Graduate / Personal Statement for MSc Agricultural Economics [3]

Hello, please can someone help me appraise this. Would gladly appreciate the help.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
In this essay I am going to concentrate mostly on the incentives that stimulate me to pursue further study in the field of Agricultural economics, and reflect the motives for my choice of University of XXXX as well as state my future career objectives. I have chosen to work in the area of international development economics because it has such a demand for new ideas. At the same time it requires a good economic and statistical background and has obvious implications in real life.

My education suits this field very well: I have Bachelor of Agriculture with Honors in the field of agricultural economics, and I have been taught by very good lecturers. After a course I took with Doctor PK, I decided that there is nothing more interesting than international economics. He made issues of international trade, monetary economics and government policy fascinating. Lectures delivered by him attracted me to the problems of food security. In addition, Professor B enlightened my mind on quality empirical research through his teaching on econometrics. I was taught how to apply sophisticated economic techniques and was made to see that a simple look at a graph can be more useful than application of sophisticated economic techniques. I enjoyed listening to them and want to teach my mind to operate in a similar manner as attention is paid to every individual fact and each formal problem solved reflects a real economic situation.

During my degree project, I was opportune to witness this first hand. This research was conducted within the field of Rural Economics. The topic was titled "XXXX." and I worked under the guidance of Doctor SM. The greatest part of my work was devoted to the collection of primary data and microeconomic econometric (panel data) analysis. We sought to establish why and how farmers' demography affected their farming decisions. One of the reasons I want to study further is to reach at least the same level of intuitiveness and panoramic view of the subject as my teachers have.

My activities outside the classroom have been very rewarding. Last year, my father and I investigated the pattern of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients. During this survey, I was intrigued by the correlation between farmers' health and their productivity. This research inquiry has broadened my horizon on the complexities as well as possibilities of economics. Last month, volunteering to work at one of IITA's demonstration farms has helped sharpen my focus on international development economics.

My mind is open to new ways of economic thinking and approach, and I am ready for a new leap in my economics career. I understand that a lot of effort must be applied for a good student to turn into a good teacher and researcher. The fact is that the best possible supervisors and a highly competitive atmosphere are necessary for this quality, and the only reasonable decision for me was to aim for such a place. All this gives me the motivation to apply to the XXXX.