Personal Statement
Applied Program: Sports Journalism

Journalism, Sports, and Psychology are the three major components of my

life.

Ever since I was small, I loved books of complex arguments and

philosophical depth. This is why when applying to college, I chose

Psychology as my major without hesitation. Meanwhile, I have taken

martial art as a testing place of my endurance and perseverance. My

mentors incded famed martial art masters, such as Professor Guo Yanjing

and Professor Liu Xueqian, and Mr. Li Shiying, the national champion of

sanda-a Chinese form of boxing. In fact, I won the national

championship of sanda for college students two times. It was, of

course, this combination of personal and academic interests that made

me decide to choose Sports Psychology as my specialized area for

graduate study, at the Beijing University of Physical Education, which

has been considered a major cradle for China‘s Olympic champions. At

the university, I took a large number of courses in Sports and Physical

Education, and also used my spare time to audit related courses. For my

outstanding academic performance I received honors from the university

several times.

But it was in my involvement with the media during this period that I

was able to truly excel-I was appointed by China Sports, the largest

sports newspaper in China, as its part-time reporter. My success was

almost immediate, because I was able to use my knowledge of sports

psychology to comment on sporting events. My reports were so highly

regarded that they soon became the staple for local newspapers

throughout China. At the 1998 Goodwill Games held in the U.S., Sang

Lan, a young Chinese gymnast, had a severe neck injury, an instance

that attracted worldwide media attention. Since I made the most speedy

and in-depth reports on the incident, the news coverage by major media

networks of the world, including the American Warner TV Network, was

all purchased from us.

After graduating from the university, I became a full-time employee for

the newspaper company, beginning with an assignment for the project of

"Public Election on the Top 50 Athletes in New China," which turned out

to be a smashing success. I was responsible for the overall editing and

column writing. As there was a great scarcity of useful reference

materials in the company‘s archives, I utilized the totally original

materials of our own creation. One year later, I was rewarded for my

special contribution to the company with a quick promotion, to the rank

of Service Manager. With this success, I began to look forward to a

full-fledged career in journalism and the media.

My next assignment was to establish a new web site for China Sports, a

project of great exigency because of the pressing public demand on

Internet accessibility. Later, I joined Sina.com, the largest Chinese

web station in the world, as their specialized consultant for the news

coverage on the 2000 Olympic Game at Sidney. Using their newly

developed information networking facilities, I provided speedy and in-

depth reports of sporting events, resulting in a record-breaking

15,000,000 PV per day, unheard of in China‘s history of the Internet

service. I also helped Sino.com remodel its sports section, with more

emphasis on inside stories, detailed commentaries, and interviews with

athletic stars. The effort was fruitful, as shown in that the PV was

climbing up steadily.

My rich experience in journalism has made me more keenly aware of its

importance in serving the public, as well as in shaping its values. We

must maintain objectivity, and yet we must have our kind concern for

the need of ordinary citizens, informing and inspiring them in the best

way we could. For me, it has been a demanding job all along, but the

lesson I have learned from it is to never give up. I still remember

that when I was writing my Master‘s thesis, I started to work for China

Sports, which ate badly into the time I needed for my academic project.

I often had to work 18 hours a day to make satisfying progress.

Eventually, the thesis was completed on time, and was highly regarded,

for its substance as well as the graceful style of my writing.

On the other hand, I have also learned from my work experience that

there is an urgent need for me to further my education, in order to

attain high grounds in my profession. The news media for sports in

China is developing fast, and the market is becoming saturated.

Competition is intense, and plagiarism sometimes goes rampant.

Obviously, the field has not yet been adequately regulated, and there

is much China can learn from the journalist institutions and practices

in the West. This is why I have decided to pursue an advanced degree in

Journalism at an American university, to make myself a top specialist

in sports journalism, a profession I dearly love.

Your university is famous for its graduate program in Journalism,

ranking high among American universities and colleges. Professor

BigName, in particular, is well known among Chinese college students,

whose professional ability and creative spirit I truly admire. It will

be a great honor for me to have an opportunity to benefit from your

first-rate faculty and research facilities-an experience that will

allow me to make my very special contribution to China‘s sports

journalism, a few years from now. Your careful consideration of my

application will be sincerely appreciated.