Admission Essay: Fordham University School of Business

In consideration of my decision to apply to this prestigious University, I shall endeavor to distinguish myself to the admissions committee in terms of both my academic work up to this point, as well as the formidable efforts I will undertake to excel in the Master’s program in quantitative finance. I am both intrigued and stimulated by the challenges and considerable rewards available in a career in finance, as well as a sense of competitive alliance within the firm I have selected. The arc of my educational experience up to this point has revealed a particular proclivity for quantitative analysis, and the beneficial yields derived from a set of calculation and theoretical models which have the potential to translate success. My efficiency and command of quantitative analysis was something of a surprise, considering that I did not major in mathematics or computer science.

I was raised in China, a culture that places a great deal of emphasis on personal virtue, spirituality, and honorable behavior. Chinese culture also venerates the process of learning and acquiring wisdom, with which one can arrive at life choices that are clear and concise. Although there are significant differences between Chinese and American culture, there are also tenuous points of similarity in constructing one’s own moral system through their chosen field of study and subsequent profession. I find that I am excited at the prospects of working in finance in America in the midst of a technology revolution in which innovative and dramatic revisions of finance models are emerging at a pace previously unheard of. My ambitions in finance are perfectly adapted to the Master’s program at Fordham University, and I anticipate the experience of attending school with likeminded people, who, like me are committed to learning and growing in an environment perfectly suited to both their immediate academic needs and the long-term goals of their careers choices.

My internship experience focused on areas of asset management, quantitative analysis, and import/export arbitrage analysis. I discovered that I excelled in quantitative analysis, and began to understand the exceptional degree to which evolving information systems could be carefully manipulated to generate invaluable data. Information technology is in a state of constant expansion, and refinement, at some level forming a kind of ancillary calculus that merges with one’s own analytical instrument. My immediate career goal following undergraduate studies was to secure a financial analyst position and learn the basics from the floor up. To meet the qualifications for this position I pursued a CFA designation following graduation. In spite of a deficit in computer science training, I swiftly adapted to Matlab, an invaluable calculation and modeling tool that proved an enormous benefit for me. It was my hope to gain significant practical experience in analyzing a particular industry, and utilizing that analysis in predicting short-term cycles and trends which could prove advantageous.

My long-term goals are by no means modest or assimilative, I want to acquire enough practical experience and discipline to become an investment manager, and a decision-maker, someone who can formulate their own strategies and implement them without following sub-divisional channels or navigating internal hierarchies. My skill-set has given me both the confidence and motivation to reach for the stars in terms of my professional objectives and expectations. My dream is to parlay my experience and knowledge into a consulting firm that focuses primarily on emerging markets, one of the most exciting and potentially rewarding areas of finance and investment. The personal and professional satisfaction and prestige that I hope to attain can then be shared with others who envision similar goals and aspirations. I firmly believe that the Master’s program at your University can only enhance my professional objective and add considerably to my knowledge and academic discipline.

The program at Fordham has all of the requirements I am seeking, in particular, the joint certifications in computational finance and computer science drew my interest. The requirement of two additional classes in data mining and algorithms and data analysis is an ideal supplement. I am also quite conscious of the advantages derived from the University for making invaluable professional connections within the finance culture based in Manhattan. I am keenly aware that the University could provide an advantageous platform for entry into one of the most prestigious financial firms in the city. In this respect, I feel that my decision to apply for the MSQF program is the best possible step in my career. The simulated trading floor that is a vital part of the program is an ideal means for teaching practical financial experience that can translate into the actual finance arena beyond the classroom. Students are given an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned in an environment that closely approximates an actual trading floor in which decisions and calculations take on the urgency and impact of instant gains or losses.

To summarize, I fervently hope to gain the necessary enhancements and specific tools necessary to make my goals a reality and to secure the once remote dreams that possessed my imagination as a young boy growing up in China, a world away and yet a world most immediate and resonating. I have embraced the experience of educating myself and working in America, and so far all of my expectations have been surpassed. Being accepted into this program will only serve to further instill my desire to succeed and transform both myself and those I am fortunate to work with in this giddy process of realization. At this moment I have the feeling that anything is possible, and I associate this feeling specifically with America and the field of opportunity and freedoms available here. I graciously thank you for your consideration and patience.