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pERSONAL STATEMENT(经济学专业,攻读硕士) As the Asian financial crisis continues unabated in its second year, I , an economics major trained at one of China’s best cradles of economists, feel duty-bound to pursue advanced studies. Only by so doing can I hope to make a significant contribution to the discourse on China’s economic development strategy as the country endeavors to dodge the economic debacle that has befallen its neighbors. I must help decipher the puzzle of how the Asian economic miracle has busted. It is my strong belief that my country can draw vitally important lessons from the failures of other Asian economies. Most of my education to date is characterized by preeminence. a graduate from the Beijing No.4 Senior High School, one of the country’s very best high schools, I did my undergraduate university studies at the University of Inter national Business and Economics, a most respected institution that specializes in training economists and entrepreneurs. At this university, I received extensive training that was both rigorous and vigorous in economics. Exercising diligence and creativity, I achieved an academic record that was the envy of many of my schoolmates. Such education should provide solid grounding for me as I seek to vault into higher intellectual domains. Upon graduation in 1997, I have been working for China National Chemical Supply and Sales Corporation, one of the country’s key state-owned companies. I obtained the position on the strength of my outstanding academic records as well as the excellent performance I exhibited during my internship there. The job is satisfying in terms of both remuneration and prestige, but it does not give me a big enough stage to realize my ambition of making myself a prominent Chinese economist. I understand that, in today’s world, the power of a nation lies in its economic strength. This is particularly so for China, which has to support almost a quarter of the humankind with only a fraction of the world’s resources and wealth. While the development of economy is essential to every country, no other country in the world has to shoulder the kind of responsibility that China does. With an economy the size of Canada’s, China has a population that increases by a Canadian population every two years, even while it is enforcing a strict family planning rules. That means that, to just maintain the existing living standards of its citizens, China has come up with a enough jobs every two years for what amounts to the employment of every Canadian, young or old, healthy or sick. This is a daunting task that no country has ever faced. The fulfillment of this task, no doubt, calls for ingenuity. I am glad to see that China is following a path that it has chosen, first and foremost, in response to the realities within its own borders, even though it has not shunned from integrating its economy with that of the developed world. With almost 20 years of vigorous economic reforms, the Chinese seem to have struck the right balance between answering the call of accelerating globalization and defending its national interests. This balance has paid off in many ways. The country’s average economic growth rate of nearly 10 per cent for almost 20 years makes its economy the fastest growing among all major economies. The economic strength it has thus accumulated is helping it to stave off the financial meltdown that has ravaged the tiger economies. I want to know what China has done right that the other countries have done wrong and how China can build upon its impressive record so far for sustained growth in the future. Sophisticated answers to these questions require sophisticated training, which I hope I can achieve in your distinguished program. My undergraduate studies, though far from enough for my long-term purpose, have adequately prepared me for advanced research.. I am now solidly grounded in mathematics, statistics and basic theories of economics, all fundamental subjects in learning economics. I have been particularly interested in Game Theory and Money & Banking. To broaden vision, I have audited, by special arrangement for the gifted students, graduate courses like Futures & Securities Investment and International Marketing, taught by overseas professors. Through these courses, I have learned the concepts and theories of Western economics. All this has added to my intellectual depth. With the vigorous training I received in my undergraduate studies, I have arrived at some basic understanding of the Asian economy, on which I would like to focus my graduate studies. I believe that, in spite of the breakneck growth in the 1970s and 80s of the tiger economies that gave rise to the “East Asian Miracle”, the East Asian countries failed to build up sound economic structures. Their economic growths were powered more by the injection of tremendous investments than anything else, which led to what has come to be called the bubble economies. In their rush to achieve grandiose growths targets, they set up only rudimentary systems of control over their financial industries. As a result, too many loans were allowed to be secured on overpriced real estate and stocks. Such a situation would result in grave consequences if either the real estate or stock market collapsed. When both of these markets crashed last year in one after another Southeast Asian country, their banks’ bad loans multiplied, setting off domino effects across whole economies throughout the region. The devastation was such that, more than a year after the crisis began, few people in Asia can see any light at the end of the tunnel today. The big question in the Asian crisis is now on China. In the face of the Asian crisis, China has demonstrated remarkable strength and courage. Unlike in most other East Asian countries, the economy in China is still growing, and the Chinese currency is still stable. The difference is spelt, I believe, by the measures that China has taken in preventing the occurrence of a bubble economy. The Chinese government has not rushed to bless run-away speculation on the stock market, as some other Asian governments seemed to have done. Foreign investments, of which China has received more than any other country except the US, have been carefully channeled into infrastructure projects and industrial production. This, along with the inconvertibility of the Chinese currency on the capital accounts, has prevented the kind of capital flight that has undermined the financial systems in other Asian countries. Amazingly, China has become a powerful stabilizing force in Asian economies, although the country has been faulted by some in the West for not having embraced the free market concept as readily as other developing countries did. I think the stark contrast between the success of a somewhat more controlled economy and the failures of the free market economies begs for many questions. The story on China is of course not over yet, nor will it be anytime soon. With the deepening Asian financial crisis mounting more and more pressure on China, the Chinese government and businesses are desperately trying to maintain economic growths while continuing the country’s structural reforms. We do not yet know whether China will in the end be able to tough out the current crisis that keeps knocking on its doors. Even if China can survive this round of crisis unscathed, it will have to continue integrating its economy further with that of other countries, thereby exposing itself more and more to the capricious forces of the international financial markets. In the process, Chinese economists will have to meet the challenge of answering difficult questions, questions that may not have been asked anywhere else. I would like to be one of those meeting this challenge. In applying for acceptance into your program, I hope that, more than learning the staid concepts and theories of economics, I can sharpen my insights when treading on unmapped territories. I am attracted to your wide range of course offerings and the varied backgrounds of your faculty members. I am confident that, under your seasoned guidance, I will give full play to my intellectual potential in academic research. It should come as no surprise to you if I become one of the foremost authorities on the Chinese economy a few years after I graduate from your school.
In the process of preparing myself for advanced research, I obtained a solid academic background in mathematics, computer science and basic economic theory. In order to enhance my capabilities and further establish my background, I plan to take Probability and Econometrics as my electives during my last semester at Beijing University. During my undergraduate career I was fortunate to be able to audit several advanced graduate level courses taught by overseas professors such as Comparative Economic Systems and Advanced Macroeconomics. These classes not only introduced me to new economic concepts and theories, but also broadened my perspective and gave me new insights into the depth of my field. After over three years of studying economics and extensive reading in related fields, I have developed my own understanding of the present Chinese economy with system. I feel, and it is an idea shared by many, that the Chinese government is presently struggling to adapt a policy which would peacefully integrate the advantages of a marked economy with the current Socialist system. to a certain extent, I feel that the government has been successful in implementing this aim. However, many problems have yet to be resolved. Chief among these is the problem of rejuvenating and restructuring the large, state-owned enterprises. As a result under the Chinese socialist system, these companies not only lack a spirit of competition, but are also hopelessly overstaffed. There is a definite need to cut back on workers, many of whom are unskilled and present an unnecessary burden on these companies.#p#分页标题#e# The fundamental problem here is that China lacks unemployment and social security programs, which would be able to assist and re-train these workers should they be laid off. As there are no options for them, the companies are forced to retain these laborers, creating a stagnant state which limits both production levels and net profits. While foreign-imported goods and foreign companies were scare in China, this was not a major problem. However, the influx of foreign goods and corporations has forced China into a predicament where it can no longer afford to maintain useless employees for the benefit of the State. Should the situation here continue unchecked, China risks loosing its domestic marked to foreign companies. These ideas were the result of my field research conducted during my junior year. During that time, I studied first-hand edly China’s system of public economics and found it lacking in many ways. I feel that if China is ever to be a serious competitor in the world market it needs first to develop a more progressive system of public policies. For this, China will have to look to other systems, which have struggled and successfully handled this same problem. My goal is to continue my education in the United States where I can not only witness the dynamics of an economic system different from ours, but also study the ways in which America’s public policy could be adapted and utilized by China. In terms of global economics, China still has much to learn. The government is far from reconciling itself with many of the principles that underlie the modern market. I also feel that the Chinese situation is unique, and , that in order to be successful, policy makers must take into consideration regional characteristics, historical tradition and social psychology when defining the course of the future. However, it is also essential that the future generations of leaders, administrators and teachers learn from other countries in order to better understand the complexity of China’s role within the global economic situation. The more China’s economy is prosperous, the more it needs its own economists. Therefore, at the end of my graduate study, I intend to return to my country and contribute to China’s economic progress. My ultimate goal is to teach introducing advanced Western research methods to my country and, if possible, tackle some of the economic problems faced by my country. I am also applying for overseas graduate study because of the fact that the United States holds the leading position in the research of my chosen field. Your institution, known for its careful and exacting work ethic and nurturing academic atmosphere, is the university I have long admired. I am confident that with your distinguished faculty and recognized facilities, my potential will develop into knowledge and experience beneficial to both the United States and China. TOP A top student of international finance at the Beijing University, probably China''s best institution of higher learning, I would like to scale higher intellectual heights by undertaking advanced studies in your Master''s program. Such studies will help me fulfill a dream that I have inherited from my parents: the eradication of poverty in China. Although I grew up almost a pampered kid, I have learned of the scourge of poverty from my parents by listening to their stories about their childhood. My father, now a well-known professor of chemistry at the Sichuan University, was almost starved to death in the 1960s when his home village was mired in famine like many other parts of China. My mother, a manager of personnel with a major Chinese corporation, saw her youthful years slipping away in the chaotic “cultural revolution” period. Braving their trial and tribulation, they have always worked hard and are now well-established in their own careers. But they want more than a good life for themselves. They want to help make sure that no one in China will have to suffer in the future the way they did in the 1960s. Prodded by my parents’ high expectations, I have studied diligently over the years, drawing constant inspiration from the learning spirit prevalent on the campus of the Sichuan University, where my family had our home. While in primary and high school, I was always recognized as the best student, for which I as sent to numerous national and provincial contests and earned many awards. These include a First Prize in the National Physics Contest of High School Students and a Second Prize of the Sichuan Mathematics Contest of High School Students. The hard work paid off in my impressive performance in the 1995 National University Entrance Examinations, with which I won acceptance into the School of Economics at the Beijing University, described as the Harvard of China by President Bill Clinton on his recent trip to China. At the Beijing University, I have been exposed systematically to concepts and theories of international finance and economics. At the time I entered into the university, I did not know much about economics. My parents, in their zeal to make me an economist, had chosen the major for me. I am now so glad that they did so. The clear logic and advanced mathematics inherent in the economic analyses and hypotheses have particularly fascinated me. From Adam smith’s Wealth of the Nation to the Game Theory by Nash to J.M. Keyes to Samuelson, I have been inculcated in virtually all the great works of economics. One of the good things about Beijing University is that it teaches the students not only knowledge but also how they can do research themselves. I have thus been trained in a variety of research methodologies. I now understand how great economists grasp the economic reality and appreciate their readiness to ask questions on things that other people may take for granted. I recognize there are no perfect answer to some of the questions in economics, such as “how to deal with the ethical components in economy?” Basking in the academic freedom that Beijing University cultivates, I have devoted more of my time to doing research myself than doing the assignments. Although an economics major, I have learned most of the courses in the mathematics department. In my economics studies, I feel that mathematics is critically important in modern economics, as some modern theories of economics are demonstrated by pure mathematical induction. Seeing that mathematics courses in my department were too easy for me and too simple for more abstruse economics, I got the textbooks for the math majors and taught myself what they were learning, auditing in some of the classes of the Department of Mathematics. Never content with just performing well in my exams, I have been keen in obtaining hands-on experience. To understand the real problems in real life and thus put what I have learned from books into practice, I joined an investigation group organized by the University to investigate some big state-owned enterprises in Shanxi Province in the summer of 1997. We found, much to our horror, that many of the enterprises were plagued by chaotic management, big losses and a lot of redundant workers. On the basis of careful research, I now think that a way to save them is to institute a shareholding system for the enterprises so that the management can be held accountable to the investors. From September to November in 1997, I got a good chance to help sort out documentary materials for the central government’s Ministry of Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation at its Department of American & Oceanian Affairs. On that job, I learned a lot about international trade. In the summer of 1998, I worked for the Special Appliances for Labor Protection Company in my hometown Chengdu, advising the manager on how to improve the company’s managing and marketing system. Some of my advice was readily accepted. To have a taste of the stock market in China, I invested 2, 000 RMB, which I promptly donated to a charity project for the education of poor children in the rural areas. But hard times hit me in December 1996, when the government threw cold water on the excessive speculation by vowing not to prop up the stock market in any circumstances. The prices of stocks plummeted immediately, and I lost about 300 RMB. From the sudden fluctuations, I learned that the Chinese were still inexperienced investors and that the regulatory regime over the stock exchanges needed a lot of improvements. I have also as a private tutor for a 15-year-old boy for a year. I taught him mathematics and English and improved his grades in the two subjects from C to B. This way, I not only earned some money but also get some experience of teaching. Through the above and other activities, I have enriched my experiences gained a profound understanding of my motherland and its urgent need for quality economists. I have made up my mind to devote my life to the research and teaching of Economics. To achieve this career, I must pursue more advanced studies. I have already learned economics in probably the best economics program in China. To meet higher intellectual challenges, I think it is best that I do graduate studies in a Western university. With the knowledge I have learned at Beijing University and the practical experiences I have gained in recent years, I am confident that I can meet the requirements for acceptance. My goal is to become a professor teaching economics in a Chinese university after I complete my graduate studies. To pursue studies abroad, I have achieved an excellent command of English. I have read many economics essays written in English and helped translate English essays for professor Hu, my teacher, when she is too busy. To improve my oral English, I have frequented the English Corner on the Beijing University campus, where students often gather to conduct conversations in English. I have also watched many American movies in English. Now, I can talk with the foreign students in my department fluently. I do believe that I will have no trouble studying in English in America.#p#分页标题#e# With anticipation and excitement, I am now applying for acceptance into your graduate program in economics. As a student, I have achieved excellence in China, and I should achieve no less in the US. The combination of my quality education in both China and the US should send me soaring into an enlightened intellectual realm, from which I shall finally see the light at the end of the tunnel for China’s problem of poverty. I can, and I should, help realize my parents’ dream. So I sincerely ask you to consider my application favorably. A graduate from a management program who has worked in sales and promotion for four years, I now would like to pick up my academic career as an economist. By so doing, I hope that I can eventually play a leadership role in China’s ongoing economic reforms. I did my undergraduate studies at the Beijing-based Northern University, one of the country’s top institutions of higher learning. I entered into this university in 1990 on the strength of my performance in the National University Entrance Examinations, held once every year to screen high school graduates for post-secondary education. My scores in these exams were so great that they constituted the highest total in my county, which made me something of a celebrity in my whole province. With my education at the Northern, I was solidly grounded in the fundamentals. Studying industriously, I had an overall GPA of 3.3, the fifth highest in our department. My GPA in the courses of my major was even higher, standing at 3.7. I was granted the “Excellent Studies Prize” in 1991 and the “Outstanding Undergraduate Student Scholarship” by the Dept. Of Management in 1992 and 1993. I did not limit myself to academic studies at the university. Campus life was colorful, an I made full use of all the opportunities to enrich myself. As a freshman, I worked for the Information Department of the university’s Student Union. My performance was such that I was appointed the head of the department for a term of two years between 1991 and 1993. The position gave me a platform from which I founded two periodicals, the “Management Brief” and the “Future Entrepreneur”. In these periodicals, I wrote profusely about topics relating to the economic reforms and general business management. To fund these publications, I led a group of students in offering computer training programs to the unskilled, which was unique on our campus then. All this not only enriched my student life but also helped me to improve my ability in many ways. One of the benefits is that I became an effective writer. In a 1992 composition contest, I was awarded the first-class prize for my essay. Thanks to my reputation as both a distinguished student and a student organizer, I was offered a job at the university in 1994 after obtaining my bachelor’s degree. I first worked at the Sales Department, responsible for product sales and advertisements. Now , I am the director’s assistant, responsible for wage management, bonus management, drafting regulation and so on. Four years of working experience has taught me how to put textbook skills and knowledge into practice. All the while, I have been improving my academic qualifications. I now wish to study abroad to further my academic career. Knowing that computers are essential for doing sophisticated research, I made special efforts in mastering computer technologies. I trained myself in a host of programming languages, including the BASIC, Pascal and FoxBASE. Using my programming skills, I have designed a “Personnel Management Information System” and a “Sales Management Information System”, which have markedly improved efficiency in my office. Building on the computer skills I learned as a student, I have in recent years made myself versed in FoxPro, Access, and Visual Basic. Mow I am planning to design a comprehensive management system for my institute to improve management efficiency. Taking part in various academic activities to hone my ability to do research is an indispensable part of my strategy to improve myself. In the past four years, I have taken part in a number of research projects, including the “External Economics for Research and Technology (R&E) Development” project at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the “International Business Management Bibliography” at the Tsinghua University and the “Washing Machine and Refrigerator Market Research” project for the International Consulting Ltd. The more I take part in these activities, the more I feel I need to study further. My interest in economics was first ignited in my undergraduate years, when I was listening to a lecture “Planned Economy ad Market Economy” by the preeminent Chinese economist Li Yining ,a professor of the Beijing University, a few blocks away from my university. The thinking he displayed in that lecture on the Chinese economy was so sharp and intriguing that I have focused my academic interest on economics ever since. To pursue my this interest, I took a number of economics-related courses, such as Political Economics, Industrial Economics, Technological Economics, Management Economics, Economic Law, Marketing and Market Research Finance. I also took the care to train myself in mathematics fundamentals, such as Liner Algebra, Probability and Statistics, Industrial Statistics. Books like “Western Economics” and “Comparative Economics” have been my favorite reading materials. By taking these courses, I learned new economic concepts and theories, and thus broadened my perspectives and sharpened my insights. New perspectives and insights are what China needs as it continues its reforms and modernization drive. Unlike developed countries in the West, which have practiced market economics for several hundred years, Chin has been trying to adopt market principles for only twenty years. The problems waiting to be solved are so many and so complex that even the bravest of the brightest can feel daunted. As the country tries to restructure and rejuvenate its larger, state-owned enterprises, a host of challenges, not the least of which are financial crisis, unemployment, inflation and so on, are rattling the nation. Nobody seems to be sure what China will face a few years down the road. Can China keep growing? Or will it suffer irreversible setbacks? On top its domestic problems, how will China cope with the international competition? To help answer these questions, I need to further refine my expertise in economics. I hope to become one of the country’s own economists armed with a sophisticated understanding of both the complex reality in China and the general market principles and theories that apply throughout the world, like it or mot. Your institution, with a highly qualified faculty, is the university I have long admired. I am confident that, under your seasoned guidance, I can give full play to my potential and realize my career goal. |
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