Personal Statement
Program: Finance
Through beads of sweat I can finally see the finish line. Propelled

forward by my loaded legs, my heart pumping loud inside, along the

racing track am I struggling to make a last dashing effort. The 10,000

-meter race is exhausting. Other contestants are right behind me; they

are looking for chances to overtake me. I cannot afford to let off, not

even a slightest bit because I have been preparing for this moment for

years. “Beat them! You Must!” a voice deep inside me keeps shouting

to me. In a match, there is just one aim—to win and to get the upper

hand of your opponents. To do so, it is even necessary to go beyond one

’s ultimate limit. Then the crucial moment comes, the moment of

fulfilling one’s prescribed objective.

I am by no means the smartest student in my class. But my perseverance,

my pursuit of excellence, and my readiness to challenge my ultimate

limit have enabled me to achieve self-transcendence time and again in

my past education. Whether in winning prizes during major academic

aptitudes contests through my middle school days or in entering the

Mathematics Department of XX University (arguably the best place to

study mathematics in China) waived of the otherwise required entrance

examinations, I have achieved every success through strong willpower

and persistence. I believe that life is a long journey and my present

application for XX University, arguably the best university in the

world, is my new attempt to scale new heights.

In the summer of 2002, several major universities in China, including

XX University and XX University, offered to enroll me free of entrance

examinations due to my winning the first prize in the XXX that year. I

eventually chose XX University. In its Mathematics Department are

gathered the most outstanding talents of the country. In this

competitive environment, my aptitudes not only in mathematics but also

in physics and computer have improved rapidly. I realized that I had to

compete in order to excel.

I achieved all-round academic development at XX University. Apart from

receiving effective and systematic training in mathematics, I have had

ample opportunities to exchange with the first-rate professors and

fellow students. Under the influence of the University’s overall

academic atmosphere, I have attained increasing mental maturity by

developing my team spirit, personal responsibility, and other personal

qualities. For the first time in my life I gained the understanding

that a true elite is born out of a group of elites. Although I do not

pretend to be the best student in my department, every major progress

that I have achieved in this unique university has repeatedly convinced

me that, as long as I persevere academically the way that I persevere

athletically, I will ultimately develop myself into a person of

outstanding excellence of my generation.

My choice of switching to an undergraduate program in Finance at XX

University originates from my ideal of receiving the world’s first-

rate undergraduate education and of exposing myself to the influence of

an elitist academic culture. Just as XX University has attracted to it

the best students in China, XX University has attracted to it the best

students in the world. I identify myself strongly with your university

motto which admonishes your students to be with the greatest masters of

the academia and, most importantly, to be with the truth. At such a

world prestigious university as XX University, it will be possible for

me to listen to the instructions of the world ‘s best teachers, to

exchange with and to compete against the best students in the world.

Those two factors will give me lifelong benefits. I believe that only

by plunging myself into this highly competitive environment will it be

possible for me to bring my important potential into the fullest play,

and to further develop my courage to face challenges, enhance my

endurance, and improve my analytical thinking.

The motivation behind my decision to specialize in finance lies in my

determination to apply my special aptitudes in mathematics to the study

of social science. China is currently experiencing an unprecedented

economic development in history. As a student that has grown up in pace

with China’s implementation of market economy, I have the strong wish

to learn the most advanced knowledge and skills in the world and to

contribute my efforts to the further development of China’s economy.

Like many other elitist students of XX University, I find my middle

school education filled with accolades won through hard efforts and

toils. From junior middle school to senior middle school (XX Middle

School, the key middle school of XX Province), I maintained a top 1%

academic performance in my grade (consisting of 400 students) and was

given, among various awards, the Outstanding Student honor every year.

I received approximately 20 awards in national and provincial contests

of mathematics, physics, English and chemistry (please refer to my

Resume for more detailed information). Among those awards, some of the

most important ones include the first prize in the XX, the gold medal

in the “Hope Cup” XX, the third prize in the XX, and the first prize

in the XX City’s XX. I have strong interest and special aptitudes in

mathematics and physics. By studying those two subjects, I have not

only improved my scholastic level and rigorous logical reasoning but

also developed my ability to solve problems independently. Although my

future career will not necessarily be in the field of mathematics, I

firmly believe that mathematics is the most fundamental science through

which human beings gain knowledge about this world. The knowledge and

the way of thinking that I have developed through my study of

mathematics, together with the strong willpower that I have evolved in

the process, will be my lifelong assets.

Nevertheless, I have never allowed myself to be a bookworm. Instead, I

have always sought for comprehensive personal development in management

skills, interpersonal communication, and in athletic contests. During

my senior middle school days, I was a student official in the Students

Union and was responsible for organizing many important campus events

such as the choral festival, cultural festival, debate contests, and

exchanges with other schools in the city. I was the editor of the

student publication “Footprint”. Although my coursework at XX

University is very heavy, I have been working as a key student official

of the departmental Students Union. While enriching my extracurricular

life, my work at the Students Union has shown me the importance of

teamwork and has taught me important skills of sound interpersonal

relations. The development of organizational and management skills will

also become an important legacy for my future financial study and

practice.

For a dedicated runner, he has only one focus — to dash to the finish

line ahead of his adversaries. It is a test of his stamina and he must

prove his sportsmanship. For me, the sole reason for pursuing a more

advanced education is that I have come to the moment of facing a new

challenge and I need to conquer it. The height of life is reached

through repeated self-transcendences—this is what I understand about

the meaning of life. I have done so in the past and I will continue to

do so in the future. What I am doing at present is one of those self-

transcendences—to apply for admission into a university of true world

prestige.
First draft—Opening

For many years, I have been practicing 10,000-meter long-distance

running everyday. In so doing, I have not only developed my strong

physique but also won a spate of prizes at sports meetings. The most

important thing is that I have improved my character and strengthened

my willpower. In every 10,000-meter event, I clench my teeth, try to go

beyond my ultimate limit and beat my competitors, until I dash to the

finish ahead of others. Each experience is an experience of setting and

fulfilling an objective.

First draft-ending

For a brave mountain climber, the sole reason for his mountain climbing

is that the high mountain is there and he must surmount it. For me, the

sole reason for pursuing a more advanced education is that I have come

to the moment of facing a new challenge and I need to conquer it. The

height of life is reached through repeated self-transcendences—this is

what I understand about the meaning of life. I have done so in the past

and I will continue to do so in the future. What I am doing at present

is one of those self-transcendences—to apply for admission into a

university of true world prestige.