Graduate / I feel blessed to have had great teachers, parents, and friends; SOP for Accounting PhD [3]

Hi Everyone, I am very happy that I stamped upon this great site and hopefully I can get some feedbacks from experienced people. Thank you in advance for helping me!

I am afraid that it might sound not genuine. Please let know whether you think it is genuine and specific. I consulted with one of my professors and he said I don't need to align my research interests with every school I am applying to(honestly, I do not know much acct research. I want to have the opportunity to learn). What do you think? should I tailor my SOP to each school?

The following is my SOP for Acct PhD:

I have always been curious and relentless in pursuit of knowledge and the unknown. I feel blessed to have had great teachers, parents, and friends who have instilled passion for learning, perseverance in accomplishing goals, and an inquisitive mind in exploring new ideas. I wholeheartedly believe that my technical capabilities, along with my passion, perseverance and the ability to work independently, make me an ideal candidate for a PhD in accounting at XXXX.

Being a person who has changed his major twice over the past 3 years, I have come to truly understand the importance of finding one's true passion. I started college as a marine biology major because I was fascinated by the ocean. However, it soon turned out to me that studying marine biology was more than observing lovely sea animals. I then transferred to the University of Minnesota to study biomedical engineering because of the University of Minnesota's strong reputation in the field of engineering. During my sophomore year, I took some accounting classes required by my management minor and I have been intrigued by the field ever since. I soon changed my major to accounting and decided to take mathematics as my second major to make sure that I have a strong analytical background for further advanced study in accounting. My passion, in turn, has also contributed to the fact that I excel in both accounting and mathematics.

My inquiring mind and past experiences in my home country have always been my sources of passion for research. Having grown up in China, I have always tried to apply the theories I leaned in Carlson School of Management to the accounting practices in China. After reading Professor ABC recently published paper "Do Short Sellers Front-Run Insider Sales?" which explores the possible relationship between short-selling and insider trading, the incident which rocked the China stock market in August came to my mind. China Everbright Securities's short-selling behavior on August 16 caused it to be convicted of insider trading due to the inappropriate use of insider information. With this incident being consistent with the findings of Professor ABC 's paper, I came to realize that certain deficiencies underlying the accounting regulations are universal across the world. Therefore accounting research studies dedicated to the perfection of accounting regulations will not only benefit the country where the research is conducted, but also help to improve the regulatory principles in other countries, especially in developing countries like China, where immature accounting regulations are prone to abuse. The ability of universally benefiting the economic environment of the world is one of the greatest inspirations for me to dedicate myself to accounting research studies.

I am currently assisting Professor Robert HJK and Professor DEG on a research project, in which I am responsible for collecting and recording more than 30,000 entries of data on the 10-K and 10-Q forms of more than 500 publicly traded companies. Having spent more than 80 hours on collecting data essential to analyzing the underlying phenomenon being researched, I have come to realize that being a successful researcher requires much more than just technical capabilities and creativity. A research study cannot survive a whimsical personality. Among the most needed qualities in carrying a research study from start to finish are perseverance and a zest for accounting. I know that I have those qualities and they are what have enabled me to work tirelessly on the project.

Apart from being a researcher after completing my doctoral programs, I would also like to be a university professor. One of the primary reasons why I chose to pursue accounting as my major is that I am strongly influenced by my excellent managerial accounting professor, Professor Terry Tranter. His way of teaching made the seemingly boring accounting theories so neat, logical, and intriguing, that I felt like that I was taking both a fun art class and a mind-challenging math class at the same time. He has always been an inspiration to me and helped to make up mind to become a successful teacher. Also through my previous experiences as a tutor for foreign students in China, I have not only learned to instill enthusiasm and curiosity for learning, and to be easy-going but firm with learning objectives, but also learned to understand the different academic experiences of students from distinct cultures, and to tailor my teaching methods to their needs.

I believe that the research, teaching, and life experiences I have had, combined with my strong analytical background, put me on the right track towards becoming a competent researcher, as well as a university professor. Possessing an inquisitive mind and thinking with subtlety have always been my best qualities. My perseverance ensures that I will not be discouraged by future setbacks and will allow me to successfully complete my future research projects.. Intensive data collection work and working daily without supervision necessitates a devotion to research and a sense of responsibility for students that I know I have. I know that a doctoral program in accounting is a good fit for me because I have a passion for both research and transmission of knowledge. I am confident that, through the rigorous training of your doctoral program in accounting, I will be able to contribute to the ever-exciting field of accounting by sharing my discovery and inspiring more interested students to follow their inexhaustible passion for accounting.