Running head: PERSONAL STATEMENT

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PERSONAL STATEMENT

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Personal Statement

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Personal StatementI find myself deeply attracted to Economics, which is a rigorous discipline that inspires me to discover more. It is inspiring how the analytical and formal nature of economics can be used to tackle complex and distinctly organic concepts, such as inflation and deflation. As an avid reader of Economics bulletins, I have keenly followed the headlines on leading journals, including The Economist, The Times, and The Time Magazine among others and I have been fascinated by the way they capture the real world issues. The authors in these journals have subtly analyzed the real world problems facing the society and this has elevated them to a status of societal saviors. One cannot help but admire their knowledge in economic matters, and one cannot ask for more than the opportunity to tread in their academic paths. Loaded with the desire to increase economic knowledge base, I seek for a chance to pursue a masters in Economics. I am currently in my final year in BSc Development Economics at SOAS, University of London. I would like to apply for Masters in Chinese Economy (English taught) at Fudan University in Shanghai, starting in September 2014. My Interest in economics was driven by circumstances, and heightened by mentors. I was born in a business oriented family, and thus, choosing to study economics was never by chance, but rather the end result of long years of planning and preparation to fulfill a childhood dream. My family owns a car business in Thailand, our original homeland. As helper in the business, I have learnt various lessons from this small business and the desire to understand the mechanism behind the effects of the business in the day-to-day life has pushed me into an economics class. I have observed prices going up and down, supplies increasing and decreasing, exchange rates varying up and down, some few people being employed and sacked in our business, and some loyal customers changing their consumption patterns based on seasons, prices, and supplies. In my observations, I have noted disappointments, as well as smiles, but sadly I have seen regrets in peoples faces for failing to cushion themselves against some risks, such as a foreseeable rise in prices and reduction in supply. As a result, it came to my attention that studying economics will give the opportunity to understand the mystery behind consumption, supply, and change in prices, among other issues affecting the society, and this would give me an opportunity to provide a timely solution. In this way, I would have a better opportunity to create a bigger impact in the society through my contributions towards growing the world economy. Improving peoples living standards through economics has been a vision that I had long chosen to pursue. This is in line with my lifelong goal of leaving this world a better place than I found. This and many other factors explain why I chose to study economics at the university.Studying economics as my degree has been an eye opener on various issues, and thus I want to pursue it to its highest level. Working in the family as a child, I found it hard to understand certain business dynamics like why at times the business registered much sales while at times there were very low sales yet the commodities remained the same. These dynamics have become clearer than before since I first joined the economic class. Besides, I have also acquired marketing skills, put them to test and tested for their effectiveness. The greatest thing I have learnt in my undergraduate degree program is the fact that the market is full of dynamics and that the best way to deal with these constant changes is to stay focused as well as being flexible enough to change with the changes as they occur lest one be wiped out of business. This implies that the world is hungry for people who understand economics to its best and there is no better place for one to acquire this knowledge than at Fudan University in Shanghai.My interest in studying Masters in Chinese Economy (English taught) at Fudan University in Shanghai, is informed by my future career goals. My goal is to become a renowned business person as well as an expert consultant. I will be taking over my parents' business after graduation and I would like to expand it at an international level, especially in China. China has become an investment hub for a number of multinational companies. Its socialist market economy is second to the US in terms of purchasing power parity and nominal GDP. In addition, China has the largest labor force in the world, which is about796 million. The presence of a large population, and a well developing economy implies that china is a good place for investors. By studying masters in economics, I will be better placed to analyze the investment climate, predict the market situation, and contribute to the general growth of the economy through creation of employment. In addition, I will be better placed to offer my opinion to investors based on the analysis of the market situation. I would like my car business to go along with consultancy services in areas such as human resource management and investment opportunities. My consultancy services will aid potential investors, as well as consumers and will ensure that some potential pitfalls in the economy are shunned. Although I am a Thai, studying in China will not be difficult because I have a strong interest in Chinese Economy and language. I have been studying in the UK for 10 years thus I am fluent in English. In addition, I have been studying Chinese at my current institution, The University of London, parallel to my undergraduate degree and thus I can communicate in Chinese at an intermediate level. Furthermore, I have an intermediate competence in Mandarin and I am currently learning Japanese, as well. I normally visit China during most of my holidays or whenever I have a chance because I love the environment in China and I would like to be proficient in Chinese. Most of my internship took place in China. I am a very hardworking student even though my undergraduate years have not been without any challenges. During my first and second years at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, I found it difficult concentrating in class because I had some problems in my home country whereby I was forced to travel from time to time. Inasmuch as I buried myself in books, I missed some lessons which were my undoing. As a result, my grades for the first and second years do not yet reflect my potential and abilities. I feel I have not done as I expected, but this does not deter me from focusing on my goal. I have settled well and my grades have improved tremendously, such that I am expecting a very good score in my final year results. My strong desire to pursue a masters degree in China made me prepare in advance to fit in Chinese climate by learning Chinese and visiting China every year. As a result, I am confident of fitting into the Masters in Chinese Economy seamlessly. I have a considerable work experience gained from internship experiences and active involvement in the family business. From a tender age of eleven, I have been involved in the running of my familys car business. From my involvement, I have grasped considerable skills in managing telephones, databases, and accounts. I have also represented the company in making business deals, including deals at the international scene. In 2011, I worked at the Ministry of Finance in Thailand whereby I furthered my skills in database management, public relations, and note taking during the periodic departmental revenue and tax management strategy meetings. I also worked as a marketing intern at Shanghai Expat Hotels between 2011and 2012 and in the Swire Hotel in Beijing between 2012 and 2013 in the same capacity. From the two undertakings, I have collectively accumulated hands-on experience in market research, creating new ideas for marketing various products, organizing various events and exhibitions, public relations, good communication, team building, design of various marketing materials, including flyers, leaflets, and location maps among other skills. In addition, I am proficient in a number computer packages, including Ms office, Ms PowerPoint, Internet Explorer, and Photoshop. I am fascinated by human resource management because I believe that human capital is an essential aspect of the economy. I have a considerable hands-on experience in human resource management, including provision of services needed for running a business. During the summer of 2012, I worked as an HR consulting Intern at Shanghai Dongjin Business Consulting Company. This company provides consulting services in Human resources, Legal matters, Marketing, and Taxes. The companys clients are mainly the companies and individuals who wish to invest or have business in China. I was in the HR department assisting in interviewing and deciding on workers for their clients. In one such interview, I managed to select and interview 300 workers for an international firm seeking to invest in China. I believe that for success as an HR researcher, one need to have skills in public relations, informational analysis and communication, proper organization, and record keeping among other skills. With a greater focus on these areas I will be able to streamline the information gathering, analysis, recording keeping, and information insemination during my masters in Economics. Outside my professional outline, I enjoy traveling a lot. I use most of my holiday opportunities to travel to other countries and share with new experiences. I have visited several countries in Europe and Asia, and this has exposed me to various social environments. In addition, I enjoy playing volleyball during my free time. In fact, I am part of my university volleyball team and we have played in various tournaments. I am social as I get along with people easily. I believe I posses both interpersonal and intrapersonal skills and these skills helps me focus on my goals in life.