Business, Finance and Management Masters Personal Statement

Personal statement - My interest in business, finance and management stems initially from the profession of my parents, who are both accountants. As a result of their line of work, I was brought up in a household where financial institutions and complex transactions were often the subject of discussion at the family dinner table. Such conversations piqued my interest in the business world, and led first of all to me becoming a regular and avid reader of business and economics books, magazines and newspapers, and now to wishing to study a Master’s that will prepare me for success in a managerial position in the finance and investment sector. I am a firm believer in the value of an international perspective. In business, it is especially important. It is for this reason that I wish to study for a Master’s outside of my own country. I am particularly motivated to study in the United Kingdom due to its status as a leading international centre of finance. I feel that through being immersed in the ethos that the British apply to business by completing a demanding Master’s course, I will be able to gain an especially in-depth understanding of this field.

I am proud of the diverse range of subjects that I have studied at university level, because I feel it has equipped me with a range of invaluable, transferable skills, not to mention made me a very adaptable person. In line with my belief in the importance of international perspectives, my undergraduate degree was in Japanese studies. It was a very rewarding experience for me to learn about the values, culture, institutions and language of another country. Since completing my undergraduate degree I have carried out studies that are more explicitly related to finance, management and business. I am currently studying a one-year preparatory course at University for postgraduate study in the field of finance. On the course I have gained a thorough conceptual grounding in the core aspects of business, such as statistics, accounting, finance and management. The course has been particularly helpful in improving my skills in the quantative and mathematical sides of finance. Studying for this course has both immeasurably increased my understanding of various fields related to business and economics – and above all my two main areas of interest, namely management and finance – and also given me ample motivation to continue postgraduate study in this area.

I have gained invaluable work experience in a range of financial institutions. Doing so has taught me a great deal about the challenges of the business world, not to mention the skills and knowledge that are required to prosper within it. In 2008 I completed an internship at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. Through this placement I gained a first-hand experience of the key processes of the banking business. During an internship at the China Construction Bank, I gained a greater understanding of the role played by credit in facilitating business. I have also gained work experience at the Agricultural Bank of China, where I worked in the field of investment analysis. During these internships I was fortunate enough to be able to receive personal insights into the financial world from a range of professionals in the industry; their experiences gave my ambitions a clearer focus by making me intent on pursuing a career in finance.

I enjoy holding positions of responsibility, and during my time as a university student I developed my managerial skills through volunteering for a range of non-academic duties. At my university I was responsible for coordinating the sanitary inspection procedures of the student union, a position which has given me a direct experience of managing a team and working towards targets and deadlines. I was also involved in visiting local businesses with the goal of securing their support for the university’s activities. This task involved giving presentations to managers and executives, and as a result helped me to gain confidence in public speaking, as well as helping to improve my skills of persuasion and presentation.

Above all, I am a focused and hard-working individual who truly values the opportunities that study can bring for all walks of life. I look forward to being able to dedicate myself to postgraduate study in the United Kingdom, before making use of the skills and knowledge that I acquire to work in an international finance and investment-related career.