I was fascinated by numbers from my first arithmetic lessons. While others struggled, I saw patterns and possibilities and knew, even then, where my future lay. I was lucky to receive strong encouragement in my passion from my parents, even if my great enthusiasm for numbers was a little mystifying to them. I have never regretted my choice; I thoroughly enjoy the program I am now engaged in, and my grades reflect my diligence, natural skill, and enthusiasm. I also have experience applying my skills and knowledge in ‘real world’ projects. I have been successful in all the projects I have been engaged in. These have provided experience highly relevant to your program and my future employment. They have also provided me with that tremendous personal satisfaction derived from the approval of superiors for ‘a job well done.
My initial exposure to the practical applications of Statistics occurred in my first year. As a member of the operation team in the China Entrepreneur Network (CEN), I assisted my team director in establishing the level of ‘member satisfaction’ by using R and ran the linear regression of club member satisfaction on time spent per week in club activities, feedback on events and different teams. We added more possibilities for inner motivation and adjusted the organization structure by changing it into circumstances leading to construction according to the results from our estimation. I was so impressed by this method's apparently ‘magical’ efficacy that I was thoroughly ‘hooked.’
My fascination was further fired by the realization that the applications of statistics are almost limitless in that they have the potential to affect virtually every area of people’s lives beneficially. It provides an essential component in enabling governments and organizations of all kinds to fulfill their core purposes and provides the basis for maximizing benefits to all organizational stakeholders. I see Statistics as a kind of ‘weapon,’ and as such, it can be (and has been) used for good and ill. The entrenched view of a government member or a board room may become a significant factor in the output if they can influence the wording of a survey questionnaire or the choice of samples used. I understand that the statistician must always seek to be an independent, disinterested, and objective ‘truth seeker’ rather than a tool ‘proving’ that what is untrue is true, or vice versa, on behalf of vested interests.
Once I have acquired sufficient skills, knowledge, and experience, I aim to become a highly effective consultant assisting businesses and NGOs in obtaining and interpreting relevant information to enable them to reach their goals and maximize their effectiveness.
My primary subjects at the undergraduate level are Statistics and Economics. My choice was made because both can be considered as much ‘arts’ as ‘sciences’ in that both require high levels of interpretative and intuitive skills to ask the right questions and then convert data into beneficial information for the final user. A poorly trained and motivated statistician is a great danger to the organizations they nominally serve and, indeed, to society in general. My firm intention is to remain highly motivated and enthused and to be trained at the highest level to ‘make a real difference’ rather than merely to make a living. For this reason, I seek admission to the program.
My undergraduate program is heavily geared toward the practical under the supervision of a first-class faculty and I feel incredibly grateful and privileged to have been a participant. I have been an enthusiastic and influential member of the program and have been awarded high grades, reflecting this in my work to date. The project-based course has enabled me to apply all the abstract theories to the actual world data set when analyzing. For instance, in the system relating to survey sampling techniques, taught by Professor Walter R. Mebane Jr., I learned and applied the specific processes involved in designing sample surveys and analyzing data, including designing adequate questionnaires, estimating population size and sampling size, using different methods of sampling such as simple random sampling, stratified sampling, cluster sampling and making estimations using ration, regression and difference estimation. In one of several projects applying these techniques, I conducted a sample design project to estimate the proportion of females in each department in the Engineering School of the University of Michigan, the average study hours per week, and the relationship between study hours per week for students in the Engineering School and the relationship between study hours per week and the grade point average. Such exercises have not only sharpened my skills in the application of statistical methods but have provided exciting and usable information.
In the current semester, I am studying econometrics, emphasizing the power of Statistics in the real world. The economist cannot function without the statistical information required to support theories and projects. During the coming semester, I intend to undertake the Data Mining Course and the Capstone Seminar of Statistics to learn more about the application and evaluation of statistical methods and applied research problems as a preparation for the Master’s program.
I realize that it is essential for a statistician to have an approachable and friendly demeanor if they are to be effective in their work. I am of Chinese ethnicity and have happily studied, worked, and socialized with people from many ethnic and social backgrounds. I enjoy sharing knowledge about my culture and learning about other people’s lives and cultures. I also am blessed with a highly developed sense of humor.
I know that the program attracts many well-qualified applicants. However, I genuinely feel that I am an exceptional candidate who can ‘add value to the program by bringing insights born from an excellent theoretical grounding, the experience of a variety of ‘real life’ projects, possession of those natural aptitudes and characteristics required to excel in this field of study together with a successful academic career to date and, perhaps most importantly, great enthusiasm, commitment and diligence.
Thank you for considering my application.