Example Real Estate Finance and Economics Postgraduate Personal Statement
The real estate crash was at the heart of the financial crisis. Had economists and bankers possessed a better understanding of the direction of the housing market, there might never have been the disastrous collapse of banks across the world that we witnessed night after night on the television and newspapers only a few years ago. I was studying Economics and the housing market at the height of the crisis and the increasingly obvious importance of the real estate market to the world economy’s fortunes combined with my evident aptitude for market analysis convinced me that I wish to become a real estate analyst or investor for a major investment management firm. The MSc in Real Estate Finance and Economics would equip me with the requisite knowledge to fulfil my ambition.
To prepare myself for the course and my career, I have taken modules in Accounting, Derivatives and various other courses relevant for developing an advanced understanding of the dynamics of real estate as part of my degree, for all of which I have received either a First or a high 2:1. Studying Economics has also equipped me with the requisite mathematical skills to analyse investments and markets, while the courses on economic theory have given me a thorough knowledge of how the overall economy works, an understanding which should stand me in good stead when I come to make forecasts about the real estate market.
The knowledge I gained at university built on what I had learned already at school, where I took A-Levels in Economics and Business, study which had already made me determined to work in finance. Outside of the classroom, I have tried to strengthen further my knowledge of finance and the real estate markets by reading regularly the Economist and the Financial Times, along with finance-related books such as Niall Ferguson’s The Ascent of Money, which indicates how housing bubbles always have been and always will be a part of the global economy.
As well as attempting to gain the requisite theoretical knowledge for my chosen career, I have also tried to gain day-to-day experience of the business world in order to develop the practical skills necessary to succeed in finance. In my last two summers at university, I have worked as a sales executive at two major retailers, where I have learned how to communicate clearly and confidently with customers and colleagues, answering queries and resolving difficulties. Working hard to achieve sales targets has shown me how to meet strict deadlines and demanding goals, which should prepare me well for the high-pressured world of international finance.
The summer after finishing my A-Levels I also was gifted the opportunity to work as a fraud analyst for Barclaycard where I was charged with identifying fraudulent transactions and notifying credit card holders when their accounts had been frozen. The experience gave me a taste for financial analysis and taught me how to deal calmly and patiently with customers whom I often would have to reassure when they feared their money had been stolen.
In my spare time, when not reading about the real estate and financial markets, I enjoy volunteering at schools and community centres, where I act as an interpreter for Bangladeshis new to Britain whom I try to help integrate into the society. I should like to volunteer for similar work on the Masters and help any other Bangladeshi students to integrate into the university’s community. I am also a fitness fanatic, regularly frequenting the gym as well as playing football and cricket competitively. I should like to try out for the university’s cricket team when I begin the Masters.
I want to become as deeply involved in university life as possible, for I hope to come away from the Masters not only with the requisite knowledge to analyse and forecast accurately the future of the housing markets but with close friends from whom I can learn and with whom I can collaborate in my future work.
We hope that this example Real Estate Finance and Economics Postgraduate Personal Statement will be a helpful reference when writing your own statement.