PersonalStatementAsaseniormajoringinEconomicsatXXX,oneofthetopfouruniversitiesinShanghai,themorerelevantcoursesItake,themoreIamcertainaboutmyfuturecareerasanEconomist.However,IrealizethatwhatIhavelearnedasanundergraduateisfarfromenough.Therefore,itismydreamtopursueagraduateprograminEconomicsatyouruniversity.Ifaccepted,myintendedconcentrationwouldbemicroeconomicsorFinance.MyinterestinEconomicswasignitedinhighschool,whereIwasfirstintroducedtothefundamentaleconomictheoriesinourpoliticsclass.Iwassofascinatedbytheconceptsof‘invisiblehand’,‘Giffen’sParadox’andothersthatIchosethemajorofEconomicsasmyfirstchoicebeforetheUniversityEntranceExamination.Unlikemyclassmates,whosemajorisusuallydecidedbytheirparents,IfollowedthevoiceofmyheartandIamdeterminedtopersistintheend.WithmyeducationatXXX,Iwasnotonlysolidlygroundedinthefundamentals,butalsofoundaverysupportiveenvironment.Luckily,myclassmatesareallverycapableandself-motivated;wehaveourstudygroupsanddoresearchtogether.Duringmyjunioryear,teamingupwithfourstudents,IdidresearchonthetopicofhowtoeffectivelystimulateChina’seconomybyincreasingthedemandofresidents.Myresponsibilityincludedcollectingdata,reviewingrelevantmagazinesandassistingintheestablishmentoftheeconomicmodel.Thepaperofourco-effortgotapprovedbyXXXFund—afundofferedbyXXXtopotentialresearchprograms.Ialsoreadalotofclassicaleconomicworks,includingProfessorLarryH.P.Lang’sbookslike‘WhoissavingChina’seconomy’.Throughextensivereadingandgroupresearch,theynotonlyhelpmedevelopgoodstudyhabitsandperformwellenoughtogetthescholarship,butalsobroadenmyperspectiveandgivemenewinsightsintothedepthofmyfield.Ididnotlimitmyselftoacademicstudiesattheuniversity.Forexample,Ididhometutoringforastudentfromotheruniversityformicroeconomicsandhelpedherpasstheexam.Shesaidsomehowlearningfromme,itiseasierforhertounderstandallthecomplicatedgraphsandformulas.IvolunteeredtoserveattheseventhAcademyofSocialSciencesacademicannualmeetingwiththethemeofEconomicPerformance.Thatwasagreatopportunityformetolearntheuniqueresearchtopicsfrommanyeconomistsandprofessors,varyingfrominternationalfinancetolocalrealestatepricecontrol.Imadeplentyofnotesandevengotthechancetoaskquestions,whichwasabsolutelyenriching.Encouragedbymyparentsandteachers,IsuccessfullypassedtheinterviewsforexchangeprogramtoXXXUniversityandXXXInternationalCollege.DuringthesixmonthsintheUnitedStates,Iquicklyadaptedtothenewlifeandhadnoproblemcommunicatingwiththelocals.IhavetosayIprefertheinteractiveclassatmosphereatXXX,aswellastheteachingmethodsofAmericanteachers,fortheyenlightenthestudentsratherthanmerelyteachthem.Inaddition,theoverseaslivingandworkingexperienceallowedmetohaveamorevividcomparisonofdifferentaspectsofChinaandUSeconomies.ThepriceofluxuriousgoodsinChinaisdefinitelymuchhigherwhereasthatoflaborandservicesisjusttheopposite.AccordingtoProfessorLang’sopinion,thereasonsbehindthisphenomenonarethattoomanytaxesareimposedongoodsandChinalacksinnovativetalenttocreatenationalwealth,thustheservicessectorisnotabletomakealotofmoneyfromsupportingthetechnicalsector.Icouldnothaveagreedmore,asIwitnessedsomanycreativeideasanddesignsinDisneyWorld,withthemonotonousmanufacturingprocessalwaysoutsourcedandthefinalproducttaggedwiththelabel‘MadeinChina’.ItisurgentforChinatoupgradeandoptimizeitsindustrialchaininordertobemorecompetitiveintheglobalizedworld,impro...
