Hi, I am applying to Master's program in Applied Mathematics at EPFL and was wondering if you could look at my Statement of Purpose. Thank you in advance :)
The choice of Applied Mathematics as my academic and professional path is rooted in the passion I developed during my undergraduate studies in Financial Mathematics at the University of Ljubljana. The field of Mathematics has interested me since the beginning of my education. The deep influence Mathematics has on our lives has always intrigued me and is the main reason why I choose to apply to master's program Applied Mathematics at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Additionally, during my studies I will apply to internships to broaden practical application of Mathematics and gain valuable experience for career after academic education.
During high school I continued to pursue my interest in mathematics by attending competitions and lectures. The lecture on chaos given by my mathematics professor started my passion for complex mathematical concepts. Additionally, the combination of problem solving and incorporating mathematics in everyday life convinced to apply to the Financial Mathematics program. I graduated Gimnazija Bežigrad summa cum laude (I obtained 32 out of possible 35 points on Matura exam and took Mathematics at a higher level for which I got an 8/8 grade). Because of my academic achievements, I was a recipient of the Zois Scholarship (through my high school years and bachelor studies), intended for students who achieve exceptional academic result.
During my studies I had attended many lectures discussing different mathematical areas, such as Analysis, Measure Theory and Data Analysis, which trained me to work daily on different topics and enabled me to approach a problem from different perspectives. I have always been able to have a good understanding of complex mathematical concepts, I was in top 5 % of my class, so I believe that I would have no problems fitting in your esteemed organisation.
I am deeply interested in Stochastic Calculus and Probability and using concepts from these areas in modelling and pricing financial markets and risk. In the class Financial Mathematics 1 given by professor Tomaž Košir, I was introduced to derivatives and their pricing using probabilistic models. I used this knowledge in my thesis Chooser Options where I used Black-Scholes model to derive the fair value of chooser option and calculate its Greek parameters. Given the classes on Stochastic Calculus and Machine Learning that EPFL offers, I imagine I can expand my knowledge of pricing financial instruments and combine the areas to apply them in my future career. Furthermore, Using Statistics, I believe we can use the historic data to predict the development of financial markets and aid financial institutions in the making of the right decisions. All of the above areas of mathematics present a great interest to me and are relevant topics to study and to later apply in my career path. The EPFL has a vast range of lectures that would help me gain valuable insight into these areas.
While studying Financial Mathematics I have determined that big data has valuable impact on our economy as well as on our decisions. That is why I applied to a position of Data Analyst at multinational business solution company BE-terna. I work with SQL, Power BI and Qlik Sense to help both national and foreign corporations understand data and derive valuable information to aid in decision making. I primarily work with the financial sector, that is why I have a good understanding of what data financial firms use and how insurance companies, banks and similar organisations operate. I work with companies such as Erste Bank, Generali Zavarovalnica and Zavarovalnica Triglav (both of the latter are insurance companies). All my solutions presented a great addition to their operations and have assisted them to effectively monitor daily affairs. That is why I have good knowledge of effective management of large amount of data and my experience show I have good analytical skills and attention to details. My experience presents a great addition to the skills I have gained through my academic studies as most large companies are data driven.
Looking ahead, over the next two years at EPFL my main objective would be to expand my knowledge of modelling financial markets, pricing financial assets and calculating risk and to combine this knowledge with advanced machine learning to create accurate predictive models. I am keen to continue my research in pricing financial derivatives and expand it to other types of exotic options, further deepen my knowledge of data science and stochastic processes and collaborate with experts in the field of machine learning. Additionally, I am particularly drawn to EPFL because of encouragement of internships and research projects, through which I will obtain valuable hands-on experience, understand how I could use theoretical knowledge in practice and expand my business network. My career goal is to leverage the capabilities of mathematics in business decisions while using valuable data insights to maximise efficiency and success of the companies, especially corporations in the financial industry. After my academic education I plan to work in an actuarial or risk management department, where I believe that the theoretical knowledge of stochastic processes, stochastic calculus and data science have a great potential in creating models and predicting different possible outcomes. Additionally, in 10 years I aspire to create a company that would create predictive models for financial institutions and advise them on decision. Thus, I am certain that an education at EPFL would have a great impact on my academic and professional career.
The Master of Applied Mathematics at EPFL is an ideal path, not only because of its global recognition and acclaimed experts but also due to diverse range of classes and opportunities for research and internships. I believe that with the help of EPFL I would greatly build on my existing knowledge and work experiences, thus become an exceptional professional.
Holt Educational Consultant - / 14,844 
4785 Since you are applying for a masters degree course, it will be best to highlight your college education, work experience, and future plans instead. Any additional information you can provide regarding continued education under a professional scenario will also be more beneficial to your application rather than looking back to you early study days. While you may have achieved a semblance of academic success in high school, you need to prove academic recognition within the college level and also, within a professional setting (whenever possible). The last paragraph is not very strong. It does not offer a strong reason to accept you into the school or the scholarship. It is mostly just a summary of notes regarding the university. You need to show a way that you can blend perfectly with the publicly known information about the school and scholarship with your personal character, insights, and ambitions.
