Graduate / Motivational Essay for Double Degree Programme in Finance [3]

Hello,

I am about to apply for a Double Degree, and is therefore asking for some feedback on my Motivational Essay. The instructions ar basically none, other than it to be a motivational essay of maximum two pages.

Thanks in advance!

I am writing to apply for the Double Degree Programme offered by XXXX Business School in unison with the University of XXXX. I am applying for this programme to further challenge myself academically, and to better my competitive edge in order to pursue a future career in Investment Banking.

When applying for my undergraduate programme, the international profile of XXXX was one of the main reasons for choosing to pursue my education at this institute. Recently, when applying for my graduate programme, the offering of a Double Degree programme with an Internationally acclaimed institution, was one of the key motivators for pursuing the MSc in Applied Economics and Finance at XXXX. Furthermore, I chose this concentration because it is the most quantitative programme CBS offers. The Bachelor of Economics and Business Administration at XXXX is fairly general, offering only two electives throughout the programme. However, when I was presented with the choice, I knew I wanted to concentrate on financial-courses. As a consequence of this, when on exchange at XXXX University in Sydney, I chose, as my elective course, to attend a 12-week Internship in the finance department at XXXX Australia. During my time with XXXX, I had an individual project where I was to liaison with the different account managers in order to document, register and process the numerous client contracts. Also, I completed plentiful work within accounting and compliance for the finance team. Both of these functions I truly enjoyed as they gave me a stronger business understanding and practical experience in a multi-cultural and foreign workplace. During my sixth semester, I specialised in Behavioural Finance. Using this course as a starting point, I, together with a co-author, wrote an empirical bachelor thesis on how news stories affect, and predict, stock prices at XXXX Stock Exchange. Through this independent research, I achieved wholesome experience of planning and executing academic research, and processing vast amounts of data. Although the hypothesis was an ambitious one, the results we obtained corresponded, and added to, the existing research on the topic.

I have always chosen challenging courses, and as my transcript shows I have a good academic record. Nonetheless, I have throughout my studies managed to work in order to provide for some of the basic expenses that students have. Through the positions I had at XXXX High School I gained valuable insight in how to organize large events with multiple participants and stakeholders. As a result of my time as a sound engineer and my work at XXXX, I value accuracy and efficiency. Additionally, these positions gave me a strong understanding of job responsibility. Through my time as a corporal in the army, I developed strong leadership skills and learned how to interact with a wide variety of people. Also, my experiences as a team leader taught me how to motivate others and myself, during physical and psychological hardship. Lately, as a student assistant with XXXX, I have been able to deploy my interpersonal and analytical abilities in a new capacity outside the classroom. There, I am daily challenged on how to map and match interesting and capable candidates to a wide variety of positions. Also, having frequent contact with management and senior candidates across industries has further strengthened my understanding of formality and professionalism.

When conducting research for my Bachelor thesis this spring, I quickly got confirmation that I wanted to pursue a quantitative graduate in order to further improve my financial and statistical techniques. This desire does not only stem from my natural flair for numbers, but also my aspiration to continue the research agenda. The feedback and results of the research motivated me to further develop our hypothesis, and I am planning to deploy our model on a broader market, such as the U.S. Market, and my ambition is to do so in my master thesis. In the long-term, my professional goal is to seek a career in Investment Banking, and thus developing strong "hard-skills" will be of great importance for my future career prospects. The reason I seek a career in investment banking, largely originates from my genuine interest for the financial markets, as I find the endless learning journey in the financial field captivating. Additionally, in investment banking you are continuously exposed to new subjects and challenges, combined with the dedication and hard work that pervades this business, I therefore find this career very compelling. In order to develop a broader practical understanding of the stock markets, I have been managing a small private portfolio. Furthermore, I am engaged in a student-operated investment fund, XXXX, where we have been meeting weekly to discuss market tendencies and how to best position the fund for long-term growth.

The combination of the MSc Applied Economics and Finance degree at XXXX and the MSc Financial Management degree at XXXX will not only give me a thorough understanding of the technical aspects of the industry, but also vast theoretical understanding of financial management. This interdisciplinary would give me a better understanding of how advanced quantitative methods and economic analysis go hand-in-hand in managerial decision making. Also, the international profile of the degree, being able to live and study within two major economies and markets, would give me an unmatched competitive advantage in order to pursue a future career in an increasingly global economy. I have always striven for academic excellence, in wishing to make the most of my education. The prospect of obtaining two master degrees, both from internationally acclaimed institutions, is therefore particularly attractive. And the effort, dedication and hard work required to succeed in this programme is something I easily see offset by the potential benefit. In this regard, I consider myself as a hard working and capable individual who appreciates a tight schedule. I am a result-oriented person who continuously reaches for new goals, and my motivation derives from the personal growth I experience when I achieve these goals. Friends, classmates and colleagues will probably describe my personality as a typical "driver"; I thrive on the thrill of the challenge and the internal motivation to succeed.

If I get the privilege of being admitted to this program I wish to deploy my enthusiasm, good academic knowledge, appetite for knowledge and general acumen, in order to be a valuable contribution both inside and outside the classroom.

I hope that the admission committee finds my background and strengths commensurate with the requirements of your program. Thank you for considering my application.
I look forward to your response.