I have loved Mathematics since I became aware of numbers and their power and since a young age has sought, where possible, to express real-life problems of all kinds in terms of numbers to find a solution and often found this to be a helpful exercise.

My love of mathematics and its practical applications resulted in a decision to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. However, in my first year, I read the book ‘Out of Control’ by Kevin Kelly and became very interested in the theory of ‘Big Data and its practical applications. Subsequently, I was allowed to intern for six months with the largest privately owned Chinese bank and worked on several projects which involved exposure to various statistical techniques and discovered that I had a natural facility to quickly grasp and apply these to provide valuable information to the bank, I also came to understand that the thoughtful application of Statistics has the potential to affect almost every area of people’s lives beneficially. By the time I transferred from Lanzhou Jiaotong University to Iowa State in June 2014, I had decided to pursue the study of Analytical Statistics at the highest level possible and considered this to be the best decision in my academic life.

I have excelled in my bachelor's degree program with what I consider to be a creditable GPA of 3.86/4. My goal is to join the Master’s program to develop and acquire advanced skills and knowledge to lead a team of financial analysts to build models and strategies to identify and solve functional ‘hard problems.’

I believe that the program is the ideal one to equip me to meet my professional goals because of its emphasis on practical and career preparation. I am particularly drawn by the design of the team-based and real-life applications of the Capstone project. I am sure that my academic background and practical experience will enable me to ‘add value’ during the program and especially when collaborating on the Capstone project. I enjoy working as a team member and am ready to lead when the opportunity arises.

I am particularly interested in Computational Statistics, Data Visualization, and Stochastic Processes related to Finance. I hope it may be possible to assist in research on one or more of these topics during the program.

As the top-ranking Stats/Math major, I have worked as an Academic Peer Adviser since May 2015 in the University’s Mathematics and Statistics Department. To date, I have assisted 30 first-year students by scheduling academic planning, referral of resources, and providing educational and emotional support. This work has been very fulfilling, and I find that giving explanations is an excellent way to discover new insights into techniques and methods. I hope it may be possible to assist bachelor's degree students as part of the Master’s program.

Since moving to the US, I have happily and successfully adjusted to the new culture and educational environment. I have studied alongside, socialized with, and mentored people from many ethnic and social backgrounds and have greatly enjoyed doing so. I look forward to extending these experiences within the Master’s program and sharing the fruits of our various specialist studies and experiences.

To summarize, I am an academically able student with a high commitment and diligence to my work. I have an academic background and professional experience that is highly relevant to the program, and, most importantly, I have a genuine passion for my statistics. I can assure the reader that I shall apply myself with great enthusiasm to the program to excel rather than merely succeed.

Thank you for considering my application.