Admission Essay

I found myself inclined to pursue a master’s course in Finance since the time I enrolled for a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at D’Amore-McKim School of Business where my choice of major is finance. While studying finance, I became interested in investment accounting and fund management, and I plan to carve out a successful career as a portfolio manager. I am a rather meticulous individual and plan things in advance for any eventuality. As such I have delineated a career plan to achieve my career goals, and a Master’s Degree in Finance from Northeastern University will be a crucial part of this plan.

As already mentioned, I seek to become a successful fund manager in the long term. I am highly optimistic about market prospects in the current economy and believe that the future is bright for young and dynamic fund and portfolio managers who dream of huge profits for their clients as well as employers. However, succeeding as a fund manager requires a deep knowledge of investment and financial accounting as well as tons of experience in market analysis. As such, I intend to initially invest my time working as an analyst at a leading investment firm, whereby I would be able to gain considerable experience studying and analyzing the market, while enhancing my acquaintance of the functioning of markets and economy.
The masters course at Northeastern University will help me achieve my short term goal of becoming a successful market analyst and will go a long way in aiding me as I inch close to my long term career goal. The curriculum for the master’s course is diverse and deep, combining the elements of basics and contemporary. Financial theory, policies, and strategies are taught to help students grasp the fundamentals of finance, while equal emphasis is laid on finance risk management, international finance as well as investment analysis to offer a ubiquitous mix of finance and investment principles. The course will aid me in becoming an independent thinker and analyst. This is one quality that should be endearing to an investment analyst as this leads him to come up with newer and pioneering ideas that can tap into the market potential to discover any missed investment opportunities for garnering higher returns and profit. I am confident that successful completion of the course will help me avail the opportunity to work as an investment analyst, thus furthering my ultimate goal to become a fund manager.

I have a fair idea about the challenges I will be facing during the course of pursuing my career goals. One of the major challenges will be the culture divide. I hail from China and I have been in the United States for four years now. Adjusting and accepting the ways of different cultures can be a hurdle unless one is committed to overcome it through consideration and tolerance. To be successful academically or professionally, some degree of team-work is required. For successful team-work, certain degree of belongingness is important. Since my time in the U.S., I have been endeavoring to adopt the ways and mannerism of Americans. I have been staying with an American family, rather than sharing apartment with fellow countrymen. I seek to learn about American lifestyle and mannerisms so as to try and get a feel of their culture and society. I am certain this will be helpful during the course of my studies.

I have also managed to gain some experience during my leisure time as I sought out to learn the ropes of professionalism early on. I worked as a Marketing Department Co-op At HUIDA Sanitary Ware Co. Ltd between Jan - June 2014 where I was responsible for collecting, processing, and exchanging marketing information, organizing promotional activities, comparing advertising proposals, forecasting sales for promotional activities and production schedule tracking. During June-Aug 2012, I had worked as a sales clerk at Hui Jiu Bathroom and Kitchen Fixtures, where my role included assisting customers in finding satisfactory products, coordinating with warehouse manager and organizing delivery schedule, and collecting customers’ feedback. Both these jobs were extremely helpful in enhancing my communication and inter-personal skills as well as in aiding me realize the importance of planning, time-management and organization.

This course will grant me a chance to deepen and sharpen my knowledge of finance and accounting apart from providing an academically challenging and diverse environment. Also, the college will provide a platform for interacting with like-minded individuals with an interest in and passion for the subject. This will result in the exchange of views and ideas that will be mutually beneficial. I am grateful for your time in considering my application. I believe the information provided by me proves helpful in demonstrating my academic ability and capability of being worthy of a chance at your prestigious institution.