Personal Statement
Applied Program: Public Administration
In the fall of 1999 when I was matriculated into XX University to major in law at the School of Law, I had the conviction that law could uphold justice, protect the weak, and preserve human rights and freedom. However, after the 4-year program, I am disappointed to find my conviction somehow naïve. In present-day China, in addressing social problems, law has proved rather weak. Under many circumstances, the law court and the lawyer have to give in to government officials who malpractice by making use of the political power they possesses. In some extreme cases, the government official, the court and the criminal would even conspire. At the same time, China’s several thousand years of history has given rise to the deep-entrenched rule by man instead of rule by law. In dealing with such issues like economic development, poverty elimination and the promotion of law, the framing and application of government policies seem to play a greater role. Therefore, it is obvious that to contribute to public welfare and to national development, it is more realistic and useful to become a well-trained and well-qualified public administrator. In this lies the motivation of my relinquishing my law major in favor of an application for a Master’s program in public policy at your esteemed university.

To switch from the law major to a different specialty will necessarily create some difficulties. Nevertheless, I don’t think that I am starting from the very beginning. Instead, I believe that my 4-year undergraduate training in law will be of immense importance to my future program in public policy. Jurisprudence is a discipline that is extensively related to many other subjects, and the law school of XX University is one of the strongest faculties, with many accomplished scholars working there and an intensive curriculum. My undergraduate career has allowed me to acquire important knowledge in Criminology, Economics, International Business, Finance, International Relations, and Advanced Mathematics and to be professionally trained in those spheres of law such as International Law, Administrative Law, International Economic Law, Principles of Economics，Labor and Social Security Law，American Constitutional Ideas and Presidential Rhetoric，The Law of International Trade Organization. Those courses have enabled me to examine various social phenomena with acute insights and to look at a given social issue from a multiplicity of perspectives. Another important result of legal training is my development of rigorous logical thinking and analytical skills. On the other hand, I have paid special attention to learning foreign languages. I not only excelled my classmates in English, but also studied German as the second foreign language. All those have prepared me for a program in public administration.

The thesis that I am writing for obtaining my BA degree can serve as an important indication of my research potential. Having collected an abundance of useful materials, I will focus on an important issue in my On the Directors’ Duty of Care and the Business Judgment Rules. Relevant laws provide that the directors of a company have the obligation to execute their duties discreetly so that the directors are motivated to act wisely in their decision-making processes and in their business operations. But the presence of business risks still makes it possible that the company incur business losses even though the directors have performed their duties in strict accordance with the legal obligation of discretion. Under such circumstances, the directors are not supposed to be held responsible. The problem that I aim to solve is how to make a distinction between the consequences caused by regular business risks and the business damages caused by the directors’ failure to exercise discretion. This requires overall consideration of the company’s management structure, the mechanism of checking and balancing the interests of board of shareholders and the board of directors, and the social responsibilities of the company directors. Although my thesis is not yet completed, the mature perspectives that I present in the thesis, when discussed with my advisor, have won his very positive evaluations.

It is universally acknowledged that XX University, my alma mater, is the most prestigious university of China and the students are the top elites from across the country. In this most competitive academic environment, I have managed to make my studies as successful as possible. Although I have taken up much extracurricular work and refused to labor on my coursework in the manner of a bookworm, I have maintained a sound GPA (as can be indicated by my academic transcript) and won the third-class scholarship for academic performance. On top of that, I have been qualified to undertake a direct Master’s program waived of entrance examination, an honor to which only a very limited number of top students are entitled (though I am ready to give it up in applying for your program).

My lively character and vigorous energy have made me very active in extracurricular events in which I have sought an all-round personal development. I have been awarded the honor of “Outstanding Student Leader of the Student Jurisprudence Society. In the Student Union of the School of Law, I have worked as office director in charge of finance and inter-collegiate liaison. I also served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of the School of Law—the Garden of Law—and as such carried out a series of responsibilities ranging from making pre-arrangements with authors for their contributions to format designing. More important has been my performance in various academic activities. I interviewed the former president of China Supreme Court and my writing based on the interview was put into the School’s essay collections. I was also in charge of launching an exchange program with college students from XX in which we conducted comparative studies regarding the laws and policies of the mainland and XX. I did internship at the law firm of XX and Law in which I offered legal consultations and undertook investigations over the issue of what responsibilities hospitals should assume for medical accidents. Those extracurricular activities have improved my ability to work rigorously and methodically in addition to acquainting me with the social reality of China in various aspects. They have sensitized me to the current live academic and social issues and triggered my serious reflections over them. Last but not least, I have learned to improve my communicative and organizational skills and develop a heightened awareness of teamwork.

In my proposed program at your esteemed university, I will focus on the principles of framing and implementation of public policies, the purpose and the means of public administration, the government’s decision-making process, and the fundamental models of economic management. I would like to gain full understanding of the characteristics of decision-making under the western cultural traditions and modes of thinking. I would also like to use Western theories to examine the specific problems in China and tentatively explore their possible solutions. I will continue to build up my borderline knowledge in law, sociology, economics, and culture and broaden my horizon to lay a solid foundation to embark on a future career in public administration. My thesis will concentrate on China’s emerging problems and their possible solutions in the sphere of public policy against the background of increasing globalization and I wish to achieve some breakthroughs in this totally new field of intellectual efforts. I believe that your program, characterized by special emphasis on case studies, field research, teacher-student interaction, the training of student’s communication skills and the development of problem-solving skills, will create an unparalleled academic climate. Your knowledgeable professors and innovative curriculum, along with other students with whom I can interact fruitfully, will enable me to make rapid progress academically.

On completing my program, I will seek employment with a certain government department directly related to public policy or with a public affairs organization in the Asian-Pacific Region, a position that might permit me to apply my knowledge in the service of the public. Although efforts do not necessarily lead to assured success, the success is necessarily the result of hard efforts. I have the conviction that as long as I face all difficulties with optimistically and confidently and try to win recognition through my diligence and sincerity, then I will see a brand-new sun every morning.