Personal Statement for applying to pursue an MSc Local Economic Development at LSE

Given the current economic climate, a Masters in Local Economic Development holds tremendous interest for me. As such, I hereby express my interest in joining your institution to fulfill my will of making a change to the local development of my hometown Shijiazhuang. Pursuing a postgraduate degree in the field of Local Economic Development is something I have taken as a responsibility that will help me actively follow and accomplish my dream to work in a regional government in my hometown to bring about a change and stimulate the local economies by using the skills and knowledge gained from this programme.

Currently, I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Management at Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. However, throughout my life, I have developed a keen interest in the development of the local economies particularly that of my hometown, Shijiazhuang, which makes me an ideal candidate for this programme. I have demonstrated this through my internship experience where I assisted in financial consulting service, including personal loan package design and estimation of financing capacity for the efficiency of clients while I served as an Assistant Manager at the financial department of the Bank of China. Having a population that is well-informed about financial matters is key for the development of a local economy. The role also gave me a lot of exposure to long-term financial services to individuals including personal wealth management and risk management that are essential aspects of economic development. Further, my interest in local economy development has always been strengthened by my father who works in a local politics and law committee as one of the policy makers. He likes to discuss the latest city plans with me, which motivates me to pay more attention to urban management. I firmly believe that my excellent understanding of my hometown and its economics put me in a better position to significantly contribute to business development in the town.

As an undergraduate in Bachelor of Science management, my degree has given me a solid academic background that makes me suitable for the MSc Local Economic Development programme. I have studied humanity subjects like History, Geography, Philosophy and Politics in high school, which equipped me with a broad understanding of economy development in different perspectives. While at the University of Manchester, I went on to widen my knowledge by studying macro & microeconomics, finance, and sociologies, and also hone my qualitative skills by taking courses like statistics and decision modelling. I believe that having a background in both History and statistics is essential to understanding the economic state of the world which in one way or another impacts the development of local economies. This is because statistics equips one with the power to interpret the models that simulate the world while history provides a sense of context. In the macroeconomics course, I did an assignment about Greek debt crisis where I analysed how fiscal and monetary policies affected the crisis as well as why such disaster happened only to Greece rather than other EU countries. A distinctively high score was achieved at the end, and my research work was praised for shedding light on some perspectives that were previously not highlighted. I believe that I am well suited to further study on economy and development in LED programme where I will prove to be of much relevance by contributing my research talents that I have gained by engaging in various research projects. The skills acquired through the research experiences will be of much benefit to me during my postgraduate education. Further, my involvement in research works has enabled me to develop strong analytical skills and problem-solving capabilities which I believe has prepared me to apply the same rigorous, logical approach to problem-solving that characterises the study of local economic development. My problem-solving ability was also enhanced by covering mathematical and analytical modules such as Algebra and Calculus while at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

Some of my strengths include being hardworking, inquisitive and smart. Additionally, I am one who is open to learning and appreciates every learning opportunity especially when it comes to new things or different ways of doing the old. I have always taken every opportunity possible to gain the grounding in local economics that is necessary to progress through to postgraduate level. This is a fundamental aspect of my character that will help me in my efforts to bring changes to the local economies. Further, I am a determined individual; I decided to apply for a postgraduate programme after my first year. Therefore, I put a lot of effort to improve my grades in my second year. I obtained around 70% ranking top 5% (4/99) of the class. In my final year, I believe my grade will continue showing an upward trend to reach a first class. I will always simulate all my potential to achieve my goal, no matter in the study, life or in the future career path. I believe that I am a well-rounded person and thoroughly enjoy competition. I am driven by any challenge and have already demonstrated my ability to study independently.

The reason I chose LSE is that it has an excellent reputation and is renowned for its academic excellence. The university adequately prepares students to meet various challenges affecting economic development today such as rapid technological and informational changes, an unprecedented drive towards globalisation of the world economy and the rapid expansion of the global trade. Above all, I look forward to joining the university and being part of one of the best academic institutions in the world since receiving a master’s degree from LSE will be a significant step towards achieving my dream. After graduating with a master degree in LED, I want to work in a regional government in my hometown where I will apply the knowledge and expertise gained to make a change, even if the change may be little. I believe LED accredited by the Institute for Economic Development (IED) can give me a full preparation to meet my career goal. Further, the knowledge will serve to fulfil my long-cherished aspiration of bringing change to the local economy development of my hometown Shijiazhuang.