Masters of Economics with Thesis Option - Statement of Intent

- Your Statement of Intent allows you to explain your personal interest in the program to which you are applying.
- It should reference the kind of knowledge you expect to gain from the program and should define the reasons why you chose the program and how it can satisfy your own interests.

My draft:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to you to demonstrate my interest in the Master's Program in Economics at ABC University. I am a keen individual with a passion for numbers and for microeconomic theory and its derivatives. I believe that the combination of my education in economics and mathematics as well as my work experience in finance will allow me to thrive in this program.

I have had a interest in Economics since high school, where I took optional and mandatory Economics classes for 3 years, learning the basics of economic theory and political science. This longevity allows me to grasp economic concepts with ease. While studying Economics at XYZ University, I enrolled in Mathematics classes on top of my required Economics classes, such as Linear Algebra, Differential Equations and Real Analysis, which benefited my when undertaking quantitative Economics courses such as Microeconomic Theory or Econometrics. Later on, I decided to pick up a second major in Mathematics to officialise this commitment. I was then awarded an Honours Bachelor's of Arts degree in Economics and Mathematics.

After taking an Advanced Microeconomic Theory class with Prof. 123 at XYZ University, I developed a keen interest in the field, and was allowed to enrol in a graduate level course in Industrial Organization with Prof. 345 while I was pursuing my undergraduate degree. The aforementioned courses in Mathematics helped me tackle this challenging, masters-level material. I obtained a grade of A- in the class. Prof. 345 subsequently accepted to supervise me in a directed reading in Auction Theory, his area of expertise. My term paper was a survey of Auction Theory. I researched the areas I wanted to cover in this paper, using Vijay Krishna's text as my main reference. I obtained a grade of A+ in this directed reading. I have had the opportunity to get a taste of reference in a Mathematical Modelling class. Our class project consisted in producing an original research project. I drafted a research proposal on welfare issues in monopolistic markets, wrote a 19-page theoretical research paper and presented my findings to the class in a presentation. I also acquainted myself with statistical methods through Econometrics and Regression Analysis courses. Prof. 567's Econometrics class provided me with the statistical methods necessary to perform empirical research. I obtained a grade of A+ in the course.

I am passionate about economics and I enjoy reading more about it in my free time. Some of my leisure reading includes Mas-Colell, Whinston and Green' and Romer's textbooks, which I use to prepare myself for the demanding graduate-level microeconomics and macroeconomics sequences at ABC University. I am familiar with most of the textbooks used in graduate-level courses in economics, such as Mas-Colell, Whinston and Green or Jehle and Reny for Microeconomics, which are used as references for Prof. 789's microeconomic theory course, Greene for Econometrics and Tirole for Industrial Organization.

I am currently gaining experience in the financial industry and I am using this opportunity to develop myself educationally by enrolling in the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program. I have passed the CFA program Level I in June 2014 and I am currently a Level II candidate in the June 2015 CFA program.

ABC University's Master's program is the logical continuation of my education: I have developed research and mathematical skills in my undergraduate years and ABC's course offering will develop them even further: I am interested in the thesis option of the M.A. Economics, as this stream matches my growing interest for economic research and provides an essential training for my career. Prof. 789's microeconomic theory class and Prof. #$%'s Industrial Organization class are attractive to me as they coincide with the microeconomics field.

I believe that the Masters program in Economics at ABC University will provide me with the quantitative tools and qualitative knowledge to perform economic research. I would like to exploit this knowledge and these skills to carry advanced research in economics for governmental, private or academic institutions. I feel that the world-class faculties at ABC University will provide me with valuable exposure to research and advanced economic theory material, which will benefit me in the future.

Sincerely,

frenchkiki

Thanks in advance!

Your statement of intent should only present your current credentials which are relevant to the advanced studies that you are applying for admission to. There is no need to discuss the basis of the development of your love for economics because you are already expected to have worked a number of years (at least 2 years) where the necessity for higher studies in relation to your profession became evident. Revise the essay to present your current work capacity, seminars, and trainings attended, with only a summary of your college degree and experiences. Your concentration in this paper should be on developing your image as a capable student whose thesis is bound to change the way the work is done in your profession. Try to cut the essay/letter down to a length that is more readable and interesting to the reviewer. Go directly to the points of interest that are required by the prompt in order to immediately answer the prompt and allow the reviewer to decide if thesis option is something that will be of interest to the university. Those two points should be presented in the first paragraph of the essay if possible.