Personal Statement
Applied Program: Statistics

When I was doing internship at the renowned XX Cosmetics Co. Ltd, I was deeply impressed by the motto from XX, the founder of the company—“Believe in Miracle and Miracle will Indeed Happen.” At one point during my undergraduate education I was very frustrated because I found that, due to the lack of effective methodology of numerical analysis, the teaching and the research of economics in China lags far behind the international standard as represented by the developed countries of the West. As a result, even though I am one of the top students from the XX University of Finance and Economics, I find it difficult for me to really enter the true realm of economics study. Instead of dealing a heavy blow on me, this discovery motivated me to maximize my efforts in the study of mathematics and to apply for an advanced degree program in statistics at your well-respected university after having completed my undergraduate program. It is my conviction that, as long as I have sufficient confidence myself and make sufficient efforts, I am bound to accomplish some form of achievements in the field of statistics and make due contributions to the development of quantitative research in economics in the Chinese academia. Miracle will indeed happen.

I specialized in accounting at the Accounting College of XX University of Finance and Economics. An undergraduate education in the specialty of accounting covers knowledge in a wide range of fields—economics, management science, mathematics, statistics, and even sociology. While providing me with a solid academic foundation, this education has enabled me to ferret out the areas that can really capture my interest. I have cherished a strong interest in mathematics since the primary school and developed my talents all the way through my middle and high school. But it is only through my undergraduate study that I have come to realize the vital importance of mathematical approaches to the study of economics. This very realization has further reinforced my determination to choose the career of an applied statistician in the future. Toward such an objective, I have devoted special efforts to the study of mathematics and statistics. Apart from intensive work in such compulsory courses as Calculus, Linear Algebra, Theory of Probability, Statistics, and Mathematical Statistics, I have also attended a series of important optional courses including Operational Research, Game Theory of Economics, Sampling Investigation and made full use of my spare time to learn the knowledge of statistics as much as possible.

My undergraduate education should be described as very rewarding and fruitful. For the past three consecutive years, I have maintained top ranking in my class and for two consecutive years I was given the “Outstanding Student” Award, winning Level-A scholarships. I have demonstrated special aptitudes in mathematics and in English. My natural talents in mathematics and my dedicated efforts to mathematics coursework have led my GPA in all the mathematics courses to reach 3.9, far exceeding the level of average students. In terms of English language, I have also been well above average. In the first semester in 1999 I won the first prize at the “Freshmen Cup” English Listen Comprehension Contest and in 2001 I won the first prize in the English Contest for College Students in China, the third prize at the Oral English Contest in XX Province. Even though I have assumed various responsibilities for extracurricular activities of several student organizations, I have still managed to perform well academically, a fact that should be attributed to my extra diligence, productive study methods, and effective allocation of my time and energy. From the very outset of my undergraduate career, I made up my mind to fully exploit all the available resources of my university to achieve comprehensive self-development and what I have achieved adequately testifies to the rewarding undergraduate life I have been living.hxw.red