Example Finance Postgraduate Personal Statement
After six successful years as an Analyst and Associate for a top-tier investment bank, I wish to move into private equity. The intensive one-year MSc in Finance is the ideal foundation for crossing over to this very competitive industry. The world-class teaching and study facilities for the MSc would equip me with the advanced technical knowledge to handle day-to-day private equity transactions, while the access to top industry contacts would give me a competitive edge over my fellow banking professionals when I come to seek one of the very few private equity positions available in the current economic climate.
I decided that I wish to become a PE Associate after discovering that I had the ideal skill set for private equity from working closely with PE firms in many of the transactions I worked on. I learned the rationale behind many PE transactions and how the firms work side-by-side with the management of companies to find efficiency savings. It was clear to me that my economics background and people management skills would be ideal for such work.
The decision to move into a new field was a difficult one since I enjoy a very rewarding career as an Associate at UBS, where I have progressed quickly and spearheaded major transactions and projects. Since beginning as an analyst, I have been involved in 23 M&A and financings transactions worth $6.1 billion. In only my second year, I identified and approached potential acquirers of National MENTOR, a leading US health services provider, which resulted in its sale for $700 million. My tireless work and reputation for seeking out the most difficult projects quickly made me the person to seek out when there was a tight deadline or a project requiring complex analysis. My talents were quickly recognised when, in one of my proudest moments, I was directly promoted to Associate.
Even before becoming an Associate, I was loaded with responsibility. In my third year, I was tasked with organising the first Global Specialty and Generic Pharmaceuticals conference in London, the bank’s primary source of transaction prospects after personal officer relationships. Without experience of coordinating such an event, I had to manage a team comprising members of various bank divisions and supervise all aspects of the event, including client management and logistics, all the while juggling my regular M&A work. Despite an attendee target deemed unachievable and no precedent for an event of this magnitude in London, targets were met and the conference was the most successful to date. To ensure such success was replicated in future, I devised a detailed conference format and organisational strategy for future conference teams to follow. My proven ability to adapt quickly to new tasks should be of great use when I move into private equity.
My world-class financial training at UBS coupled with my academic success in Economics should prepare me for the demanding courses of the MSc. I excelled in Economics at the University of Chicago, where I was taught economic theory by many of the world’s leading professors. I also received a very strong grounding in Mathematics, which should stand me in good stead for the technical aspects of Corporate Finance and Applied Financial Valuation, a course I particularly look forward to studying given my career ambitions.
Outside of the office, I dedicate much of my time to the Nazia Hassan Foundation, a charitable organisation committed to expanding opportunities for underprivileged South Asian women, of which I am a director and trustee. I founded the organisation with my family to honour the memory of my sister, a hugely popular singer who devoted much of her time to helping the poor. I lead the design and conceptualisation of each proposal, working closely with staff to see each project through.
On the course, I hope to learn, not only from the world-class faculty to realise my ambition, but also from fellow students with whom I should like to promote the foundation’s work.
We hope this example Finance Postgraduate personal statement acts as a good point of reference for relevant content and structure for the writing of your own statement.