The following Personal Statement was written by an applicant who was admitted to UCLA. This personal statement is intended to provide an example of a successful essay for a top school like UCLA.

I fear the remote thought of being the mere average, the plight of the ordinary as if to live at someone else’s discretion. Being the first female in my family to earn her bachelor’s degree, I have decidedly challenged the status quo that women do not need Higher Education in this patriarchal society. They say relentlessness commands success. While I still have a long jaunt to cover, my perseverance alone has brought me this celebration in life, academically or otherwise.

For the distant observer, words like backward, neglected, and undeveloped seem malapropos when describing my hometown. A hustling-bustling metropolis, at the face of it, seems dynamic. A changing landscape with round-the-clock development and new infrastructure. To the untrained eye, these qualities are equivalent to a booming economy with all the perks accompanying it. My side of the story, however, is much more poignant.

While men are encouraged to pursue higher education and careers in medicine, engineering, and finance, the female fold is enticed to focus their energies elsewhere and accept the so-called realities of life. And most do without demur. A similar fate befell my mother, who was forced to give up her prospects as a medical practitioner and marry as a juvenile. Approaching an age considered an expiration date for being ‘marriage material,’ the notion of wanting a Master’s degree in finance and a career in the same field has to some extent, a certain stigma attached to it even today.

Shattered dreams leave a void in your heart that can rarely be filled. Having a daughter lit up a new hope in my mother’s heart, and she envisioned that I would one day achieve all she had aspired to. She dedicated all her time and efforts to ensuring I excelled at school from an early age. The by-product was that I became extremely dedicated to performing to my full potential throughout my academic life. I unknowingly started challenging myself to ensure I was the topper in all the subsequent academic years.

The constant dedication and support, particularly that of my mother, enabled me to fulfill this seemingly childish bet I had made with myself. I kept getting the top position throughout my primary and secondary years. The day my secondary school result was released is an etched memory. Finding out that I had topped my batch put a smile on my mother’s face, and she was euphoric. All my hard work had borne fruit. She also could finally see the fruit of all those years of endless nagging and dedication she had put in with me. This achievement led to me being awarded a full two-year scholarship for my high school.

The financial crisis of 2008 had deep-reaching effects and was impressionable on my mind. Before my father’s death, he was laid off for two years due to the global crisis. All this confusion and anxiety associated with the family’s unemployed breadwinner drew me toward the financial world and how the economy operates. From there, I decided that I wanted to pursue economics because it would help me build a solid foundation that would serve as a basis for higher education in finance in later years.

My degree from the University of London allowed me to choose the areas of economics and finance that I would be inclined towards. Throughout my degree, I took daunting courses which were math-based. As I was drawn more toward how the aggregate economy functions, I took the Economics of Labor and Monetary Economics in my final year. Always harboring a passion for the financial aspects, I opted for banking and finance as well as Corporate finance during my degree. These courses strengthened my resolve to pursue this study area further.

Having a passion for mathematical applications, I also opted for Further Mathematics for Economists. This course showed me how math could be applied in practical situations. During this course, I studied the Kuhn-Tucker theorem, mathematical analysis of sets, limits, bounded sets, linear programming, and many others. My first-year performance in the University of London examinations led to me being awarded the Year 1 Achievement Award. That was a very proud moment in my life as it was awarded to only the top five students with the highest aggregate marks worldwide. A full scholarship from the University of London for my second year of study accompanied this.

If you ask a layperson who does not dwell on the extensive University rankings, they will agree that UCLA hits the list at the top. Having decided to pursue a master’s in finance, I started actively researching various Universities worldwide, the programs that match my trajectory and vision. Whether the US news rankings or the Times Higher Education rankings, UCLA secures the place as one of the most renowned universities with a stellar reputation worldwide.

When I came across the MFE Program at UCLA and went through its course outline, it further strengthened my resolve to enter the program. One of the key attractions for me was that it was a pre-experience program designed for those needing more corporate training. I discovered that this department attracts the most intellectual professors from all over the globe, and its faculty is beyond par with the most prestigious colleges in America. UCLA is one of the most diverse medical-doctoral universities in terms of the student body. It has a student body of epic proportions. This interested me even more because it meant I would gain valuable exposure and interact with people from all over.

The alum network is one of the key attractions of any institution. With an impressive alum network including world leaders and many Nobel Laureates, employers hold UCLA in high regard. For example, one of my peers, having done his master’s from UCLA many years ago, has progressed immensely in his career and now works as an advisor in the US Department of State. A master’s from UCLA was one of the main factors that allowed him to climb the ladder of success in his profession, and he is proud to be an alumnus. I want to blaze a similar trail.

Coupled with all the above, the hustling city of LA consistently ranks as one of the best student cities in terms of living and employment prospects. I know that UCLA is known for its employability, and employers everywhere in the world prefer a UCLA graduate to many others. So, as I apply to this program, I am confident that graduating from UCLA will boost my place in Silicon Valley in the coming years.

As I have completed the coveted program at Undergraduate, I want to reach new heights in my Academic pursuits. Therefore, the next best step in achieving my long-term goals would be obtaining a Master’s in Financial Engineering.