Life experiences and people shape us and define who we are. I would have never become the person I am today if it was not for University of Wisconsin-Madison. The fantastic university life in the U.S. has turned me into a grown-up in many aspects and has made my choices and actions more mature. Apart from cutting edge knowledge, I had the opportunity to communicate with students coming from different nations and cultures. My world outlook has broadened drastically and these experiences have helped me be more cooperative and communicative.
Since young, I have had interest and passion for mathematics, having practiced it quite a lot, it gradually became my strength. Without any hesitation, after the AP test, I opted for BSc in Economics and BSc in Mathematics as my major. During the undergraduate period, I used to be over my head with studies, I concentrated on the classroom work quite a lot. By making every effort in the class, I achieved A or AB on most of my classes, and the interim GPA has reached 3.8 out of 4. Thus, I was sure that I want to bind my career with mathematics.
Sooner or late we all face a choice of career path to follow and I am not an exception. Before leaving for U.S., I have had a conversation with my parents, regarding the sphere I should pursue my future career in. Taking my interest in mathematics and educational background into consideration, I am very inclined to join the finance industry after graduation. Therefore, during my undergraduate years I also avail myself of the short break in summer session to do internships in China given the vital importance of first-hand experience in this field.
The first one was in the finance department of Shanghai Lianying Medical Treatment Technology Co. Ltd. At first, I assisted in the analysis of profit and loss statements, ones of the most critical financial statements that indicate the revenues and expenses of a company during a particular period. Statement analysis is an interesting, yet challenging job as it has a close-knit relationship with the development strategies of the company.
While I enjoyed studying math and dealing with numbers, I have never felt as challenged as I did working as an intern. Real-life work experience turned out to be fat more complex than I expected, however, I came around pretty fast. Having witnessed the analysis of different aspects including sales revenue, sales costs, operating expenses and taxes, I gained a well-round understanding of how to conduct an analysis of financial statement systematically. I was also involved in the cost control. After one month practice on statement analysis, I strived for a chance to intern at an investment decision making group. Behind every single decision on investment is the vast and complicated calculation, without which the investment would probably go in vain, as any kind of unawareness creates high risk of low return. In the middle of this project, discounting methods were widely used and I practived the NPV, profitability index and IRR methods when assisting to evaluate whether or not the project was worth investing in.
As far as my understanding goes, there are always options for finance students to develop and grow professionally and I have found my path to work on corporate finance. After the internship in Shanghai Lianying, I realized the significance of quantitative skills in the finance area. As a student of economics and mathematics, I developed such skills via assignments and took part in a project about zeros in international bilateral trade. In addition, I also have an internship experience in Guosen Securities, being responsible for helping with financial model building. Besides, I engaged in product design and derivative pricing as well. With great background in mathematics, I have intentions of proceeding further and have the confidence that I have what takes to succeed.
The competition on the job market is appearing to be tougher and tougher every day, and the demand for highly-skilled finance practitioners is soaring. Although I will obtain a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the nearest time, I am aware that my knowledge in finance is far from enough to cope with contemporary financial problems. Therefore, I am intending to pursue further studies and I plan to focus on finance in particular for my masters. My career goal is to join a large, global enterprise and make the contribution to the corporate finance. Hong Kong stands out immediately as a financial services centre of China and the Asian Region as a whole. Its’ research and influence in China region is not a match for any other. After intense study in the related graduate programs in Hong Kong, I am most appealed by your Master of Finance. I think the course is very well designed through which not only will I gain insights into basic finance knowledge, but will also have a chance to develop my interests via specialized streams. I am extremely eager to become a member of your esteemed university, and am very willing to share my diverse experiences in the U.S. I hope with all my heart, I can also become a famous alumna, who you could take pride in.
