Personal Statement

Risks follow my life since the early childhood. I sometimes believe that it is a curse and a boon as well. My father passed away in his sudden stroke at my age of about ten, and my family during that time was submerged in great debts due to the sad fact that my father who was not ready to pass away and unprepared for this risk left my mother with little pennies. For a long time, I have witnessed my Mom working hard and scrambling every coin to support both children. At first, I cursed this unwanted risk occurring to my family, blaming that God was unfair to us who should have been blessed with luckier lives, yet knowing other cases of my friends in the same boat, I began to realize that risks happen to any one of us, in all shapes and forms. Rather than seeing it as thing to deny, we should brave ourselves against by predicting and giving solutions in time. Since that realization, my life sees significant changes: I studied harder to prepare for my future, joined in social work to gain skills and searched any problem related to the word problem solving and risk. High school years were the wonderful time for me to accumulate such a precious experience to learn how to tackle problems. The subjects, like mathematics and chemistry, though full of mathematical formulae and figures, motivated me greatly, especially when I managed myself to interrelate all these mysterious figures to find a remedy to it. However, frankly speaking, there was one thing lacking in these years that I still found myself dealing with relatively theoretical problems, instead of real-life ones. Bearing this in mind, I then condition myself to taking entrance exam into one of reputed university where I majored in finance. Never could I feel more interested than these moments during which I, for the first time, faced the true-to-life issues with a series of questions awaiting for answers and presenting risks at the same time. The finance matter used to drive my family crazily, and now I again welcome it back with knowledge and in a more macro way, though. Actually, it not just an individual that suffered risks to the point of abyss, but a nation can taste the unexpected and devastating troubles related to finance. And not until I spent two years working as a financier at Treasury Department after my graduation is my concern about this field aroused. Here I was in charge of preparing analyzed reports on the bank liquidity as well as processing monetary and foreign exchange deal with other banks. I have recognized the truth that even though Vietnam, my country, has been joining in international trading for long, opened the opportunities for new market, and particularly witnessed the booming of banking industry to support other sectors to develop, it has not yet a complete mechanism in managing risks in business dealings between banks and banks and entrepreneurs. Also, the study of predicting local and international risks remains quite modest and general, which explains why if a problem arises randomly, the area of finance is easily affected and opts for short-term solutions. Typical examples are cases of early collapse of stock, gold markets to stagnating real-estate. Looking at the case of my father and the current situations of my nation, I have been driven to dig deeper into this challenging field. I strongly believe that the root for existing problems comes from the lack of careful study of markets, the lack of education for each citizens knowledge in my nation about what is meant by risk- handling. Therefore, I decide to further my study in an international environment where answers can be found. With this in mind, I have embarked on my road to choosing the most suitable destination of education, and your university has been my final choice when I have known

that UK is the home to the world of accounting and finance, and especially your university is the place training quite a few experts in this field. Besides, the matter of finance should be taken into consideration. No sooner do I graduate your school than I, too, achieve the international degree and gain a wealth of knowledge and experience from your schools outstanding professors. During the time I am studying here, I strongly devote my passion and hope to play a part in glorifying your tradition. Coming back to Vietnam, I hope to contribute my knowledge to enhancing my nations status, introduce the best education I receive here to my friends and the next generation and keep training myself to become a better financier to deserve your schools tradition and the effort of professors teaching me here, my community where I was born and emotionally attached, and myself who desire to add more value to risk-management.