Personal Statement for Masters Degree of Computational Finance - Essay Example

Personal ment As I walk down the crowded streets of downtown Chicago, I am always left wonderstruck at the high rising sky scrapers. I imagine the elegant office interiors and debonair lives of CEO's and Presidents of various affluent companies nested in these massive buildings. And then I stand there feeling totally elated because I know it is the wonderful field of Finance that has resulted in these modern wonders. From a singleton in a society to the society itself and consequently the world at large; everyone is affected by the variables of finance. And it is this very power and reach that the field of finance possesses, inspires me every minute to master its various nuances. Whenever I retrospect my own life, I distinctly see the roller coaster ride that I have been through. I have faced innumerable challenges, including certain events so critical and stressful, that it could have ended my career in a miserable state, had I not managed them effectively. But I have carved my way out of every problem I faced, and today I strongly believe that I possess all the skills necessary to take up any challenge and surface to the solution successfully. Quite interestingly, on observation, it is evident that the most important causes for my success in all the challenges I have faced is my alacrity for finance, management and mathematics. My decision to take up finance as my major for my under-graduation was not by chance, but rather by choice. Since the very beginning of my school days, I have been proficient in mathematics. I have always remained to be a topper of my class in all mathematics related subjects. I have always wanted to enter and consolidate in a field that blends both mathematics and finance. At the outset I must confess that my GPA does not fall in the very top percentage of my class. However I strongly feel that my GPA does not truly reflect my knowledge in the domain. I have taken advanced courses during my under-graduation which justifies the fall in my final GPA. Throughout my under-graduation, my GPA was never my major concern. I always had an insatiable thirst for more knowledge and I took courses that interested me. Owing to their very complex nature, my GPA might have taken a minor beat, but my knowledge in the various fields of finance is very extensive. Apart from the theoretical courses, I believe that I have a strong foot hold in the practical application of my knowledge in real world situations. At numerous instances, I have applied the skills learnt in class to tackle the challenges that I faced. During my early days of under-graduation, a major earthquake hit the western part of India. A lot of my dad's property was destroyed due to the natural calamity. Initially I was nervous, thinking about my career; however I did not lose courage. I had to take up 3 jobs and simultaneously attend classes. I used to work for more than 70 hours a week to support myself and school expenses. These were difficult times for me. But in the process I learnt several important essentials such as personal management, time management and finance management. It also developed in me various qualities such as tenacity towards my work and patience. At times it would be inevitable to miss a few classes to attend work. However, on the same nights, while working nightshift, I would teach myself from the books. That way I would keep up with the schedule of the classes. Financial problems had their negative effects on not only my schedule but also my health. Overworking and stress resulted in a few health problems. But I never let these things impede by academic interests. Despite all problems, I took up the most advanced and complex courses and completed all of them successfully. In May 2003, the year of my graduation, the state of the economic companies in America suffered a substantial decline due to the war. This had a direct effect on my post education life. I could not find myself a high paying job, and therefore could not complete the pre requisite courses of Masters graduation immediately. I worked on relatively low paying jobs, and saved all the money earned, that I used for pre requisite classes and now I am thoroughly ready to pursue my Masters degree that has been my most treasured ambition of life. Since the completion of my under-graduation, I have constantly prepared myself for MS course by keeping abreast with the latest happenings in the field of finance and going through various papers drafted by researchers across the world. I have taken the Graduate Record Examination and secured 770 out of 800 in the quantitative section. However my Verbal score does not fall in the top percentile. The low verbal score is due to my personality and likes. I am more of a mathematics person. I can analyze and work out any formula or a theorem. This is because I look at the root cause of everything and the formulae and theorems of a scientific field are fixed and universal. I can create my own formulae which I might not have read about before depending upon the requirements of the situation. But remembering words of the English language is not my trait. I am not a person who believes that true education can never be forced inside the mind. I have seen several of my friends mugging up the dictionary, but I did not prefer to do it. This does not mean my English is poor. I have completed substantial number of years in US and successfully completed all my courses. I have a very good command over the English language using which I can portray even the most complex ideas in a lucid manner. No achievement can quench my insatiable thirst for self-improvement. At the same time no obstacles can hinder my goals and objectives as well. I still remember that night when I had to make the gravest decision of my life: to go gambling at a casino. I was always aware of the evil effects that gambling can have; but I had to still indulge myself into it for one night to accumulate the money needed to pay my first semester tuition fees. Once again my knowledge came to my rescue. I spent two whole nights in understanding the concepts of gambling. I rigorously went through all the books on probability, statistics and decision sciences. With hope in my mind and the name of God in my heart I gambled that night, and won. I won all the money I needed to pay for my tuition fees. It was then I realized the level of perseverance I had towards education. Although, utilizing my knowledge I could have gambled and won frequently, I never set foot in the casino ever after as I always knew it is a dangerous addiction and I knew then that later when I look back into life I would not be able to justify my actions to myself. I preferred working on low paying jobs to make my ends meet rather than making easy money by gambling. These were the practical experiences that a student would not acquire through any book or lab sessions. Over the past years of my education, I have enjoyed teaching my batch mates. That way I have learnt better than I would, if I studied myself. During graduation, I strongly felt the urge to inform my classmates that they should aim at completing at least Level 1of CFA. I discussed this with my department chair and he passed on my message to all the classes under my department. Many of my colleagues completed their CFAs and acquired better job prospects. Further throughout my senior classes I was always unanimously selected as team leader for any team activities conducted. This was because my batch mates and faculty members acknowledged my insight in my main subjects. I was also the captain of the cricket team during my days in India and was ranked #1 in Tennis at college. These team activities have inculcated leadership skills in me. More often than not, my team would always win in any practical team activities conducted. I was awarded international tuition waivers as well as international scholarships at both Georgia State University and Illinois Institute of Technology. These were awarded considering my all-round performance as a student. My main objective is to establish and manage my own bank dealing with investment banking. I would like to initially work for a while in the existing market to gain a better exposure of the trends in the industry. Regardless of my career path, a Masters Degree at (University Name) will be a priceless accolade. If admitted to your esteemed university I will get a chance to interact with the most educated professors and researchers. I can push my tutors as hard as they push me, in order to challenge my own beliefs and assumptions and analyze the revered principles of Finance and related domains before accepting them as facts. I thoroughly adore the academic environment and feel motivated with people who are as compelled as I am to educate and challenge themselves. My strength lies in my traits, traits such as 'Risk Taking', 'commitment to education', 'tenacity towards my work', 'Mental Strength' and undying interest in Finance and Computation. These qualities of mine took me through all the challenges I have faced and I have come out successful. If admitted to (University Name) I will bring these traits along with me, to begin a new journey; which I am sure is going to be challenging while at the same time interesting. I earnestly hope my candidature is considered eligible for Masters of Science course in Computational Finance at your university Read More