Hello! I have to write a personal statement for MSc Finance or MSc Accounting and Finance. My first langauge is not english and I would appreciate some feedback on my essay. Thank you very much
All applicants - please attach a personal statement that describes your academic interests and your purpose and objectives in undertaking graduate study. If you are applying for a master's or diploma programme this is your opportunity to introduce yourself to the selectors. Please describe your academic background, strengths/interests, ambitions/research interests. Your statement should be typed, and should cover 2-3 sides of A4 paper. There is no fixed word limit. If your chosen programme has more than one stream (eg, MSc Social Research Methods) you should indicate which stream you are interested in following.
The first time I had an experience with trading was in August, 2011 at the trading desk in Bogota - Colombia. The fast paced and high energy environment, the constant incoming amount of information flowing through the monitors' screens and the voices of the traders screaming stock quotes, currency trends and long or short positions sparked in me the thought of a career in trading. Being part of a family that left its life in Colombia and move to Ecuador amidst the Peruvian-Ecuadorian war of 1995 to create an electromechanical and transmission line company, entrepreneurship and risk taking are values that have lived with me since I was a kid. Watching traders measuring risk, taking decisions, adapting to the changing market, accepting losses and creating new strategies reminded me of the dear entrepreneurship spirit I grew up with. In order to develop my interest in trading I obtained a Certificate of Professional Trader and of Master Trader that gave me the skills to run a profitable personal electronic trading account for the last two years. I was also given the opportunity to be a mentor for the students of the Certificate of Proactive Trader, enhancing not only my markets knowledge but also my ability to explain and communicate in an effective way. Moreover, I was the winner of a trading contest whose prize was a trip to the New York Traders Expo 2012. It was from these experiences and my wish to have more knowledge about the financial markets that I decided to pursue a Master in Finance.
After graduating with honors from high school in Ecuador, I traveled to Malta and France to improve my English and learn French. Besides learning the languages, this trip taught me about other cultures and different ways of living but most important I learned to be adaptable, tolerant and respectful for the differences. Once the trip was over, I went to Colombia and got accepted to pursue a major in Business Administration at Universidad de los Andes, one of the top universities in South America and the best in the country. Thanks to my good grades at university I was allowed to take extra credits and decided to experiment more quantitative classes out of the Business curriculum such as physics, vector calculus and topography. Such courses gave me extra mathematical and reasoning skills as well as more capability to work with numbers than I would have gotten by just following the regular Business Administration path. With my extra allowed credits I also decided to deepen into my French knowledge by applying for a minor in French Language and Culture. More important than the technical or linguistic skills learned from the major, minor and non mandatory classes I took are the skills related to time management, prioritizing and discipline that I acquired from going beyond than the already demanding curriculum I had to follow. I believe these skills will show practical not only at studying in a highly challenging school as London School of Economics but also in pursuing a highly exigent career in trading.
Among my achievements while attending undergraduate school, there are two that I most feel proud about. The first is having volunteered in a foundation that operates in marginal neighborhoods in Bogota. The second is having contributed as a research assistant to an international project on women in direction positions at private companies in Latin America. The foundation I volunteered at helps to the education of kids from poor neighborhoods, improving their lives and their families'. My job consisted in the creation and launch of a brand focused on office supply products with the purpose of generating other income for the foundation besides donations. Since the brand and its products were created from scratch, marketing, sales, design, and financial issues were analyzed. Every step of the job required me to put in practice skills such as time management, organization, teamwork and initiative. Regarding my role as a research assistant, I was honored to be selected among several students thanks to my grades and academic record to help teacher Consuelo Cardenas in her international scope project related to the development of women carriers in Latin America's private sector. While this position gave me insight on the struggles and achievements in the private and work life of these women, it also provided me with the ability of researching, summarizing and prioritizing information, communicating and understanding the advantages of having a flexible approach. The insight on the project and the ability gained led me to write a paper that won the highest grade possible for a graduating dissertation. I am confident that my experiences in different projects and the skills attained related to teamwork, communication, flexibility and organization will benefit me and the other students at the MSc as those qualities remain important while working with people coming from different cultures and backgrounds.
Concerning my work experiences, they can be summarized in two roles: My entrepreneurship venture and my position as a project assistant in the leading electromechanical and transmission line company in Ecuador. To help covering my undergraduate tuition fees I took a job in sales in the United States every university vacation. Once I had graduated I got an offer from my former bosses to open a new company focused on selling different products at shopping malls. Being a Colombian who grew up in Ecuador, worked in the United States and had Israeli partners, I learn the usefulness of communication, teamwork and tolerance, especially when the parts come from such different backgrounds. Moreover, being owner, manager and salesperson developed my skills on delegating, taking measured risks, and being flexible and adaptable. The long trajectory on sales has given me as well communication and negotiation skills. Working at an electromechanical company that obtains its contracts from winning bids from national and international clients has given me the ability to work under pressure and deadlines, analyzing competitors and minimizing expenses while keeping high quality. I judge that the communication skills gained from a large trajectory on sales and the ability to work under pressure and stick to deadlines makes me a good candidate for your highly demanding and multicultural master degree program.
The diverse and varied interests that I have have driven me to follow different extracurricular activities through the years but specially two are worth mentioning. The first is Vipassana meditation that has helped me to live a balanced life and improved my concentration, self-awareness and objectivity. The second extracurricular activity that is part of my daily routine is Crossfit training. Besides having given me skills and abilities such as discipline and concentration, the training has had a special value by showing me that Crossfit, just as life, is a challenge, a chance to give my best, and a reminder of the importance of humbleness. In Crossfit, as in life, I permanently learn that every second counts and every minute is an opportunity to be better, that there is no honor in cheating and that is always better to try than to just quit. More than my knowledge on any specific subject or my trajectory are the experiences and skills gained through my extracurricular activities that I can contribute with to the multicultural students at LSE. While academic knowledge and working experience are common to many, extracurricular activities and different interests are what make everyone unique.
My reasons for choosing LSE to follow my master degree studies are the well known quality of the programs offered, the experience of the teachers, the reputation among recruiters and the location of the school in London and its proximity to the City. As for the MSc in Finance or the MSc in Accounting and Finance with focus on Finance, I believe these programs will deepen my knowledge on the financial markets making me a more suitable candidate for a career in trading. The MSc in Finance or the MSc in Accounting and finance with its mandatory courses of Asset markets will broaden my knowledge in fixed income, stocks and derivatives and the valuation methods for them. Optional courses like Topics in Portfolio Management in the MSc Finance or Portfolio Management in the MSc Accounting and Finance will provide me with tools like trading strategies and costs, currency hedging and performance measurement among others to successfully manage an equity portfolio. Classes like Fixed Income Securities and Credit Markets or Fixed Income markets, depending on the MSc, will strengthen my understanding of income security pricing, hedging and portfolio management. Financial Engineering in the MSc Finance or Derivatives in the MSc Accounting and Finance will endow me with knowledge of derivatives theory and pricing and hedging methodology. Finally, the course of International Finance offered for both MSc will teach me about exchange rates and its relevancy for theory, policy, global risk and international investors. To conclude, after doing my research and understanding the similarities and differences between the MSc and Finance and MSc in Accounting and Finance, I have certainty that both programs will provide me with the tools and skills required to better adapt, understand the markets and perform as a successful trader.
The MSc Finance or the MSc Accounting and Finance fit in my future plan by strengthening my knowledge in the financial markets and by opening my doors to a shift in my career to a more finance oriented one. Once I obtain the masters degree and have acquired enough knowledge on advanced financial topics and techniques, my goal is to work as a trader assistant or a sales and trade analyst at the trading desk of a bank or hedge fund. I want to comprehensively understand and specialize on commodities futures and options and eventually become a trader. On the medium and long term I would like to take advantage of the relatively unknown Derivatives Market in Ecuador and create a company focused on advising investors and managing accounts of clients interested on trading. I consider that the MSc programs on LSE of Finance or Accounting and Finance will provide an invaluable opportunity to deepen my knowledge, to prepare me for highly demanding environments, to bring me closer to motivated students and thus will be a very important vehicle to achieve my professional goals.
In conclusion, I believe that my academic record and achievements together with my motivation, enthusiasm, discipline and ability to work under pressure prove that I am capable of pursuing challenging programs as are the MSc Finance or the MSc Accounting and Finance at the London School of Economics. Furthermore, I am certain that the experience gained at working with other cultures, my flexibility and adaptability and my different interests shown at my extracurricular activities make me prospective student capable of contributing to the multicultural environment at LSE. I appreciate the time taken by the admissions committee to review my application and I hope that I have fully explain the abilities, skills and experiences that make me a suitable candidate to study one of the most sought and challenging master programs in the world.
Best regards,
Maria Angelica Pabon
WHOAH, this is huge. I'll edit some of it for you below:
PLEASE REMEMBER TO LIKE MY POST :)
The first time I had an experience with trading was in August, 2011 at the trading desk in Bogota - Colombia. The fast paced and high energy environment, the constant incoming amount of information flowing through the monitors' screens and the voices of the traders screaming stock quotes, currency trends and long or short positions sparked in me the thought of a career in trading. (THAT IS TOO LONG, I THINK. IT WAS A BIT HARD FOR ME TO FOLLOW) Being part of a family that left its life in Colombia and move to Ecuador amidst the Peruvian-Ecuadorian war of 1995 to create an electromechanical and transmission line company, entrepreneurship and risk taking are values that have lived with me since I was a kid. Watching traders measuring risk, taking decisions, adapting to the changing market, accepting losses and creating new strategies reminded me of the dearFIERCE entrepreneurship spirit I grew up with. In order to develop my interest in trading I obtained a Certificate of Professional Trader and of Master Trader that gave me the skills to run a profitable personal electronic trading account for the last two years. I was also given the opportunity to be a mentor for the students of the Certificate of Proactive Trader, enhancing not only my markets knowledge but also my ability to explain and communicate in an effective way. Moreover, I was the winner of a trading contest whose prize was a trip to the New York Traders Expo 2012. It was from these experiences and my wish to have more knowledge about the financial markets that I decided to pursue a Master in Finance.
After graduating with honors from high school in Ecuador, I traveled to Malta and France to improve my English and learn French. Besides learning the languages, this trip taught me about other cultures and different ways of living but most important I learned to be adaptable, tolerant and respectful for the differences.BESIDES FROM LEARNING THE LANGUAGE, I LEARNED ABOUT OTHER CULTURES AND DIFFERENT WAYS OF LIVING, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, I LEARNED TO BE ADAPTABLE, TOLERANT, AND RESPECTFUL FOR OUR RESPECTIVE DIFFERENCES. Once the trip was over, I went to Colombia and got accepted to pursue a major in Business Administration at Universidad de los Andes, one of the top universities in South America and the best in the country. Thanks to my good grades at university (COMMA) I was allowed to take extra credits and decided to experiment more quantitative classes out of the Business curriculum such as physics, vector calculus and topography. Such courses gave me extra mathematical and reasoning skills as well as more capability to work(I DON'T LIKE THE WORDING HERE. CAPABILITY WITH?) with numbers than I would have gotten by just following the regular Business Administration path. With my extra allowed credits I also decided to deepen into my French knowledge by applying for a minor in French Language and Culture. More important than the technical or linguistic skills learned from the major, minor and non mandatory classes I took are the skills related to time management, prioritizing and discipline that I acquired from going beyond than the already demanding curriculum I had to follow. I believe these skills will showBE practical not only at studying in a highly challenging school as London School of Economics but also in pursuing a highly exigent career in trading.
