I am a young Korean woman finishing her undergraduate studies at Duke University with a double-major in economics and psychology. I wish to pursue a graduate degree in statistics at XXXX because I feel strongly that this would be the best way for me to make significant contributions to the development of our global societies. It is in the area of statistics that I have the greatest intellectual strength and most intense curiosity. By using statistics, I find my greatest joy in enriching the lives of others, in fact, everyone around me. I have learned the importance of community and how we can grow and better ourselves by working together and acknowledging each other’s strengths. I hope very much to be admitted to your Master’s Program in Statistics at XXXX because of the strength of your program, which I hope to use as a springboard towards a consulting career in my native South Korea, taking advantage of myriad opportunities for helping Korea to stay competitive on a world scale, especially in science and education.
My research ambitions have been very much inspired by my intensive study of Chinese and Chinese culture with a focus on daily interaction with Chinese university students. I spent 8 weeks in China, receiving a merit Scholarship to do so. This experience helped to open up the fully international aspects of my identity, speaking three languages rather than two, and putting China in the middle of a cultural triangle, in such a way that I want very much to help Korea to grow closer to China, on the one hand, and the United States as well on the other.
As an undergraduate student at Duke, I have grown especially fond of the subject of finance and closely related sectors of our economy. I was pleased to have been chosen for one of 20 students selected to participate in Duke’s special financial program, during which we spent time in New York gaining firsthand knowledge of the financial sector. My studies have helped me to better understand the multiple dimensions of global financial markets and institutions. Visits to several financial firms and attendance at special lectures have also served to deepen my interest in finance.
My recent internship experiences with consulting and investment banking firms have helped me to better appreciate the dynamic nature of world markets. I have learned that life is about “survival of the fittest,” in our rapidly changing society, and that success requires firm action and perseverance, rather than waiting for circumstances to turn around before taking decisive action. By shifting my focus toward the opportunities presented during times of uncertainty, I have successfully taken the lead, and achieved success. I believe quite passionately that pursuing the Master of Finance Degree in your renowned program at XXXX, will provide me with the fullest immersion in a state-of-the-art learning environment, with respect to both the theoretical and practical aspects of the vast range of statistical tools and models that are useful for finance. I keenly look forward to developing deeper understandings of important, yet subtle complexities in statistics useful for business practices.
Upon obtaining a Master degree from XXXX, I will seek a position as an associate within the corporate finance department of a large investment banking firm. Within three to five years, I intend to mature a great deal, enhancing my breadth of perspective and achieving a more comprehensive understanding of the financial industry. Thus, I hope to move into a senior associate position. I am dedicated to life-long learning and see your program as a platform for a lifetime working to continually hone my analytical and problem solving skills. My long term dream is to build a company that has no ending, thus achieving a certain degree of immortality. This would help to satisfy my ego, founding a company that would outlive me, because I want it to be a place where my employees are looking forward to coming to work every day. I hope one day to build a company that will help many thousands of people with some kind of problem, a solution to which no other firm has been able to offer a solution.
I thrive on working and learning. As a result of constantly overloading myself with work, I graduated one semester early in Economics and Psychology with a magna cum laude degree. I am adept at time management and excel under pressure, taking tight deadlines in stride. I am confident that I have the knowledge and skills, and especially the excitement that is called for to join your program at XXXX. I am convinced that my strong work ethic will enable me to become an asset to your program. I would be thrilled to become part of the XXXX extended family, receiving a most rigorous and comprehensive education.
I have participated in a broad variety of extracurricular events, especially those that I see as an opportunity to cultivate an innovative spirit, across a wide breadth of interests from volleyball to language. I would like to be surrounded by remarkable thinkers and leaders from all over the world, and receive tremendous opportunity for networking and diversity. This is why I see XXXX as the ideal learning environment.