Personal Statement - Essay Example

If there is anything that gives a person satisfaction, it is watching his or her dreams come true. Following one’s path that opens for him/her the chance of watching his/her plans in life unfurl, meeting one’s academic targets and ultimately getting an opportunity of utilizing gained knowledge and making positive contributions in his or her field of specialization is a dream come true for anyone. I have been looking forward to excel in my career by pursuing Master of Science Industrial Engineering, particularly in Operations Research.

I am currently working at a hedge fund as a junior trader in Goldwater Capital Corp, New York where my responsibilities include reconciling cash, positions, coupons, pay-downs, write-downs and wires for various cash accounts; handling daily and end-month accounting, third party administration, and audit work. I also have the responsibilities of closely examining and monitoring stock market on daily basis and I have initiated new trading strategies that have boosted the firm’s quarterly revenue.

I have also worked with Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG) Accounting/ Advisory where I performed compliance attestation examinations on third-party recipients of the Universal Service Fund disbursements for a large government entity. My duties included obtaining and reviewing documentation and work papers, performing test procedures and documenting results, as well as managing workload and proactively communicating findings to KPMG engagement leadership and clients. Here, I gained immense knowledge on telecommunications accounting.

I also performed attestation engagements in accordance with Yellow Book and Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS) requirements in addition to participating in an agreed-upon procedure engagement for a third-party independent review in evaluating a newly implemented billing system and assisting the management in verifying the accuracy and completeness of invoices generated. My responsibilities included drafting the agreed-upon procedures, providing guidance to new hires, performing test procedures and documenting results, managing workload and proactively communicating findings to KPMG engagement leadership and clients.

Here, I gained much knowledge on the nature of agreed-upon procedure engagements. In KPMG, I also participated in performing a payphone compensation attestation of a telecommunications service provider. My duties included performing and documenting audit procedures, obtaining and reviewing documentation, and testing the Information Technology General Controls (ITGCs) that are relevant to the payphone compensation process.I have also worked as a Summer Analyst, Asset Management Division in JP Morgan Asset Management Asia Limited where I performed quantitative and qualitative trend analyses on endowment projects for eight Hong Kong universities and pitched new potential business opportunities to senior management.

I also designed Excel spreadsheets to analyze extensively portfolio asset allocation of existing funds and made recommendations to portfolio managers; prepared presentation materials for client review and market analyses; composed weekly meeting materials including market and project updates; and assisted in developing and implementing IPORTAL software throughout the division. I also held the same position of a Summer Analyst, Asset Management Division in JP Morgan Asset Management Limited & Shanghai International Trust & Investment Corporation Joint Venture.

My responsibilities were producing comprehensive reports on China’s mutual fund market and presenting them to the management; collecting data for portfolio manager in performing fundamental and technical analyses; and conducting extensive research on China’s macro-economic environment. I also participated in client meetings where I gained experience with client relationship development.These experiences have made me develop into a dynamic and resourceful person with interpersonal and negotiation skills, an open-minded person, one who is excellent in networking and an outstanding team player.

I have also developed into a sociable and an approachable person. I believe that pursuing graduate studies in Industrial engineering - operations research program would give me the opportunity of sharpening these skills further and increasing my knowledge in operations research. I have no misgivings that the aforementioned experiences place me at an advantageous position to qualify to pursue this Program and will greatly influence my performance in my course of study.My native language is Mandarin; I am fluent in English and have basic skills in Japanese and Korean.

In computers, I am proficient in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and have had experiences with Bloomberg; I have basic skills in Java, HTML and C++. My hobbies include basketball, volleyball, snowboarding, music, drum, guitar, cooking and photography. I am a member of the Chinese Students Association and the Chair of Basketball and Photography Clubs, which I established, organizing weekly practices and annual inter-collegiate tournaments, as well as scheduling, planning and leading field trips for the Basketball and Photography Clubs respectively.

Attaining a Master of Science IEOR would open more presently closed doors in my career path. My overall career objective is to ensure high performance in my profession to the best of my interest as well as that of the entire society by employing my professional skills governed by accountability and integrity for progressive competence. Becoming an IEOR engineer would give me the opportunity of watching my ambitions and career objectives come to reality – it would allow me to work in various industries, of great interest being communications, finance, manufacturing, logistics, sports, entertainment, transportation and travel.

It would also equip me with skills in quantitative modeling and analysis of various systems-level decision problems pertaining economic efficiency, productivity and quality. It would also help me in the development and creative use of analytical and computational methods for solving the aforementioned problems and through it; I would obtain the broader skills, background and knowledge essential in becoming an effective professional in a rapidly changing global economy. I would really be grateful if I get the opportunity of pursuing a Master of Science IEOR, as it would give me the chance that I have been longing for – to fulfill my dreams and achieve my goals in life.

In addition, this opportunity would give me more hands on experience and the exposure that I would get from interacting with more experts as I study would enable me be the best I can be in this field. My hard work, curiosity, attention to details, my open mindedness, willingness to learn and strong desire to excel will be important assets as I study. Moreover, my strong desire to excel in this program is enough to make me go an extra mile and take extra hours. With the support that I would get from my supervisors, excellent training and the extra effort I intend to put on my studies, guided by my strong will to deliver quality and relevant results, I will excel in my profession.

I hope that you will consider my application and grant me the chance of pursuing my career.