. In addition, I have participated the highly pragmatic monthly trainings offered by my company with regard to specific engineering projects, which has significantly broadened my ken of knowledge.

Based on my rich work experience and sound learning capacity, I have formulated a tentative study plan for my proposed program. I will first consolidate my theoretical foundation, learning basic courses in ENGINEERING ECONOMY、MANAGEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY VENTURES、INFORMATION SCIENCE while grasping knowledge in finance, information application system, supply management, decision making and policy making. At the same time, I will try to apply advanced theories and skills to practice and gain a deep understanding of Western management concepts and experiences. I will also pay due attention to China’s developments in the relevant fields and explore how to best apply my knowledge to solve realistic problems in China. My ultimate objective is to become a person with knowledge of several different languages, laws in relevant countries, equipped with advanced management concepts and skills, and able to keep pace with global technological development. I believe that the educational level and the faculty resource of your university can help me fulfill my aspirations.

My objective is set and my preparations are made. I cannot help feeling excited over the prospect of becoming a well-trained management elite. In this undertaking, I need your academic input and your first-class training to be a leader in tomorrow’s competitive world.

                                                        Signature: _________________________