I am an international student, applying to NYU. I've written 3 essays: Why NYU ?, about my interest, and What intrigues you ?
I was so stupid because I thought it's 1500 words available, but actually 1500 characters. I am totally ready to have any kinds of comments from you guys. Please tell me if there is something that I don't really have to mention or point out. I am waiting for your answers. Thank you :)
I first heard about Stern in Catholic University of Daegu, when I had been reading "Finding Your Goal and Challenge For It" At the point where Steve Kim, who has been accepted at Stern, publishing the book to tell the process of studying in the U.S, mentions that he had been working at Stern, I thought he was referring to some famous research facility. But when he began to mention "the student", "the faculty", and "the lectures" at Stern, I realized that the "research facility" that I had imagined was actually a university. At that moment I dreamed what it would be like to live, study, and play among the people that I have in common with.
It is lonely being the only "student who loved financial management" in Catholic University of Daegu. Even amongst my friends I elicit blank looks whenever I begin to talk about getting together over the weekends to think about the principal of stock market and staying after school just to play chess and discuss ideas with the finance professor. The most interesting thing in checking stock market is to predict all the possibilities, not based on speculation, but credible information. I would say the stock market is kind of a combination of a number of studies such as accounting, economy, math, marketing, communication and financial management.
"Dude, what's the point of studying the principal of the flow of stock market? Why don't you just study for the Physics test?" My friends are certainly correct: there is no point in checking a stock market. But I find satisfaction in just being able to say "I saw that, and it works. I bet I can hit that shrub over there with this rock in just one try," and that I had actually studied and predicted it. Over the years, I have found that not everyone is interested in working on ambitious projects.
I tried to convince my friends that the principal of finance is very interesting, that no one can sit down and magically predict many things together in an hour, that it is amazing how natural phenomena can be explained through mathematical expression, and that there is so much fun and camaraderie in hunkering down and working together as a group on any project. But so far I haven't been able to convert them. Every day I wish I had tried harder to do so.
In the fall of semester, my dreams came true. The Professor in the investments class asked us to have a presentation based on the result at the end of the class. I thought that it would be the great chance for me to show the best result of my work. At the investments class, I practically lived my dreams of being not just an "inspired student" in Finance management, but a "fellow inspired student". I remember vividly the stock market contests, where groups completed to see and program the best plan for maximizing profits and minimizing risks. However, it wasn't the actual contest events that were so memorable. Ironically, the most relaxing times were generally the actual plan processes themselves. I freely exchanged ideas on creating the most efficient way for making the best decision on it. However at the end of the virtual stock market I was on 117th over 150 students. Since I had to have a presentation about the result, I was frustrated because all most students could well explain with a good result. I spent one week to think of what I would have to do.
When it's my time to have a presentation, I stood in front of the class, and then I said "Guys, I have seen your successful results of the contest. It was pretty impressive and memorable. Here is my presentation that will not let you know how to maximize a profit, but it will let you know how to minimize a loss in the stock market." Before day, I just thought that it might be also nice for students and professor to see the wrong way or how I made loss, so the first word came up in my mind was loss minimization. Since I considered loss minimization as the most important factor, it would be a nice presentation telling loss minimization with the failure example. After my presentation, my professor said, "I am so sorry about your result, but thanks to your experience, now everybody knows that we should be careful when we are looking into stock market." So, I could have A+ in the investments class. The best thing, I learned from it, is that it may be a number, but sometimes one number can have a huge impact on the stock market while we are checking it.
In looking forward to the next several years of my life, I hope to attend a good school where I can experience a better study. At Stern I want to turn to a friend and ask "What do you think about seeing the principal of stock market," and be able to hear that a friend reply with "Let's go," instead of "What's the point?" And so I will reinforce Stern's long-standing tradition of Finance, Accounting, and other business, and add to my class's enthusiasm through my desire for ambitious projects. Maybe just a number, but sometimes one number can have a huge impact. Like this, my inspiration forwarding to Stern may be a small part of all the applicants, but I would like to be like "Second Jeremy Lyn" in Business field though my experience at Stern.
