Academic Statement of Purpose: Why the Interest in Financial Engineering and How It Applies to Their Future Career?

Academic Statement of Purpose: Why the interest in Financial Engineering and how it applies to their future career?

There is a trend in doing risk analysis, pricing and trading using computational models. This trend, along with the increasing activities of international investment banks, securities companies and insurance companies in China, has created career opportunities for students who have background in mathematics, computer science and other quantitative studies. Graduating from the top-ranked Computer Science program at China's No. 1 University—Qinghua, having finished extensive coursework in calculus, algorithm, probability and programming, and getting an early exposure to the "real battle" in a national bank, my next goal is to move from a pure academic ground in computer science to the more practical field of Financial Engineering, and specifically, in computational finance.

When I first came to college with numerous awards and prizes in Computer Science Olympics won during my high school years, I knew that I had a definite interest in science and technology, but did not know what I wanted to pursue specifically. With the feeling of uncertainty but striving to work at my best, I applied for the elite class of the Computer Science undergraduate program, which only consists of 30 students, and get admitted. All of our professors are academic-industry leaders who inform us about the latest development trends of every industry. I met and discussed my options and planned out my courses with Professor Qizhi Yao, a famous academician and Turing winner who supervised the elite class, then I filled up my schedule with math and computer science courses during my first two years of college.

Four years' undergraduate study and project experience made me a very logical and rational thinker and a resourceful innovator. I am self-motivated to learn and will explore a problem from many different angles to obtain a solution. I am also determined and persistent and will not give up when faced with a challenge, and I am eager to combine new knowledge and technologies I have acquired and apply it in the real world.

I would like to bring my expertise in computer science into the very promising area of finance. My commitment to pursue advanced study can be attributed to my personal interest in creating effective risk management software based on advanced mathematical modeling. Equipped with knowledge and skills in math and computer science, I wish that further study on financial models, risk factors including policy environment, culture influence and social structure, as well as investment psychology and behavioral science-based models will help me develop more accurate and easy-to-use software.

Well-prepared and self-oriented, the next two years shall be a springboard for me to succeed as an expert with interdisciplinary knowledge and skills