Personal Statement
Applicant: XX 　 Application Program: Civil Engineering Management

 
Upon my initial entry into the Civil Engineering Department of XX University, I remember that an elder and outstanding alumnus of the school told me that one of the most important steps in my professional development would be to determine my future career by the time that I had completed my fourth year of undergraduate studies.  At that time I already knew that Civil Engineering had captivated my interest and that it would make the ideal career for me in the future.  As I stand on the threshold of completing my Master’s Degree studies, I am absolutely positive that Civil Engineering Management will be the career in which I can devote my passion and my life’s work.  The outstanding program at XX University offers me the ideal environment and the best opportunity to achieve the highest level of education in Civil Engineering Management.

I have chosen Civil Engineering Management because of both an ardent love for the field of civil engineering and the self-confidence that I have developed in the area over the past six years.  My love for the field stems from my interest in architectural beauty and its management, while the self-confidence comes from my success in my undergraduate and postgraduate studies as well as my achievements in scientific research.  My current level of success has given me a solid foundation on which to base my future academic and professional achievements.

My graduate dissertation is the crowning achievement of my academic career.  In 2003, three economists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for their work on information asymmetry; coincidentally I had become keenly interested in the same subject area several years ago.  Their work further motivated me to continue to develop my knowledge in this area and inspired me to write my graduate dissertation on “XX”.  My dissertation analyzed the special features of China’s real estate market, which is a typical asymmetrical information market. I focused on the existing information asymmetry problems in the Chinese real estate market, and then conducted both a qualitative and quantitative analysis.  My dissertation earned the score of 95/100 with highest marks in the specialty, and it was also awarded the honorable title of “Excellent Dissertation”.

I attribute the excellence of my graduate dissertation to the solid foundation of knowledge that I worked so hard to obtain during my undergraduate years.  My overall scores ranked second out of thirty students, and I was ranked number one in specialized subjects over the final two years.  In Building Construction and Organization, Construction Project Management, and Construction Corporation Management I scored 4 out of 4 merits.  These subjects gave me an in-depth knowledge and a solid foundation to explore even deeper into the subject area of civil engineering.  For example, my studies in the course of Construction Project Management demonstrated to me that professional civil engineering management requires not only engineering and technical knowledge but also coordination among all project participants and strong contingency planning in order for a project to succeed. 

In addition to in-depth studies into the specialty areas, I also worked very hard to learn about related subject areas such as general management.  I was deeply impressed by the Stephen P. Robbins book “Organization Behavior” because it demonstrated how seemingly subjective management could be elevated to a highly scientific and theoretical level.  The personal satisfaction that I gained from such outside learning was in itself gratifying, but because I performed so well in my specialized subjects within the academic environment, I received nine different scholarships and awards during my undergraduate studies, as well as the honorable title of “Outstanding Graduate”.  Furthermore, I was the only student given a special dispensation to enter the Master’s Degree program without taking the entrance examination.

During my Master’s degree program, along with developing greater in-depth specialty knowledge, I also began to pay more attention to the application of the theories that I was learning to practical situations.  Over the past two years I have been entrusted with the responsibilities of nine practical projects, including monitoring the construction of a foundation treatment project in XX municipality for a 110kv transformer substation and a feasibility research project for construction at XX University’s XX west campus.  These practical experiences have given me a broader and more complete perspective into the technical and operational processes involved in civil engineering and construction.  In the XX project, for example, I was responsible for measuring surface layer subside, deep layer subside, the degree of vacuum etc.  I conducted all of the data recording, processing, analysis and recommendation as well as preparing daily progress reports for submission to the construction companies.  It was very gratifying to be able to put my knowledge of the theoretical concepts to use in the strategic development planning of architecture and construction projects.  An added benefit was the development of my CAD skills in engineering design work.  

I have published a thesis entitled “XX” in a journal in China, which was an article combining my theoretical knowledge with my extensive practical experience.  In this thesis, I examined those factors that affected the satisfaction of customers while also establishing a satisfaction evaluation system tailored for residential property managers.  In addition, I have written another conference article, “XX”, which will soon be accepted for publication in the 3rd session of the International Forum on XX  Based on the established evaluation system for construction companies, this thesis was dedicated to the assessment of corporate performance and to identify the areas for improvements using an assessment model built with a performance-weighed index and relevant calculation formulas.  I have also been the editor of teaching materials entitled “XX” (2004, XX University Press).  All of this research and writing has given me a keen insight into corporate construction management and construction operations management.  These experiences have further solidified my resolve to further study civil engineering at the highest level and to continue to embrace Civil Engineering Management as my life’s work.

Currently I am doing preparatory work and writing my Master’s Degree dissertation on “XX”, to be completed based on my tremendous referential work and in-depth consultations with my supervisor.  The basic technical process in my research has been to first set up a risk assessment index system, followed by a quantitative data analysis with fuzzy AHP, and finally suggested measures for precautionary measures and risk prevention.  During this process I have learned information-mining techniques to assist in decision-making, how to keep abreast of the latest international developments, and how to forcefully present my conclusions with concrete facts and evidentiary materials.

Over the past six years I have become fully aware of the main objectives of Civil Engineering Management, which are to optimize quality, maximize efficiency and minimize the costs.  To achieve these objectives requires a deep understanding of both the theories and practical aspects of civil engineering management.  There is a tremendous gap in this field in China – as a developing country, China has much to learn in the area of civil engineering.  For me to realize my dream of becoming an expert and leader in civil engineering, I must develop world-class academic knowledge and experience and observe state-of-the-art construction techniques abroad.  XX University is highly attractive to me due to its courses in Construction Project Management, Construction Risk and Finance, Materials Management in Construction, along with its world-renowned teaching faculty and excellence in research.  The cutting-edge developments in theoretical research and the practical applications of civil engineering technologies available at XX University offer me the best opportunity to continue my professional development, and I sincerely hope that you will allow me to learn from your esteemed academic environment while I also strive to make my own unique contributions to both your program and your outstanding university.